Amsal 4:3

4:3 When I was a son to my father, ¹ 

a tender only child ²  before my mother,

Amsal 5:23

5:23 He will die because ³  there was no discipline;

because of the greatness of his folly ⁴  he will reel. ⁵ 

Amsal 7:26

7:26 for she has brought down ⁶  many fatally wounded,

and all those she has slain are many. ⁷ 

Amsal 11:12

11:12 The one who denounces ⁸  his neighbor lacks wisdom, ⁹ 

but the one who has discernment ¹⁰  keeps silent. ¹¹ 

Amsal 13:19

13:19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but fools abhor ¹²  turning away from evil.

Amsal 19:26

19:26 The one who robs ¹³  his father ¹⁴  and chases away his mother

is a son ¹⁵  who brings shame and disgrace.

Amsal 23:33

23:33 Your eyes will see strange things, ¹⁶ 

and your mind will speak perverse things.

Amsal 27:13

27:13 Take a man’s ¹⁷  garment when he has given security for a stranger,

and when he gives surety for a stranger, ¹⁸  hold him in pledge. ¹⁹ 

Amsal 28:5

28:5 Evil people ²⁰  do not understand justice, ²¹ 

but those who seek the Lord ²²  understand it all.

[4:3]  ¹ tn Or “a boy with my father.”

[4:3]  ² tc The LXX introduces the ideas of “obedient” and “beloved” for these two terms. This seems to be a free rendering, if not a translation of a different Hebrew textual tradition. The MT makes good sense and requires no emendation.

[4:3]  tn Heb “tender and only one.” The phrase רַךְ וְיָחִיד (rakh vÿyakhid, “tender and only one”) is a hendiadys meaning “tender only child.” The adjective רַךְ (rakh) means “tender; delicate” (BDB 940 s.v. רַךְ), and describes a lad who is young and undeveloped in character (e.g., 2 Sam 3:39). The adjective יָחִיד (yakhid) means “only one” (BDB 402 s.v. יָחִיד) and refers to a beloved and prized only child (e.g., Gen 22:2).

[5:23]  ³ tn The preposition בּ (bet) is used in a causal sense: “because” (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV).

[5:23]  ⁴ sn The word אִוַּלְתּוֹ (’ivvalto, “his folly”) is from the root אול and is related to the noun אֶוִיל (’evil, “foolish; fool”). The noun אִוֶּלֶת (’ivvelet, “folly”) describes foolish and destructive activity. It lacks understanding, destroys what wisdom builds, and leads to destruction if it is not corrected.

[5:23]  ⁵ sn The verb שָׁגָה (shagah, “to swerve; to reel”) is repeated in a negative sense. If the young man is not captivated by his wife but is captivated with a stranger in sinful acts, then his own iniquities will captivate him and he will be led to ruin.

[7:26]  ⁶ tn Heb “she has caused to fall.”

[7:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “numerous” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT) or “countless.”

[11:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “despises” (so NASB) or “belittles” (so NRSV). The participle בָּז (baz, from בּוּז, buz) means “to despise; to show contempt for” someone. It reflects an attitude of pride and judgmentalism. In view of the parallel line, in this situation it would reflect perhaps some public denunciation of another person.

[11:12]  sn According to Proverbs (and the Bible as a whole) how one treats a neighbor is an important part of righteousness. One was expected to be a good neighbor, and to protect and safeguard the life and reputation of a neighbor.

[11:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “heart.” The noun לֵב (lev, “heart”) functions as a metonymy of association for wisdom, since the heart is often associated with knowledge and wisdom (BDB 524 s.v. 3.a).

[11:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “a man of discernment.”

[11:12]  ¹¹ sn The verb translated “keeps silence” (יַחֲרִישׁ, yakharish) means “holds his peace.” Rather than publicly denouncing another person’s mistake or folly, a wise person will keep quiet about it (e.g., 1 Sam 10:27). A discerning person realizes that the neighbor may become an opponent and someday retaliate.

[13:19]  ¹² tn Heb “an abomination of fools.” The noun כְּסִילִים (kÿsilim, “fools”) functions as a subjective genitive: “fools hate to turn away from evil” (cf. NAB, TEV, CEV). T. T. Perowne says: “In spite of the sweetness of good desires accomplished, fools will not forsake evil to attain it” (Proverbs, 103). Cf. Prov 13:12; 29:27.

[19:26]  ¹³ tn The construction joins the Piel participle מְשַׁדֶּד (mÿshaded, “one who robs”) with the Hiphil imperfect יַבְרִיחַ (yavriakh, “causes to flee” = chases away). The imperfect given a progressive imperfect nuance matches the timeless description of the participle as a substantive.

[19:26]  ¹⁴ sn “Father” and “mother” here represent a stereotypical word pair in the book of Proverbs, rather than describing separate crimes against each individual parent. Both crimes are against both parents.

[19:26]  ¹⁵ tn The more generic “child” does not fit the activities described in this verse and so “son” is retained in the translation. In the ancient world a “son” was more likely than a daughter to behave as stated. Such behavior may reflect the son wanting to take over his father’s lands prematurely.

[23:33]  ¹⁶ tn The feminine plural of זָר (zar, “strange things”) refers to the trouble one has in seeing and speaking when drunk.

[27:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his garment.”

[27:13]  ¹⁸ tn Or “for a strange (= adulterous) woman.” Cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NLT; NIV “a wayward woman.”

[27:13]  ¹⁹ tn This proverb is virtually identical to 20:16.

[28:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “men of evil”; the context does not limit this to males only, however.

[28:5]  ²¹ tn The term translated “justice” is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat); it refers to the legal rights of people, decisions that are equitable in the community. W. G. Plaut observes that there are always those who think that “justice” is that which benefits them, otherwise it is not justice (Proverbs, 282).

[28:5]  ²² sn The contrast (and the difference) is between the wicked and those who seek the Lord. Originally the idea of seeking the Lord meant to obtain an oracle (2 Sam 21:1), but then it came to mean devotion to God – seeking to learn and do his will. Only people who are interested in doing the Lord’s will can fully understand justice. Without that standard, legal activity can become self-serving.