Amsal 6:30

6:30 People ¹  do not despise a thief when he steals

to fulfill his need ²  when he is hungry.

Amsal 22:26

22:26 Do not be one who strikes hands in pledge

or who puts up security for debts.

Amsal 28:9

28:9 The one who turns away his ear ³  from hearing the law,

even his prayer ⁴  is an abomination. ⁵ 

[6:30]  ¹ tn Heb “they do not despise.”

[6:30]  ² tn Heb “himself” or “his life.” Since the word נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally “soul”) refers to the whole person, body and soul, and since it has a basic idea of the bundle of appetites that make up a person, the use here for satisfying his hunger is appropriate.

[28:9]  ³ sn The expression “turn away the ear from hearing” uses a metonymy to mean that this individual will not listen – it indicates a deliberate refusal to follow the instruction of the law.

[28:9]  ⁴ sn It is hard to imagine how someone who willfully refuses to obey the law of God would pray according to the will of God. Such a person is more apt to pray for some physical thing or make demands on God. (Of course a prayer of repentance would be an exception and would not be an abomination to the Lord.)

[28:9]  ⁵ sn C. H. Toy says, “If a man, on his part, is deaf to instruction, then God, on his part, is deaf to prayer” (Proverbs [ICC], 499). And W. McKane observes that one who fails to attend to God’s law is a wicked person, even if he is a man of prayer (Proverbs [OTL], 623).