Amsal 12:8

12:8 A person ¹  is praised in accordance with ²  his wisdom,

but the one who has a twisted mind ³  is despised.

Matius 17:17

17:17 Jesus answered, ⁴  “You ⁵  unbelieving ⁶  and perverse generation! How much longer ⁷  must I be with you? How much longer must I endure ⁸  you? ⁹  Bring him here to me.”

[12:8]  ¹ tn Heb “a man.”

[12:8]  ² tn Heb “to the mouth of.” This idiom means “according to” (BDB 805 s.v. פֶּה 6.b.(b); cf. KJV, NAB, NIV). The point is that praise is proportionate to wisdom.

[12:8]  ³ tn Heb “crooked of heart”; cf. NAB, NLT “a warped mind” (NIV similar). The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) is an attributive genitive. It functions as a metonymy of association for “mind; thoughts” (BDB 524 s.v. 3) and “will; volition” (BDB 524 s.v. 4). He does not perceive things as they are, so he makes all the wrong choices. His thinking is all wrong.

[17:17]  ⁴ tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[17:17]  ⁵ tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”

[17:17]  ⁶ tn Or “faithless.”

[17:17]  sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.

[17:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “how long.”

[17:17]  ⁸ tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.

[17:17]  ⁹ sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.