Proverbs 1:8-9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Warnings against Evil Companions
8 Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teaching,(A)
9 for they are a fair garland for your head
and pendants for your neck.(B)
Proverbs 1:8-9
New English Translation
8 Listen,[a] my child,[b] to the instruction[c] from[d] your father,
and do not forsake the teaching[e] from[f] your mother.
9 For they will be like[g] an elegant[h] garland[i] on[j] your head,
and like[k] pendants[l] around[m] your neck.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:8 tn The imperative שְׁמַע (shemaʿ, “Listen!”) forms an urgent exhortation which expects immediate compliance with parental instruction.
- Proverbs 1:8 tn Heb “my son.” It is likely that collections of proverbs grew up in the royal courts and were designed for the training of the youthful prince. But once the collection was included in the canon, the term “son” would be expanded to mean a disciple, for all the people were to learn wisdom when young. It would not be limited to sons alone but would include daughters—as the expression “the children of (בְּנֵי, bene) Israel” (including males and females) clearly shows. Several passages in the Mishnah and Talmud record instructions to teach daughters the Mosaic law so that they will be righteous and avoid sin as well. The translation “my child,” although not entirely satisfactory, will be used here.
- Proverbs 1:8 tn Heb “training” or “discipline.” See note on 1:2.
- Proverbs 1:8 tn Heb “of.” The noun אָבִיךָ (ʾavikha, “of your father”) may be classified as a genitive of source.
- Proverbs 1:8 tn Heb “instruction.” In Proverbs the noun תּוֹרָה (torah) often means “instruction” or “moral direction” rather than “law” (BDB 435 s.v. 1.a). It is related to יָרָה (yarah, “to point [or, show] the way” in the Hiphil (BDB 435). Instruction attempts to point a person in the right direction (e.g., Gen 46:28).
- Proverbs 1:8 tn Heb “of.” The noun אִמֶּךָ (ʾimmekha, “of your mother”) may be classified as a genitive of source.
- Proverbs 1:9 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
- Proverbs 1:9 tn Heb “a garland of grace.” The word חֵן (khen, “grace”) refers to qualities that make a person pleasant and agreeable, e.g., a gracious and charming person (BDB 336 s.v.). The metaphor compares the teachings that produce these qualities to an attractive wreath.
- Proverbs 1:9 tn The noun לִוְיַה (livyah, “wreath; garland”) refers to a headdress and appears only twice in the OT (Prov 1:9; 4:9; BDB 531 s.v.; HALOT 524 s.v.).
- Proverbs 1:9 tn Heb “for.”
- Proverbs 1:9 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
- Proverbs 1:9 tn Cf. KJV, ASV “chains”; NIV “a chain”; but this English term could suggest a prisoner’s chain to the modern reader rather than adornment.
- Proverbs 1:9 tn Heb “for.”
Proverbs 1:8-9
New International Version
Prologue: Exhortations to Embrace Wisdom
Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men
Proverbs 3:1-2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Admonition to Trust and Honor God
3 My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments,(A)
2 for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.(B)
Proverbs 3:1-2
New English Translation
Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord[a]
3 My child,[b] do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep[c] my commandments,
2 for they will provide[d] a long and full life,[e]
and well-being[f] for you.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:1 sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the Lord (5-12). Wisdom is commended as the most valuable possession (13-18), essential to creation (19-20), and the way to a long and safe life (21-26). There then follows a warning to avoid unneighborliness (27-30) and emulating the wicked (31-35).
- Proverbs 3:1 tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).
- Proverbs 3:1 tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”
- Proverbs 3:2 tn Heb “They will add to you.” The verb appears in the second half of the Hebrew line but has been moved to the beginning in the translation for the sake of smoothness.
- Proverbs 3:2 tn Heb “length of days and years of life” (so NASB, NRSV). The idiom “length of days” refers to a prolonged life and “years of life” signifies a long time full of life, a life worth living (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 51). The term “life” refers to “earthly felicity combined with spiritual blessedness” (BDB 313 s.v. חַיִּים).
