Psalms 141:5

141:5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me!

May my head not refuse ¹  choice oil! ² 

Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. ³ 

Proverbs 9:8

9:8 Do not reprove ⁴  a mocker or ⁵  he will hate you;

reprove a wise person and he will love you.

Proverbs 13:13

13:13 The one who despises instruction ⁶  will pay the penalty, ⁷ 

but whoever esteems instruction ⁸  will ⁹  be rewarded. ¹⁰ 

Proverbs 15:31-32

15:31 The person ¹¹  who hears the reproof that leads to life ¹² 

is at home ¹³  among the wise. ¹⁴ 

15:32 The one who refuses correction despises himself, ¹⁵ 

but whoever hears ¹⁶  reproof acquires understanding. ¹⁷ 

Proverbs 17:10

17:10 A rebuke makes a greater impression on ¹⁸  a discerning person

than a hundred blows on a fool. ¹⁹ 

Proverbs 27:6

27:6 Faithful ²⁰  are the wounds of a friend,

but the kisses ²¹  of an enemy are excessive. ²² 

Revelation 3:19

3:19 All those ²³  I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent!

[141:5]  ¹ tn The form יָנִי (yaniy) appears to be derived from the verbal root נוּא (nu’). Another option is to emend the form to יְנָא (yÿna’), a Piel from נָאָה (na’ah), and translate “may choice oil not adorn my head” (see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 [WBC], 271). In this case, choice oil, like delicacies in v. 4, symbolize the pleasures of sin.

[141:5]  ² sn May my head not refuse choice oil. The psalmist compares the constructive criticism of the godly (see the previous line) to having refreshing olive oil poured over one’s head.

[141:5]  ³ tc Heb “for still, and my prayer [is] against their evil deeds.” The syntax of the Hebrew text is difficult; the sequence -כִּי־עוֹד וּ (kiy-’od u-, “for still and”) occurs only here. The translation assumes an emendation to כִּי עֵד תְפלָּתִי (“indeed a witness [is] my prayer”). The psalmist’s lament about the evil actions of sinful men (see v. 4) testifies against the wicked in the divine court.

[9:8]  ⁴ tn In view of the expected response for reproof, the text now uses a negated jussive to advise against the attempt. This is paralleled antithetically by the imperative in the second colon. This imperative is in an understood conditional clause: “if you reprove a wise person.”

[9:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “lest he hate you.” The particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 79, §476). The antonyms “love” and “hate” suggest that the latter means “reject” and the former means “choosing and embracing.”

[13:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “the word.” The term “word” means teaching in general; its parallel “command” indicates that it is the more forceful instruction that is meant. Both of these terms are used for scripture.

[13:13]  ⁷ tc The MT reads יֵחָבֶל (yekhavel, “he will pay [for it]”; cf. NAB, NIV) but the BHS editors suggest revocalizing the text to יְחֻבָּל (yÿkhubal, “he will be broken [for it]”; cf. NRSV “bring destruction on themselves”).

[13:13]  ⁸ tn Heb “fears a commandment”; NIV “respects a command.”

[13:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “he” or “that one” [will be rewarded].

[13:13]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX adds: “A crafty son will have no good thing, but the affairs of a wise servant will be prosperous; and his path will be directed rightly.”

[15:31]  ¹¹ tn Heb “ear” (so KJV, NRSV). The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person).

[15:31]  ¹² tn “Life” is an objective genitive: Reproof brings or preserves life. Cf. NIV “life-giving rebuke”; NLT “constructive criticism.”

[15:31]  ¹³ tn Heb “lodges.” This means to live with, to be at home with.

[15:31]  ¹⁴ sn The proverb is one full sentence; it affirms that a teachable person is among the wise.

[15:32]  ¹⁵ sn To “despise oneself” means to reject oneself as if there was little value. The one who ignores discipline is not interested in improving himself.

[15:32]  ¹⁶ tn Or “heeds” (so NAB, NIV); NASB “listens to.”

[15:32]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew text reads קוֹנֶה לֵּב (qoneh lev), the participle of קָנָה (qanah, “to acquire; to possess”) with its object, “heart.” The word “heart” is frequently a metonymy of subject, meaning all the capacities of the human spirit and/or mind. Here it refers to the ability to make judgments or discernment.

[17:10]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “goes in deeper” (cf. NASB, NRSV). The verb נָחֵת (nakhet) “to go down; to descend” with the preposition בְּ (bet) means “to descend into; to make an impression on” someone.

[17:10]  ¹⁹ tn The form is the Hiphil infinitive of נָכָה (nakhah) with the comparative מִן, min. The word “fool” then would be an objective genitive – more than blows to/on a fool.

[27:6]  ²⁰ tn The Niphal participle of אָמַן (’aman) means “faithful; reliable; sure; trustworthy.” The word indicates that the wounds from a friend “can be trusted” (so NIV, NCV) because they are meant to correct and not to destroy (e.g., 25:12; Deut 7:9; Job 12:20).

[27:6]  ²¹ sn “Kisses” probably represents a metonymy of adjunct; the term describes any expressions or indications of affection. But coming from an enemy, they will be insincere – as indicated by their excessive number.

[27:6]  ²² tn The form is נַעְתָּרוֹת (na’tarot), the Niphal participle of עָתַר (’atar, “to be abundant”). Contemporary translations render this rare form in a number of different ways: “deceitful” (NASB, NKJV); “profuse” (NRSV); “many” (NLT). But the idea of “excessive” or “numerous” fits very well. The kisses of an enemy cannot be trusted, no matter how often they are presented.

[3:19]  ²³ tn The Greek pronoun ὅσος (Josos) means “as many as” and can be translated “All those” or “Everyone.”