Proverbs 7:26

7:26 for she has brought down ¹  many fatally wounded,

and all those she has slain are many. ² 

Proverbs 10:21

10:21 The teaching ³  of the righteous feeds ⁴  many,

but fools die ⁵  for lack of wisdom. ⁶ 

Proverbs 14:20

14:20 A poor person is disliked ⁷  even by his neighbors,

but those who love the rich are many.

Proverbs 19:4

19:4 Wealth adds many friends,

but a poor person is separated ⁸  from his friend. ⁹ 

Proverbs 19:6

19:6 Many people entreat the favor ¹⁰  of a generous person, ¹¹ 

and everyone is the friend ¹²  of the person who gives gifts. ¹³ 

Proverbs 29:26

29:26 Many people seek the face ¹⁴  of a ruler,

but it is from the Lord that one receives justice. ¹⁵ 

Proverbs 28:2

28:2 When a country is rebellious ¹⁶  it has many princes, ¹⁷ 

but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable ¹⁸  order is maintained. ¹⁹ 

[7:26]  ¹ tn Heb “she has caused to fall.”

[7:26]  ² tn Heb “numerous” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “countless.”

[10:21]  ³ tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said (or in this case taught).

[10:21]  ⁴ tn The verb רָעָה (ra’ah) means “to feed” or “to shepherd” (e.g., Gen 48:15). What they say will meet the needs of many.

[10:21]  ⁵ tn In what sense the fool “dies” is unclear. Fools ruin their lives and the lives of others by their lack of discipline and knowledge. The contrast is between enhancing life and ruining life.

[10:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “heart.” The term לֵב (lev, “heart”) functions as a metonymy of association for wisdom and knowledge (BDB 524 s.v. 3.a).

[14:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “hated.” The verse is just a statement of fact. The verbs “love” and “hate” must be seen in their connotations: The poor are rejected, avoided, shunned – that is, hated; but the rich are sought after, favored, embraced – that is, loved.

[19:4]  ⁷ tn The Niphal imperfect probably should be taken in the passive sense (the poor person is deserted by his “friend,” cf. NAB, NIV) rather than as a direct middle (the poor person deserted his friend).

[19:4]  ⁸ sn This proverb simply makes an observation on life: People pursue wealthy folk hoping that they can gain something from the rich, but the poor are deserted even by friends, who fear that the poor will try to gain something from them.

[19:6]  ⁹ tn The verb יְחַלּוּ (yÿkhalu) is a Piel imperfect of חָלָה (khalah) meaning “to seek favor; to entreat favor; to mollify; to appease”; cf. NIV “curry favor.” It literally means “making the face of someone sweet or pleasant,” as in stroking the face. To “entreat the favor” of someone is to induce him to show favor; the action aims at receiving gifts, benefits, or any other kind of success.

[19:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the face of a generous man”; ASV “the liberal man.” The term “face” is a synecdoche of part (= face) for the whole (= person).

[19:6]  ¹¹ sn The proverb acknowledges the fact of life; but it also reminds people of the value of gifts in life, especially in business or in politics.

[19:6]  ¹² tn Heb “a man of gifts.” This could be (1) attributive genitive: a man characterized by giving gifts or (2) objective genitive: a man who gives gifts (IBHS 146 §9.5.2b).

[29:26]  ¹¹ sn The idiom seek the face means to try to obtain favor from someone. According to the proverb, many people assume that true justice depends on the disposition of some earthly ruler.

[29:26]  ¹² tn Heb “but from the Lord [is] justice of a man.” The last part uses the construct state followed by the genitive, which here shows the advantage – it is justice for the person. The implication of the matter is that people should seek the Lord’s favor (rather than a human ruler’s) if they want true justice.

[28:2]  ¹³ sn The Hebrew word translated “rebellious” has rebellion as its basic meaning, and that is the idea here. The proverb is describing a time when sinfulness brings about social and political unrest.

[28:2]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “many are its princes” (so NASB).

[28:2]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “a man who understands [and] knows”; NRSV “an intelligent ruler”; NLT “wise and knowledgeable leaders.”

[28:2]  ¹⁶ tc The LXX reads (probably from a different underlying Hebrew text): “It is the fault of a violent man that quarrels start, but they are settled by a man of discernment.” For a survey of suggestions, see C. H. Toy, Proverbs (ICC), 495, and W. McKane, Proverbs (OTL), 630.