Amsal 10:23

10:23 Carrying out a wicked scheme ¹  is enjoyable ²  to a fool,

and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment. ³ 

Amsal 10:29

10:29 The way of the Lord ⁴  is like ⁵  a stronghold for the upright, ⁶ 

but it is destruction ⁷  to evildoers. ⁸ 

Amsal 14:21

14:21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,

but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.

[10:23]  ¹ tn Heb “doing a plan.” The noun זִמָּה (zimmah, “plan”) is often used pejoratively of a scheme to do wickedness. It is used elsewhere for planning lewdness, murder, incest, adultery, idolatry, and licentiousness. Any planned gross impropriety gives the fool pleasure. The verb עָשָׂה (’asah, “to do”) here means “to carry out (a plan)” (BDB 794 s.v.).

[10:23]  ² tn Heb “like sport” (so NASB, NRSV). The noun שְׂחוֹק (sÿkhoq, “sport”) is used elsewhere to refer to what is exhilarating and pleasurable (BDB 966 s.v.). As W. G. Plaut says, it is like child’s play (Proverbs, 132). For the fool evil brings such enjoyment; for the discerning wisdom does.

[10:23]  ³ tn Heb “a man of discernment.”

[10:29]  ⁴ sn The “way of the Lord” is an idiom for God’s providential administration of life; it is what the Lord does (“way” being a hypocatastasis).

[10:29]  ⁵ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[10:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “for the one with integrity” (לַתֹּם, latom).

[10:29]  ⁷ tn Or “ruin” (so NIV).

[10:29]  ⁸ tn Heb “those who practice iniquity.”