Amsal 11:24
Konteks11:24 One person is generous 1 and yet grows more wealthy, 2
but another withholds more than he should 3 and comes to poverty. 4
Amsal 13:11
Konteks13:11 Wealth gained quickly 5 will dwindle away, 6
but the one who gathers it little by little 7 will become rich. 8
Amsal 18:24
Konteks18:24 A person who has friends 9 may be harmed by them, 10
but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
Amsal 21:13
Konteks21:13 The one who shuts his ears 11 to the cry 12 of the poor,
he too will cry out and will not be answered. 13
Amsal 23:6
Konteks23:6 Do not eat the food of a stingy person, 14
do not crave his delicacies;
[11:24] 1 tn Heb “There is one who scatters.” The participle מְפַזֵּר (mÿfazzer, “one who scatters”) refers to charity rather than farming or investments (and is thus a hypocatastasis). Cf. CEV “become rich by being generous”).
[11:24] 2 tn Heb “increases.” The verb means that he grows even more wealthy. This is a paradox: Generosity determines prosperity in God’s economy.
[11:24] 3 tn Heb “more than what is right.” This one is not giving enough, but saving for himself.
[11:24] 4 tn Heb “comes to lack.” The person who withholds will come to the diminishing of his wealth. The verse uses hyperbole to teach that giving to charity does not make anyone poor, and neither does refusal to give ensure prosperity.
[13:11] 5 tc The MT reads מֵהֵבֶל (mehevel, “from vanity”). The Greek and Latin versions (followed by RSV) reflect מְבֹהָל (mÿvohal, “in haste”) which exhibits metathesis. MT is the more difficult reading and therefore preferred. The alternate reading fits the parallelism better, but is therefore a less difficult reading.
[13:11] tn Heb “wealth from vanity” (cf. KJV, ASV). The term הֶבֶל (hevel) literally means “vapor” and figuratively refers to that which is unsubstantial, fleeting, or amount to nothing (BDB 210 s.v.). Used in antithesis with the expression “little by little,” it means either “without working for it” or “quickly.” Some English versions assume dishonest gain (cf. NASB, NIV, CEV).
[13:11] 6 tn Heb “will become small.” The verb מָעָט (ma’at) means “to become small; to become diminished; to become few.” Money gained without work will diminish quickly, because it was come by too easily. The verb forms a precise contrast with רָבָה (ravah), “to become much; to become many,” but in the Hiphil, “to multiply; to make much many; to cause increase.”
[13:11] 7 tn Heb “by hand”; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “by labor.”
[13:11] 8 tn Heb “will increase.”
[18:24] 9 tc The construction is “a man of friends” (cf. NASB) meaning a man who has friends (a genitive of the thing possessed). C. H. Toy, however, suggests reading יֵשׁ (yesh) instead of אִישׁ (’ish), along with some of the Greek
[18:24] 10 tn The text simply has לְהִתְרֹעֵעַ (lÿhitro’ea’), which means “for being crushed” or “to be shattered” (but not “to show oneself friendly” as in the KJV). What can be made of the sentence is that “a man who has [many] friends [may have them] for being crushed” – the infinitive giving the result (i.e., “with the result that he may be crushed by them”).
[21:13] 11 sn The imagery means “pay no attention to” the cry for help or “refuse to help,” so it is a metonymy of cause for the effect.
[21:13] 12 sn “Cry” here would be a metonymy of effect for the cause, the cause being the great needs of the poor.
[21:13] 13 sn The proverb is teaching that those who show mercy will receive mercy. It involves the principle of talionic justice – those who refuse the needs of others will themselves be refused when they need help (so Luke 16:19-31).
[23:6] 14 tn Heb “an evil eye.” This is the opposite of the “good eye” which meant the generous man. The “evil eye” refers to a person who is out to get everything for himself (cf. NASB, NCV, CEV “selfish”). He is ill-mannered and inhospitable (e.g., Prov 28:22). He is up to no good – even though he may appear to be a host.
