Proverbs 8:15

8:15 Kings reign by means of me,

and potentates ¹  decree ²  righteousness;

Proverbs 8:27

8:27 When he established the heavens, I was there;

when he marked out the horizon ³  over the face of the deep,

Proverbs 8:29

8:29 when he gave the sea his decree

that the waters should not pass over his command, ⁴ 

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

Proverbs 31:5

31:5 lest they drink and forget what is decreed,

and remove ⁵  from all the poor ⁶  their legal rights. ⁷ 

[8:15]  ¹ tn The verb רָזַן (razan) means “to be weighty; to be judicious; to be commanding.” It only occurs in the Qal active participle in the plural as a substantive, meaning “potentates; rulers” (e.g., Ps 1:1-3). Cf. KJV, ASV “princes”; NAB “lawgivers.”

[8:15]  ² sn This verb יְחֹקְקוּ (yÿkhoqqu) is related to the noun חֹק (khoq), which is a “statute; decree.” The verb is defined as “to cut in; to inscribe; to decree” (BDB 349 s.v. חָקַק). The point the verse is making is that when these potentates decree righteousness, it is by wisdom. History records all too often that these rulers acted as fools and opposed righteousness (cf. Ps 2:1-3). But people in power need wisdom to govern the earth (e.g., Isa 11:1-4 which predicts how Messiah will use wisdom to do this very thing). The point is underscored with the paronomasia in v. 15 with “kings” and “will reign” from the same root, and then in v. 16 with both “princes” and “rule” being cognate. The repetition of sounds and meanings strengthens the statements.

[8:27]  ³ sn The infinitive construct בְּחוּקוֹ (bÿkhuqo, “to cut; to engrave; to mark”) and the noun חוּג (khug, “horizon; circle”) form a paronomasia in the line.

[8:29]  ⁵ tn Heb “his mouth.”

[31:5]  ⁷ tn The verb means “change,” perhaps expressed in reversing decisions or removing rights.

[31:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “all the children of poverty.” This expression refers to the poor by nature. Cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV “the afflicted”; NIV “oppressed.”

[31:5]  ⁹ sn The word is דִּין (din, “judgment”; so KJV). In this passage it refers to the cause or the plea for justice, i.e., the “legal rights.”