Proverbs 7:26

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

and all those she has slain are many. ² 

Proverbs 15:25

15:25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud, ³ 

but he maintains the boundaries of the widow. ⁴ 

Proverbs 23:1

23:1 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,

consider carefully ⁵  what ⁶  is before you,

Proverbs 25:28

25:28 Like a city that is broken down and without a wall,

so is a person who cannot control his temper. ⁷ 

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

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

[15:25]  ³ sn The “proud” have to be understood here in contrast to the widow, and their “house” has to be interpreted in contrast to the widow’s territory. The implication may be that the “proud” make their gain from the needy, and so God will set the balance right.

[15:25]  ⁴ sn The Lord administers justice in his time. The Lord champions the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the needy. These people were often the prey of the proud, who would take and devour their houses and lands (e.g., 1 Kgs 21; Prov 16:19; Isa 5:8-10).

[23:1]  ⁵ tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”

[23:1]  ⁶ tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).

[25:28]  ⁷ tn Heb “whose spirit lacks restraint” (ASV similar). A person whose spirit (רוּחַ, ruakh) “lacks restraint” is one who is given to outbursts of passion, who lacks self-control (cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV, NLT). This person has no natural defenses but reveals his true nature all the time. The proverb is stating that without self-control a person is vulnerable, like a city without defenses.