- Proverbs 3:2 tn The noun שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace”) here means “welfare, health, prosperity” (BDB 1022 s.v. 3). It can be used of physical health and personal well-being. It is the experience of positive blessing and freedom from negative harm and catastrophe.
Proverbs 3:1-2
New International Version
Wisdom Bestows Well-Being
Proverbs 4:1-4
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Parental Advice
4 Listen, children, to a father’s instruction,
and be attentive, that you may gain[a] insight,(A)
2 for I give you good precepts:
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
tender and my mother’s favorite,(B)
4 he taught me and said to me,
“Let your heart hold fast my words;
keep my commandments and live.(C)
Footnotes
- 4.1 Heb know
Proverbs 4:1-4
New English Translation
Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness[a]
4 Listen, children,[b] to a father’s instruction,[c]
and pay attention so that you may gain[d] discernment.
2 Because I hereby give[e] you good instruction,
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son to my father,[f]
a tender, only child[g] before my mother,
4 he taught me, and he said to me:
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands so that[h] you will live.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 4:1 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).
- Proverbs 4:1 tn Heb “sons.” See note at 1:8.
- Proverbs 4:1 tn Or “warning.” See note at 1:2.
- Proverbs 4:1 tn Heb “in order to come to know.” As a stative verb, יָדַע (yadaʿ) can mean “to know” or “to come to know,” the latter essentially meaning “to learn.” The infinitive indicates the purpose of the earlier imperatives.
- Proverbs 4:2 tn The perfect tense has the nuance of instantaneous (or performative) perfect; the sage is now calling the disciples to listen. It could also be a perfect of resolve, indicating what he is determined to do, or a present perfect reflecting his proven past history, “Indeed I have given you X.”
- Proverbs 4:3 tn Or “a boy with my father.”
- Proverbs 4:3 tc The LXX introduces the ideas of “obedient” and “beloved” for these two terms. This seems to be a free rendering, if not a translation of a different Hebrew textual tradition. The MT makes good sense and requires no emendation.tn Heb “tender and only one.” The phrase רַךְ וְיָחִיד (rakh veyakhid, “tender and only one”) is a hendiadys meaning “tender only child.” The adjective רַךְ (rakh) means “tender; delicate” (BDB 940 s.v. רַךְ), and describes a lad who is young and undeveloped in character (e.g., 2 Sam 3:39). The adjective יָחִיד (yakhid) means “only one” (BDB 402 s.v. יָחִיד) and refers to a beloved and prized only child (e.g., Gen 22:2).
- Proverbs 4:4 tn The vav plus imperative “and live” expresses purpose, as is common with volitional verbs in a series.
Proverbs 4:1-4
New International Version
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
4 Listen, my sons,(A) to a father’s instruction;(B)
pay attention and gain understanding.(C)
2 I give you sound learning,
so do not forsake my teaching.
3 For I too was a son to my father,
still tender, and cherished by my mother.
4 Then he taught me, and he said to me,
“Take hold(D) of my words with all your heart;
keep my commands, and you will live.(E)
Proverbs 10:1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Wise Sayings of Solomon
10 The proverbs of Solomon.
A wise child makes a glad father,
but a foolish child is a mother’s grief.(A)
Proverbs 10:1
New English Translation
The First Collection of Solomonic Proverbs[a]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Proverbs 10:1 sn Beginning with ch. 10 there is a difference in the form of the material contained in the book of Proverbs. No longer are there long admonitions, but the actual proverbs, short aphorisms dealing with right or wrong choices. Other than a few similar themes grouped together here and there, there is no arrangement to the material as a whole. It is a long collection of approximately 400 proverbs.
- Proverbs 10:1 tn Heb “son.”
- Proverbs 10:1 tn The imperfect tense describes progressive or habitual action, translated here with an English present tense. These fit the nature of proverbs which are general maxims, and not necessarily absolutes or universal truths. One may normally expect to find what the proverb notes, and one should live according to its instructions in the light of those expectations, but one should not be surprised if from time to time there is an exception. The fact that there may be an exception does not diminish the need to live by the sayings.
- Proverbs 10:1 tn Heb “son.”
- Proverbs 10:1 tn Heb “grief of his mother.” The noun “grief” is in construct, and “mother” is an objective genitive. The saying declares that the consequences of wisdom or folly affects the parents.
