Proverbs 8:29

8:29 when he gave the sea his decree

that the waters should not pass over his command, ¹ 

when he marked out the foundations of the earth,

Proverbs 28:2

28:2 When a country is rebellious ²  it has many princes, ³ 

but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable ⁴  order is maintained. ⁵ 

Proverbs 30:16

30:16 the grave, ⁶  the barren womb, ⁷ 

land that is not satisfied with water,

and fire that never says, “Enough!” ⁸ 

Proverbs 30:21

30:21 Under three things the earth trembles, ⁹ 

and under four things it cannot bear up:

[8:29]  ¹ tn Heb “his mouth.”

[28:2]  ² 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]  ³ tn Heb “many are its princes” (so NASB).

[28:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man who understands [and] knows”; NRSV “an intelligent ruler”; NLT “wise and knowledgeable leaders.”

[28:2]  ⁵ 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.

[30:16]  ³ tn The term שְׁאוֹל (she’ol, “Sheol”) refers here to the realm of the dead: “the grave” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); cf. TEV, CEV “the world of the dead”; NAB “the nether world.”

[30:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “the closing of the womb,” a situation especially troubling for one who is consumed with a desire for children (e.g., Gen 16:2; 30:1).

[30:16]  ⁵ sn There is no clear lesson made from these observations. But one point that could be made is that greed, symbolized by the leech, is as insatiable as all these other things. If that is the case, the proverb would constitute a warning against the insatiable nature of greed.

[30:21]  ⁴ sn The Hebrew verb means “to rage; to quake; to be in tumult.” The sage is using humorous and satirical hyperbole to say that the changes described in the following verses shake up the whole order of life. The sayings assume that the new, elevated status of the individuals was not accompanied by a change in nature. For example, it was not completely unknown in the ancient world for a servant to become king, and in the process begin to behave like a king.