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11 My child, do not despise discipline from the Lord,[a]
and do not loathe[b] his rebuke.
12 For the Lord disciplines[c] those he loves,
just as a father[d] disciplines[e] the son in whom he delights.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:11 tn Heb “the discipline of the Lord.” Or “instruction,” see the note at 1:2.
  2. Proverbs 3:11 tn The verb קוּץ (quts) has a two-fold range of meaning: (1) “to feel a loathing; to abhor” and (2) “to feel a sickening dread” (BDB 880 s.v.). The parallelism with “do not despise” suggests the former nuance here. The common response to suffering is to loathe it; however, the righteous understand that it refines one’s moral character and that it is a means to the blessing.
  3. Proverbs 3:12 tn Heb “chastens.” The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) here means “to chasten; to punish” (HALOT 410 s.v. יכח 1) or “to correct; to rebuke” (BDB 407 s.v. 6). The context suggests some kind of corporeal discipline rather than mere verbal rebuke or cognitive correction. This verse is quoted in Heb 12:5-6 to show that suffering in the service of the Lord is a sign of membership in the covenant community (i.e., sonship).
  4. Proverbs 3:12 tc MT reads וּכְאָב (ukheʾav, “and like a father”) but the LXX reflects the Hiphil verb וְיַכְאִב (veyakhʾiv, “and scourges every son he receives”). Both readings fit the parallelism; however, it is unnecessary to emend MT which makes perfectly good sense. The fact that the writer of Hebrews quotes this passage from the LXX and it became part of the inspired NT text does not mean that the LXX reflects the original Hebrew reading here.
  5. Proverbs 3:12 tn The verb “disciplines” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

11 (A)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
    or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
    as (B)a father the son in whom he delights.

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11 My son,(A) do not despise the Lord’s discipline,(B)
    and do not resent his rebuke,
12 because the Lord disciplines those he loves,(C)
    as a father the son he delights in.[a](D)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”[a]
and call understanding a close relative,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 7:4 sn The metaphor is meant to signify that the disciple will be closely related to and familiar with wisdom and understanding, as close as to a sibling. Wisdom will be personified in the next two chapters, and so referring to it as a sister in this chapter certainly prepares for that personification.

Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and call insight your intimate friend,

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Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
    and to insight, “You are my relative.”

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17 I will love[a] those who love me,
and those who seek me diligently will find me.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:17 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) is stative, so in the imperfect form it is future tense. It still states a general truth.sn In contrast to the word for “hate” (שָׂנֵא, saneʾ), the verb “love” (אָהֵב, ʾahev) includes within it the idea of choosing spontaneously. So in this line “loving” and “seeking” point out the means of finding wisdom.

17 (A)I love those who love me,
    and (B)those who seek me diligently find me.

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17 I love those who love me,(A)
    and those who seek me find me.(B)

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21 that I may cause[a] those who love me to inherit wealth,
and that I may fill[b] their treasuries.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:21 tn The infinitive construct expressing the purpose of the preceding “walk” in the way of righteousness. These verses say that wisdom is always on the way of righteousness for the purposes of bestowing the same to those who find her. If sin is involved, then wisdom has not been followed.
  2. Proverbs 8:21 tn Heb “and their treasuries I fill.” The imperfect verb expresses purposive modality because of the parallelism with the infinitive beginning the verse.
  3. Proverbs 8:21 tc The LXX adds at the end of this verse: “If I declare to you the things of daily occurrence, I will remember to recount the things of old.”

21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
    and filling their treasuries.

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21 bestowing a rich inheritance on those who love me
    and making their treasuries full.(A)

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Do not reprove[a] a mocker or[b] he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 9:8 tn In view of the expected response for reproof, the text now uses a negated jussive to advise against the attempt. This is paralleled antithetically by the imperative in the second colon. This imperative is in an understood conditional clause: “if you reprove a wise person.”
  2. Proverbs 9:8 tn Heb “lest he hate you.” The particle פֶּן (pen, “lest”) expresses fear or precaution (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 79, §476). The antonyms “love” and “hate” suggest that the latter means “reject” and the former means “choosing and embracing.”

