Proverbs 12:4

12:4 A noble wife ¹  is the crown ²  of her husband,

but the wife ³  who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones. ⁴ 

Proverbs 18:19

18:19 A relative ⁵  offended ⁶  is harder to reach than ⁷  a strong city,

and disputes are like the barred gates ⁸  of a fortified citadel. ⁹ 

[12:4]  ¹ tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ’shet-khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mÿvishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.

[12:4]  ² sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.

[12:4]  ³ tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁴ sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.

[18:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “brother,” but this is not limited to actual siblings (cf. NRSV “an ally”; CEV, NLT “friend”).

[18:19]  ⁶ tn The Niphal participle from פָּשַׁע (pasha’) modifies “brother”: a brother transgressed, offended, sinned against.

[18:19]  ⁷ tc The LXX has a clear antithetical proverb here: “A brother helped is like a stronghold, but disputes are like bars of a citadel.” Accordingly, the editors of BHS propose מוֹשִׁיעַ (moshia’) instead of נִפְשָׁע (nifsha’, so also the other versions and the RSV). But since both lines use the comparison with a citadel (fortified/barred), the antithesis is problematic.

[18:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “bars,” but this could be understood to mean “taverns,” so “barred gates” is employed in the translation.

[18:19]  ⁹ sn The proverb is talking about changing a friend or a relative into an enemy by abuse or strife – the bars go up, as it were. And the “walls” that are erected are not easily torn down.