Amsal 14:28

14:28 A king’s glory is ¹  the abundance of people,

but the lack of subjects ²  is the ruin ³  of a ruler.

Amsal 23:15

23:15 My child, ⁴  if your heart is wise,

then my heart also will be glad;

[14:28]  ¹ tn The preposition serves as the beth essentiae – the glory is the abundant population, not in it.

[14:28]  ² tn Heb “people.” Cf. NLT “a dwindling nation.”

[14:28]  ³ sn The word means “ruin; destruction,” but in this context it could be a metonymy of effect, the cause being an attack by more numerous people that will bring ruin to the ruler. The proverb is purely a practical and secular saying, unlike some of the faith teachings in salvation history passages.

[23:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “my son,” although the context does not limit this exhortation to male children.