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Proverbs 27:5-6
New English Translation
Proverbs 27:5-6
New English Translation
5 Better is open[a] rebuke
than hidden[b] love.
6 Faithful[c] are the wounds of a friend,
but the kisses[d] of an enemy are excessive.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:5 tn Heb “revealed” or “uncovered” (Pual participle from גָּלָה, galah). This would specify the reproof or rebuke as direct, honest, and frank, whether it was coming from a friend or an enemy.
- Proverbs 27:5 tn The Hebrew term translated “hidden” (a Pual participle from סָתַר, satar) refers to a love that is carefully concealed; this is contrasted with the open rebuke in the first line. What is described, then, is someone too timid, too afraid, or not trusting enough to admit that reproof is a genuine part of love (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 610). It is a love that is not expressed in proper concern for the one loved. See also, e.g., 28:23 and 29:3.
- Proverbs 27:6 tn The Niphal participle of אָמַן (ʾaman) means “faithful; reliable; sure; trustworthy.” The word indicates that the wounds from a friend “can be trusted” (so NIV, NCV) because they are meant to correct and not to destroy (e.g., 25:12; Deut 7:9; Job 12:20).
- Proverbs 27:6 sn “Kisses” probably represents a metonymy of adjunct; the term describes any expressions or indications of affection. But coming from an enemy, they will be insincere—as indicated by their excessive number.
- Proverbs 27:6 tn The form is נַעְתָּרוֹת (naʿtarot), the Niphal participle of עָתַר (ʿatar, “to be abundant”). Contemporary translations render this rare form in a number of different ways: “deceitful” (NASB, NKJV); “profuse” (NRSV); “many” (NLT). But the idea of “excessive” or “numerous” fits very well. The kisses of an enemy cannot be trusted, no matter how often they are presented.
Proverbs 27:5-6
International Standard Version
Proverbs 27:5-6
International Standard Version
5 An open rebuke is better
than unspoken love.
6 Wounds from someone who loves are trustworthy,
but kisses from an enemy speak volumes.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:6 Lit. enemy are profuse
New English Translation (NET)
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