Amsal 15:22

15:22 Plans fail ¹  when there is no counsel,

but with abundant advisers they are established. ² 

Amsal 19:20

19:20 Listen to advice ³  and receive discipline,

that ⁴  you may become wise ⁵  by the end of your life. ⁶ 

Amsal 22:20

22:20 Have I not written thirty sayings ⁷  for you,

sayings ⁸  of counsel and knowledge,

[15:22]  ¹ tn Heb “go wrong” (so NRSV, NLT). The verb is the Hiphil infinitive absolute from פָּרַר, parar, which means “to break; to frustrate; to go wrong” (HALOT 975 s.v. I פרר 2). The plans are made ineffectual or are frustrated when there is insufficient counsel.

[15:22]  ² sn The proverb says essentially the same thing as 11:14, but differently.

[19:20]  ³ sn The advice refers in all probability to the teachings of the sages that will make one wise.

[19:20]  ⁴ tn The proverb is one continuous thought, but the second half of the verse provides the purpose for the imperatives of the first half.

[19:20]  ⁵ tn The imperfect tense has the nuance of a final imperfect in a purpose clause, and so is translated “that you may become wise” (cf. NAB, NRSV).

[19:20]  ⁶ tn Heb “become wise in your latter end” (cf. KJV, ASV) which could obviously be misunderstood.

[22:20]  ⁷ tn Older English versions and a few more recent ones render this phrase as either “excellent things” following the Qere (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), “officers,” or “heretofore” [day before yesterday], following the Kethib. However (as in most recent English versions) the Qere should be rendered “thirty,” referring to the number in the collection (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[22:20]  ⁸ tn The term “sayings” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.