(A)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    (B)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

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Do not rebuke mockers(A) or they will hate you;
    rebuke the wise and they will love you.(B)

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12 Hatred[a] stirs up dissension,
but love covers all transgressions.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:12 sn This contrasts the wicked motivated by hatred (animosity, rejection) with the righteous motivated by love (kind acts, showing favor).
  2. Proverbs 10:12 sn Love acts like forgiveness. Hatred looks for and exaggerates faults, but love seeks ways to make sins disappear (e.g., 1 Pet 4:8).

12 Hatred stirs up strife,
    but (A)love covers all offenses.

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12 Hatred stirs up conflict,
    but love covers over all wrongs.(A)

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24 The one who spares his rod[a] hates[b] his child,[c]
but the one who loves his child[d] is diligent[e] in disciplining[f] him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:24 sn R. N. Whybray cites an Egyptian proverb that says that “boys have their ears on their backsides; they listen when they are beaten” (Proverbs [CBC], 80). Cf. Prov 4:3-4, 10-11; Eph 6:4; Heb 12:5-11.
  2. Proverbs 13:24 tn Or “is hating.” Most stative verbs by nature cannot have participle forms. But some do, including שָׂנֵא (saneʾ, “to hate”), in contexts where they take on dynamic overtones. So the nuance may be less on the overall felt emotion, and more on the particular action: the rod-sparer is hating his child (in this regard).sn The importance of parental disciplining is stressed by the verbs “hate” and “love.” “Hating” a child in this sense means in essence abandoning or rejecting him; “loving” a child means embracing and caring for him. Failure to discipline a child is tantamount to hating him—not caring about his character.
  3. Proverbs 13:24 tn Heb “his son.”
  4. Proverbs 13:24 tn Heb “him”; the referent (his child) is specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Proverbs 13:24 tn Heb “seeks him.” The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar, “to be diligent; to do something early”; BDB 1007 s.v.) could mean “to be diligent to discipline,” or “to be early or prompt in disciplining.” See G. R. Driver, “Hebrew Notes on Prophets and Proverbs,” JTS 41 (1940): 170.
  6. Proverbs 13:24 tn The noun מוּסָר (musar, “discipline”) functions as an adverbial accusative of reference: “he is diligent in reference to discipline.”

24 (A)Whoever spares the rod hates his son,
    but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:24 Or who loves him disciplines him early

24 Whoever spares the rod(A) hates their children,
    but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline(B) them.(C)

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22 Do not those who devise[a] evil go astray?
But those who plan good exhibit[b] faithful covenant love.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:22 sn The verb חָרַשׁ (kharash) means (1) literally: “to cut in; to engrave; to plow,” describing the work of a craftsman; and (2) figuratively: “to devise,” describing the mental activity of planning evil (what will harm people) in the first colon, and planning good (what will benefit them) in the second colon.
  2. Proverbs 14:22 tn The term “exhibit” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is implied by the antithetic parallelism and supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.
  3. Proverbs 14:22 tn Heb “loyal-love and truth.” The two terms חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת (khesed veʾemet) often form a hendiadys: “faithful love” or better “faithful covenant love.”

22 Do they not go astray who (A)devise evil?
    Those who devise good meet[a] (B)steadfast love and faithfulness.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:22 Or show

22 Do not those who plot evil go astray?(A)
    But those who plan what is good find[a] love and faithfulness.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:22 Or show

The Lord abhors[a] the way of the wicked,
but he will love[b] those[c] who pursue[d] righteousness.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:9 tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.”
  2. Proverbs 15:9 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) is stative, so its imperfect form should be future; it still speaks of a general truth.
  3. Proverbs 15:9 tn Heb “the one who” (so NRSV).
  4. Proverbs 15:9 sn God hates the way of the wicked, that is, their lifestyle and things they do. God loves those who pursue righteousness, the Piel verb signifying a persistent pursuit. W. G. Plaut says, “He who loves God will be moved to an active, persistent, and even dangerous search for justice” (Proverbs, 170).

The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
    but he loves him (A)who pursues righteousness.

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The Lord detests the way of the wicked,(A)
    but he loves those who pursue righteousness.(B)

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