Amsal 14:32

14:32 The wicked will be thrown down in his trouble, ¹ 

but the righteous have refuge ²  even in the threat of death. ³ 

Amsal 15:4

15:4 Speech ⁴  that heals ⁵  is like ⁶  a life-giving tree, ⁷ 

but a perverse tongue ⁸  breaks the spirit.

Amsal 22:18

22:18 For it is pleasing if ⁹  you keep these sayings ¹⁰  within you,

and ¹¹  they are ready on your lips. ¹² 

Amsal 26:16

26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own estimation ¹³ 

than seven people who respond with good sense. ¹⁴ 

[14:32]  ¹ tn The prepositional phrase must be “in his time of trouble” (i.e., when catastrophe comes). Cf. CEV “In times of trouble the wicked are destroyed.” A wicked person has nothing to fall back on in such times.

[14:32]  ² sn The righteous have hope in a just retribution – they have a place of safety even in death.

[14:32]  ³ tc The LXX reads this as “in his integrity,” as if it were בְּתוּמּוֹ (bÿtumo) instead of “in his death” (בְּמוֹתוֹ, bÿmoto). The LXX is followed by some English versions (e.g., NAB “in his honesty,” NRSV “in their integrity,” and TEV “by their integrity”).

[14:32]  tn Heb “in his death.” The term “death” may function as a metonymy of effect for a life-threatening situation.

[15:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “a tongue.” The term “tongue” is a metonymy of cause for what is produced: speech.

[15:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “a tongue of healing.” A healing tongue refers to speech that is therapeutic or soothing. It is a source of vitality.

[15:4]  ⁶ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

[15:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “tree of life.”

[15:4]  ⁸ tn Heb “perversion in it.” The referent must be the tongue, so this has been supplied in the translation for clarity. A tongue that is twisted, perverse, or deceitful is a way of describing deceitful speech. Such words will crush the spirit (e.g., Isa 65:14).

[22:18]  ⁹ tn Or “when” (so NIV).

[22:18]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “keep them,” referring to the words of the wise expressed in these sayings. The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:18]  ¹¹ tn The term “and” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation.

[22:18]  ¹² sn If the teachings are preserved in the heart/mind of the disciple, then that individual will always be ready to speak what was retained.

[26:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “in his eyes.” The lazy person thinks that he has life all figured out and has chosen the wise course of action – but he is simply lazy. J. H. Greenstone says, for example, “Much anti-intellectualism may be traced to such rationalization for laziness” (Proverbs, 269).

[26:16]  ¹⁴ tn The term means “taste; judgment.” The related verb means “to taste; to perceive,” that is, “to examine by tasting,” or examine by experiencing (e.g., Ps 34:9). Here the idea is expressed with the participle in construct, “those returners [of] good sense,” those who answer tastefully, with discretion. Cf. NIV “who (+ can NRSV) answer discreetly.”