Amsal 8:4

8:4 “To you, O people, ¹  I call out,

and my voice calls ²  to all mankind. ³ 

Amsal 10:10

10:10 The one who winks ⁴  his ⁵  eye causes ⁶  trouble,

and the one who speaks foolishness ⁷  will come to ruin.

Amsal 17:7

17:7 Excessive ⁸  speech ⁹  is not becoming for a fool; ¹⁰ 

how much less are lies ¹¹  for a ruler! ¹² 

Amsal 19:1

19:1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity ¹³ 

than one who is perverse in his speech ¹⁴  and is a fool. ¹⁵ 

Amsal 26:3

26:3 A whip for the horse and a bridle for the donkey,

and a rod for the backs of fools! ¹⁶ 

Amsal 26:8

26:8 Like tying a stone in a sling, ¹⁷ 

so is giving honor to a fool.

Amsal 29:20

29:20 Do you see someone ¹⁸  who is hasty in his words? ¹⁹ 

There is more hope for a fool than for him. ²⁰ 

[8:4]  ¹ tn Heb “men.” Although it might be argued in light of the preceding material that males would be particularly addressed by wisdom here, the following material indicates a more universal appeal. Cf. TEV, NLT “to all of you.”

[8:4]  ² tn The verb “calls” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of style.

[8:4]  ³ tn Heb “sons of man.” Cf. NAB “the children of men”; NCV, NLT “all people”; NRSV “all that live.”

[10:10]  ⁴ tn The term (קָרַץ, qarats) describes a person who habitually “winks” his eye maliciously as a secretive sign to those conspiring evil (Prov 6:13). This is a comparison rather than a contrast. Devious gestures are grievous, but not as ruinous as foolish talk. Both are to be avoided.

[10:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the eye.”

[10:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “gives.”

[10:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “the fool of lips”; cf. NASB “a babbling fool.” The phrase is a genitive of specification: “a fool in respect to lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause (= lips) for effect (= speech). The word for fool (אֶוִיל, ’evil) refers to someone who despises knowledge and discernment.

[17:7]  ⁸ tn The word יֶתֶר (yeter) could be rendered either “arrogant” (cf. NIV) or “excellent” (cf. KJV, NASB; NLT “eloquent”) because the basic idea of the word is “remainder; excess,” from the verb “be left over.” It describes “lofty” speech (arrogant or excellent) that is not suited for the fool. The Greek version, using pista, seems to support the idea of “excellent,” and makes a contrast: “words that are excellent do not fit a fool.” The idea of arrogance (NIV) fits if it is taken in the sense of lofty, heightened, or excessive language.

[17:7]  ⁹ tn “a lip of excess.” The term “lip” is a metonymy for what is said.

[17:7]  ¹⁰ sn The “fool” proper, described by the term נָבָל (naval), occurs only here, in v. 21, and in 30:22 in the book. It describes someone who is godless and immoral in an overbearing way (e.g., 1 Sam 25:25; Ps 14:1). A fool should restrain his words lest his foolishness spew out.

[17:7]  ¹¹ tn Heb “speech of falsehood”; NRSV “false speech.”

[17:7]  ¹² sn This “ruler” (KJV, NASB “prince”; NAB “noble”) is a gentleman with a code of honor, to whom truthfulness is second nature (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 507). The word describes one as “inclined, generous, noble” (BDB 622 s.v. נָדִיב). It is cognate to the word for the “free will offering.” So for such a noble person lies are not suited. The argument is from the lesser to the greater – if fools shouldn’t speak lofty things, then honorable people should not lie (or, lofty people should not speak base things).

[19:1]  ¹³ sn People should follow honesty even if it leads to poverty (e.g., Prov 18:23; 19:22).

[19:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy for what one says with his lips. The expression “perverse in his lips” refers to speech that is morally perverted. Some medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac, and Tg. Prov 19:1 have “his ways” rather than “his lips” (e.g., Prov 28:6); cf. NAB.

[19:1]  ¹⁵ tc The Syriac and Tg. Prov 19:1 read “rich” instead of MT “fool.” This makes tighter antithetical parallelism than MT and is followed by NAB. However, the MT makes sense as it stands; this is an example of metonymical parallelism. The MT reading is also supported by the LXX. The Hebrew construction uses וְהוּא (vÿhu’), “and he [is],” before “fool.” This may be rendered “one who is perverse while a fool” or “a fool at the same time.”

[26:3]  ¹⁶ sn A fool must be disciplined by force like an animal – there is no reasoning. The fool is as difficult to manage as the donkey or horse.

[26:8]  ¹⁷ tn The translation “like tying a stone in a sling” seems to make the most sense, even though the word for “sling” occurs only here.

[26:8]  sn The point is that only someone who does not know how a sling works would do such a stupid thing (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 152). So to honor a fool would be absurd; it would be counterproductive, for he would still be a fool.

[29:20]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “a man,” but there is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males.

[29:20]  ¹⁹ sn The focus of this proverb is on someone who is hasty in his words. This is the person who does not stop to think, but acts on the spur of the moment. To speak before thinking is foolishness.

[29:20]  ²⁰ sn Rash speech cannot easily be remedied. The prospects for a fool are better (e.g., Prov 26:12).