Amsal 4:1

Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness ¹ 

4:1 Listen, children, ²  to a father’s instruction, ³ 

and pay attention so that ⁴  you may gain ⁵  discernment.

Amsal 8:32-36

8:32 “So now, children, ⁶  listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

8:33 Listen to my instruction ⁷  so that you may be wise, ⁸ 

and do not neglect it.

8:34 Blessed is the one ⁹  who listens to me,

watching ¹⁰  at my doors day by day,

waiting ¹¹  beside my doorway. ¹² 

8:35 For the one who finds me finds ¹³  life

and receives ¹⁴  favor from the Lord.

8:36 But the one who does not find me ¹⁵  brings harm ¹⁶  to himself; ¹⁷ 

all who hate me ¹⁸  love death.”

Amsal 22:17-21

The Sayings of the Wise ¹⁹ 

22:17 Incline your ear ²⁰  and listen to the words of the wise,

and apply your heart to my instruction. ²¹ 

22:18 For it is pleasing if ²²  you keep these sayings ²³  within you,

and ²⁴  they are ready on your lips. ²⁵ 

22:19 So that ²⁶  your confidence may be in the Lord,

I am making them known to you today ²⁷  – even you.

22:20 Have I not written thirty sayings ²⁸  for you,

sayings ²⁹  of counsel and knowledge,

22:21 to show you true and reliable words, ³⁰ 

so that you may give accurate answers ³¹  to those who sent you?

Ibrani 12:25

12:25 Take care not to refuse the one who is speaking! For if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less shall we, if we reject the one who warns from heaven?

[4:1]  ¹ sn The chapter includes an exhortation to acquire wisdom (1-4a), a list of the benefits of wisdom (4b-9), a call to pursue a righteous lifestyle (10-13), a warning against a wicked lifestyle (14-19), and an exhortation to righteousness (20-27).

[4:1]  ² tn Heb “sons.”

[4:1]  ³ tn Heb “discipline.”

[4:1]  ⁴ tn The Qal infinitive construct with preposition ל (lamed) indicates the purpose/result of the preceding imperative.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “know” (so KJV, ASV).

[8:32]  ⁶ tn Heb “sons.”

[8:33]  ⁷ tn Heb “discipline.”

[8:33]  ⁸ tn The construction uses two imperatives joined with the vav (ו); this is a volitive sequence in which result or consequence is being expressed.

[8:34]  ⁹ tn Heb “the man.”

[8:34]  ¹⁰ tn The form לִשְׁקֹד (lishqod) is the infinitive construct serving epexegetically in the sentence. It explains how the person will listen to wisdom.

[8:34]  ¹¹ tn Heb “keeping” or “guarding.”

[8:34]  ¹² tn Heb “at the posts of my doors” (so KJV, ASV).

[8:35]  ¹³ tc The Kethib reads plurals: “those who find me are finders of life”; this is reflected in the LXX and Syriac. But the Qere is singular: “whoever finds me finds life.” The Qere is generally favored as the original reading in such cases as these.

[8:35]  ¹⁴ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive carries the same nuance as the perfect tense that came before it, setting out the timeless principle.

[8:36]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “the one sinning [against] me.” The verb חָטָא (khata’, “to sin”) forms a contrast with “find” in the previous verse, and so has its basic meaning of “failing to find, miss.” So it is talking about the one who misses wisdom, as opposed to the one who finds it.

[8:36]  ¹⁶ tn The Qal active participle functions verbally here. The word stresses both social and physical harm and violence.

[8:36]  sn Brings harm. Whoever tries to live without wisdom is inviting all kinds of disaster into his life.

[8:36]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “his soul.”

[8:36]  ¹⁸ tn The basic idea of the verb שָׂנֵא (sane’, “to hate”) is that of rejection. Its antonym is also used in the line, “love,” which has the idea of choosing. So not choosing (i.e., hating) wisdom amounts to choosing (i.e., loving) death.

[22:17]  ¹⁹ sn A new collection of sayings begins here, forming the fourth section of the book of Proverbs. This collection is not like that of 1:1–9:18; here the introductory material is more personal than 1:1-7, and the style differs, showing great similarity to the Instruction of Amenemope in Egypt (especially the thirty precepts of the sages in 22:17–24:22). Verses 17-21 form the introduction, and then the sayings begin in v. 22. After the thirty sayings are given, there are further sayings in 24:23-34. There is much literature on this material: see W. K. Simpson, ed., Literature of Ancient Egypt; ANET 412-425; and A. Cody, “Notes on Proverbs 22:21 and 22:23b,” Bib 61 (1980): 418-26.

[22:17]  ²⁰ sn To “incline the ear” means to “listen carefully” (cf. NCV); the expression is metonymical in that the ear is the instrument for hearing. It is like telling someone to lean over to hear better.

[22:17]  ²¹ tn Heb “knowledge” (so KJV, NASB); in this context it refers to the knowledge that is spoken by the wise, hence “instruction.”

[22:18]  ²² tn Or “when” (so NIV).

[22:18]  ²³ tn Heb “keep them,” referring to the words of the wise expressed in these sayings. The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:18]  ²⁴ tn The term “and” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation.

[22:18]  ²⁵ sn If the teachings are preserved in the heart/mind of the disciple, then that individual will always be ready to speak what was retained.

[22:19]  ²⁶ tn The form לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “to be”) is the infinitive construct indicating the purpose (or result) of the teaching (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV).

[22:19]  ²⁷ tn Heb “I cause you to know.” The term “today” indicates that the verb should have the instantaneous nuance, and so an English present tense is used in the translation (“am making…known”).

[22:20]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn The term “sayings” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[22:21]  ³⁰ tn Heb “to cause you to know the truth of words of truth” (NASB similar).

[22:21]  ³¹ tn Heb “to return true words”; NAB “a dependable report”; NIV “sound answers.”