Amsal 16:20

16:20 The one who deals wisely ¹  in a matter ²  will find success, ³ 

and blessed ⁴  is the one who trusts in the Lord. ⁵ 

Amsal 22:21

22:21 to show you true and reliable words, ⁶ 

so that you may give accurate answers ⁷  to those who sent you?

Amsal 30:8

30:8 Remove falsehood and lies ⁸  far from me;

do not give me poverty or riches,

feed me with my allotted portion ⁹  of bread, ¹⁰ 

Amsal 30:20

30:20 This is the way ¹¹  of an adulterous ¹²  woman:

she eats and wipes her mouth ¹³ 

and says, “I have not done wrong.” ¹⁴ 

[16:20]  ¹ tn Heb “he who is prudent” or “he who deals wisely” (cf. KJV). The proverb seems to be referring to wise business concerns and the reward for the righteous. One who deals wisely in a matter will find good results. R. N. Whybray sees a contrast here: “The shrewd man of business will succeed well, but the happy man is he who trusts the Lord” (Proverbs [CBC], 92). Synonymous parallelism is more appropriate.

[16:20]  ² tn Or “he who gives heed to a word,” that is, “who listens to instruction” (cf. NIV, NLT).

[16:20]  ³ tn Heb “good” (so KJV, ASV).

[16:20]  ⁴ tn Although traditionally this word is translated “happy” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV, NLT), such a translation can be misleading because the word means far more than that. It describes the heavenly bliss that comes from knowing one is right with God and following God’s precepts. The “blessed” could be at odds with the world (Ps 1:1-3).

[16:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “and the one who trusts in the Lord – blessed is he.”

[22:21]  ⁶ tn Heb “to cause you to know the truth of words of truth” (NASB similar).

[22:21]  ⁷ tn Heb “to return true words”; NAB “a dependable report”; NIV “sound answers.”

[30:8]  ⁸ tn The two words might form a hendiadys: “falsehood and lies” being equivalent to “complete deception.” The word שָׁוְא means “false; empty; vain; to a false purpose.” The second word means “word of lying,” thus “a lying word.” Taken separately they might refer to false intentions and false words.

[30:8]  ⁹ tn The word חֹק (khoq) means “statute”; it is also used of a definite assignment in labor (Exod 5:14; Prov 31:15), or of a set portion of food (Gen 47:22). Here it refers to food that is the proper proportion for the speaker.

[30:8]  ¹⁰ sn Agur requested an honest life (not deceitful) and a balanced life (not self-sufficient). The second request about his provision is clarified in v. 9.

[30:20]  ¹¹ sn Equally amazing is the insensitivity of the adulterous woman to the sin. The use of the word “way” clearly connects this and the preceding material. Its presence here also supports the interpretation of the final clause in v. 19 as referring to sexual intimacy. While that is a wonder of God’s creation, so is the way that human nature has distorted it and ruined it.

[30:20]  ¹² sn The word clearly indicates that the woman is married and unchaste; but the text describes her as amoral as much as immoral – she sees nothing wrong with what she does.

[30:20]  ¹³ sn The acts of “eating” and “wiping her mouth” are euphemistic; they employ an implied comparison between the physical act of eating and wiping one’s mouth afterward on the one hand with sexual activity on the other hand (e.g., Prov 9:17).

[30:20]  ¹⁴ sn This is the amazing part of the observation. It is one thing to sin, for everyone sins, but to dismiss the act of adultery so easily, as if it were no more significant than a meal, is incredibly brazen.