Amsal 4:14-19

4:14 Do not enter the path of the wicked

or walk ¹  in the way of those who are evil.

4:15 Avoid it, do not go on it;

turn away from it, and go on. ² 

4:16 For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; ³ 

they are robbed of sleep ⁴  until they make someone stumble. ⁵ 

4:17 For they eat bread ⁶  gained from wickedness ⁷ 

and drink wine obtained from violence. ⁸ 

4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light, ⁹ 

growing brighter and brighter ¹⁰  until full day. ¹¹ 

4:19 The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; ¹² 

they do not know what causes them to stumble. ¹³ 

[4:14]  ¹ tn The verb אָשַׁר (’ashar, “to walk”) is not to be confused with the identically spelled homonym אָשַׁר “to pronounce happy” as in BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר.

[4:15]  ² sn The verb עָבַר (’avar, “to cross over; to travel through”) ends both cola. In the first it warns against going on wrong paths; in the second it means “to go your own way,” but may hint that the way will cross over the wrong way. The rapid sequence of commands stresses the urgency of the matter.

[4:16]  ³ sn The verb is רָעַע (ra’a’), which means “to do evil; to harm.” The verse is using the figure of hyperbole to stress the preoccupation of some people with causing trouble. R. L. Alden says, “How sick to find peace only at the price of another man’s misfortune” (Proverbs, 47).

[4:16]  ⁴ sn Heb “their sleep is robbed/seized”; these expressions are metonymical for their restlessness in plotting evil.

[4:16]  ⁵ sn The Hiphil imperfect (Kethib) means “cause to stumble.” This idiom (from hypocatastasis) means “bring injury/ruin to someone” (BDB 505-6 s.v. כָּשַׁל Hiph.1).

[4:17]  ⁶ tn The noun is a cognate accusative stressing that they consume wickedness.

[4:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “the bread of wickedness” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). There are two ways to take the genitives: (1) genitives of apposition: wickedness and violence are their food and drink (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT), or (2) genitives of source: they derive their livelihood from the evil they do (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 93).

[4:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “the wine of violence” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). This is a genitive of source, meaning that the wine they drink was plundered from their violent crime. The Hebrew is structured in an AB:BA chiasm: “For they eat the bread of wickedness, and the wine of violence they drink.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.

[4:18]  ⁹ tn Heb “like light of brightness.” This construction is an attributive genitive: “bright light.” The word “light” (אוֹר, ’or) refers to the early morning light or the dawn (BDB 21 s.v.). The point of the simile is that the course of life that the righteous follow is like the clear, bright morning light. It is illumined, clear, easy to follow, and healthy and safe – the opposite of what darkness represents.

[4:18]  ¹⁰ tn The construction uses the Qal active participle of הָלַךְ (halakh) in a metaphorical sense to add the idea of continuance or continually to the participle הוֹלֵךְ (holekh). Here the path was growing light, but the added participle signifies continually.

[4:18]  ¹¹ tn Heb “until the day is established.” This expression refers to the coming of the full day or the time of high noon.

[4:19]  ¹² sn The simile describes ignorance or spiritual blindness, sinfulness, calamity, despair.

[4:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “in what they stumble.”