Amsal 1:15

1:15 My child, do not go down ¹  their way, ² 

withhold yourself ³  from their path; ⁴ 

Amsal 2:19

2:19 None who go in to her will return, ⁵ 

nor will they reach the paths of life. ⁶ 

Amsal 5:21

5:21 For the ways of a person ⁷  are in front of the Lord’s eyes,

and the Lord ⁸  weighs ⁹  all that person’s ¹⁰  paths.

Amsal 7:21

7:21 She persuaded him ¹¹  with persuasive words; ¹² 

with her smooth talk ¹³  she compelled him. ¹⁴ 

Amsal 20:18

20:18 Plans ¹⁵  are established by counsel,

so ¹⁶  make war ¹⁷  with guidance.

Amsal 24:6

24:6 for with guidance you wage your war,

and with numerous advisers there is victory. ¹⁸ 

Amsal 31:16

31:16 She considers ¹⁹  a field and buys it;

from her own income ²⁰  she plants a vineyard.

[1:15]  ¹ tn Heb “do not walk.”

[1:15]  ² tn Heb “in the way with them.”

[1:15]  ³ tn Heb “your foot.” The term “foot” (רֶגֶל, regel) is a synecdoche of part (= your foot) for the whole person (= yourself).

[1:15]  ⁴ sn The word “path” (נְתִיבָה, nÿtivah) like the word “way” (דֶּרֶךְ, derekh) is used as an idiom (developed from a hypocatastasis), meaning “conduct, course of life.”

[2:19]  ⁵ tn Heb “all who go in to her will not return.”

[2:19]  ⁶ sn The phrase “reach the paths of life” is a figurative expression for experiencing joy and fullness of blessing (BDB 673 s.v. נָשַׂג 2.a).

[5:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “man.”

[5:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:21]  ⁹ tn BDB 814 s.v. פָּלַס 2 suggests that the participle מְפַּלֵּס (mÿpalles) means “to make level [or, straight].” As one’s ways are in front of the eyes of the Lord, they become straight or right. It could be translated “weighs” since it is a denominative from the noun for “balance, scale”; the Lord weighs or examines the actions.

[5:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “all his”; the referent (the person mentioned in the first half of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[7:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “she turned him aside.” This expression means that she persuaded him. This section now begins the description of the capitulation, for the flattering speech is finished.

[7:21]  ¹² sn The term לֶקַח (leqakh) was used earlier in Proverbs for wise instruction; now it is used ironically for enticement to sin (see D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 280-92).

[7:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “smooth of her lips”; cf. NAB “smooth lips”; NASB “flattering lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause representing what she says.

[7:21]  ¹⁴ tn The verb means “to impel; to thrust; to banish,” but in this stem in this context “to compel; to force” into some action. The imperfect tense has the nuance of progressive imperfect to parallel the characteristic perfect of the first colon.

[20:18]  ¹⁵ tn The noun form is plural, but the verb is singular, suggesting either an abstract plural or a collective plural is being used here.

[20:18]  ¹⁶ tn The clause begins with vav (ו) on “with guidance.” But the clause has an imperative for its main verb. One could take the imperfect tense in the first colon as an imperfect of injunction, and then this clause would be also instructional. But the imperfect tense is a Niphal, and so it is better to take the first colon as the foundational clause and the second colon as the consequence (cf. NAB): If that is true, then you should do this.

[20:18]  ¹⁷ sn There have been attempts by various commentators to take “war” figuratively to mean life’s struggles, litigation, or evil inclinations. But there is no need and little justification for such interpretations. The proverb simply describes the necessity of taking counsel before going to war.

[24:6]  ¹⁸ sn The point of the saying is that wise counsel is necessary in war. Victory, strategy, and counsel are more important than mere military strength – many great armies have been destroyed because of their unwise leaders. See on this theme 11:14; 20:18; and 21:22.

[31:16]  ¹⁹ tn The first word of the seventh line begins with ז (zayin), the seventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:16]  sn The word “considers” means “to plan carefully” in accordance with her purposes. The word is often used in the book of Proverbs for devising evil; but here it is used positively of the woman’s wise investment.

[31:16]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from the fruit of her hands.” The expression employs two figures. “Hands” is a metonymy of cause, indicating the work she does. “Fruit” is a hypocatastasis, an implied comparison meaning what she produces, the income she earns. She is able to plant a vineyard from her income.