Proverbs 10:1
New International Version
Proverbs of Solomon
10 The proverbs(A) of Solomon:(B)
A wise son brings joy to his father,(C)
but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
Proverbs 13:22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
22 The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.(A)
Proverbs 13:22
New English Translation
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for[a] his grandchildren,
but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:22 sn In ancient Israel the idea of leaving an inheritance was a sign of God’s blessing; blessings extended to the righteous and not the sinners.
- Proverbs 13:22 sn In the ultimate justice of God, the wealth of the wicked goes to the righteous after death (e.g., Ps 49:10, 17).
Proverbs 13:22
New International Version
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.(A)
Proverbs 15:20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
20 A wise child makes a glad father,
but the foolish despise their mothers.(A)
Proverbs 15:20
New English Translation
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:20 tn Heb “son.”
- Proverbs 15:20 tn Heb “a fool of a man,” a genitive of specification.
- Proverbs 15:20 sn The proverb is almost the same as 10:1, except that “despises” replaces “grief.” This adds the idea of the callousness of the one who inflicts grief on his mother (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 116).
Proverbs 15:20
New International Version
20 A wise son brings joy to his father,(A)
but a foolish man despises his mother.
Proverbs 17:6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their parents.(A)
Proverbs 17:6
New English Translation
6 Grandchildren[a] are like[b] a crown[c] to the elderly,
and the glory[d] of children is their parents.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:6 tn Heb “children of children [sons of sons].”
- Proverbs 17:6 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
- Proverbs 17:6 sn The metaphor signifies that grandchildren are like a crown, that is, they are the “crowning glory” of life. The proverb comes from a culture that places great importance on the family in society and that values its heritage.
- Proverbs 17:6 tn The noun תִּפְאָרָת (tifʾarat) means “beauty; glory” (BDB 802 s.v.). In this passage “glory” seems to be identified with “glorying; boasting”; so a rendering that children are proud of their parents would be in order. Thus, “glory of children” would be a subjective genitive, the glorying that children do.”
- Proverbs 17:6 tc The LXX has inserted: “To the faithful belongs the whole world of wealth, but to the unfaithful not an obulus.” It was apparently some popular sentiment at the time.tn Heb “their fathers.”
Proverbs 17:6
New International Version
6 Children’s children(A) are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
Proverbs 17:21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
21 The one who fathers a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.(A)
Proverbs 17:21
New English Translation
21 Whoever brings a fool[a] into the world[b] does so[c] to his grief,
and the father of a fool has no joy.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:21 sn Here the Hebrew terms כְּסִיל (kesil) and נָבָל (naval) are paired. The first one, which occurs about fifty times in the book, refers to a dullard, whether it be in spiritual, intellectual, or moral matters. The second word, rare in the book, primarily focuses on religious folly—it refers to the practical atheist, the one who lives as if there is no God.
- Proverbs 17:21 tn The form simply means “bears” or “gives birth to,” but since it is masculine it could be rendered “fathers” (cf. NASB “he who begets a fool”; NIV “To have a fool for a son”). The form for “fool” is masculine, but the proverb is not limited only to male children (cf. NCV “It is sad to have a foolish child”).
- Proverbs 17:21 tn The phrase “does so” is supplied for the sake of clarification.
- Proverbs 17:21 sn Parents of fools, who had hoped for children who would be a credit to the family, find only bitter disappointment (cf. TEV “nothing but sadness and sorrow”).
Proverbs 17:21
New International Version
21 To have a fool for a child brings grief;
there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.(A)
Proverbs 17:25
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
25 Foolish children are a grief to their father
and bitterness to her who bore them.(A)
Proverbs 17:25
New English Translation
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:25 sn The Hebrew noun means “vexation, anger, grief.”
- Proverbs 17:25 tn Heb “to the one who bore him.” Because the participle is feminine singular in Hebrew, this has been translated as “the mother who bore him.”sn The proverb is similar to v. 21, 10:1, and 15:20.
Proverbs 17:25
New International Version
25 A foolish son brings grief to his father
and bitterness to the mother who bore him.(A)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.