Footnotes

1. Proverbs 21:1 There is nothing unexpected in these reflections that oppose the lot of the righteous and that of the wicked, or in these comparative illustrations of wisdom and folly. The traditional teaching then in vogue about the earthly recompense of the righteous and the conviction that the wicked hasten to their ruin even on earth remain in full force. We will read two apt words about the quarrelsome woman, but this is not the first time this caricature appears in the Book. Verse 18 seems to stem from a pessimistic realism: wickedness will forever play its part in the universe! But we will meditate above all on the affirmation that the entire destiny of human beings is found in the hands of God (vv. 2, 30-31).