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Proverbs 3:34
New English Translation
Proverbs 3:34
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:34 tc The MT reads אִם (ʾim, “if”) and the syntax is אִם (ʾim) plus imperfect verb followed by vav plus perfect consecutive. This particle can introduce a realizable or unrealizable condition, or a concessive clause (HALOT 60-61 s.v.). A realizable condition presents the circumstance in which the apodosis is realized, “if/when he is scornful…, then he will show favor.” An unrealizable condition or a concessive clause should be rendered “even if” or “although [X would be],” referring to something that is not the case, as in, “even if he would be scornful…, then…” (cf. Num 22:18, 1 Kgs 13:8; Job 9:15; Jer 15:1). Neither of these options fit the context well. The content of the second half of the verse does not depend on the first half. And the first half is not to be understood as an unrealizable or unexpected condition, rather both are truisms. An alternative is to read the similarly sounding term עִם (ʿim, “with”), “with the scorners he is scornful” (cf. Ps 18:25-26). The LXX does not have a conditional particle, so it may not have read אִם (ʾim, “if”), but also it does not have μετὰ (meta, “with”) so it is not clear that it read עִם (ʾim, “with”). The translation presumes the particle עִם.
- Proverbs 3:34 tn Heb “with those who mock he will mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.
- Proverbs 3:34 tc The Kethib reads וְלַעֲנִיִּים (velaʿaniyyim) from עָנִי (ʿani, “afflicted”), followed by the NASB. The Qere, supported by the LXX, Targum, and Latin Vulgate reads וְלַעֲנָוִים (velaʿanavim) from עָנָו (ʿanav, “meek, humble”) followed by the NIV, ESV, NRSV and others.
Proverbs 3:34
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 3:34
Christian Standard Bible
34 He mocks those who mock
but gives grace to the humble.(A)
Proverbs 3:34
New International Version
Proverbs 3:34
New International Version
Proverbs 9:7-8
New English Translation
Proverbs 9:7-8
New English Translation
7 Whoever corrects[a] a mocker is asking for[b] insult;[c]
whoever reproves a wicked person receives[d] abuse.
8 Do not reprove[e] a mocker or[f] he will hate you;
reprove a wise person and he will love you.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The active participle יֹסֵר (yoser) describes one who tries to correct by means of instruction and discipline; it is paralleled by the Hiphil participle which refers to someone who rebukes or reproves another. Anyone trying this on these types of people would be inviting trouble.
- Proverbs 9:7 tn Heb “receives for himself.”
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The word means “dishonor” or “disgrace.” It is paralleled with מוּמוֹ (mumo), translated “abuse.” The latter term means “blemish,” although some would emend the text to read “reproach.” The MT is figurative but not impossible to interpret: Whoever tries to rebuke a wicked person will receive only insults and perhaps physical attack.
- Proverbs 9:7 tn The verb “receives” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- 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.”
- 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.”
Proverbs 9:7-8
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 9:7-8
Christian Standard Bible
7 The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.[a]
8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;(A)
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.(B)
Footnotes
- 9:7 Lit man: his blemish
Proverbs 9:7-8
New International Version
Proverbs 9:7-8
New International Version
Proverbs 9:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 9:12
New English Translation
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage,[a]
but if[b] you have mocked,[c] you alone must[d] bear it.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The text simply has the preposition ל (lamed) with a suffix, but this will be the use of the preposition classified as “interest,” either for advantage or disadvantage (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 48-49, §271).
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The word “if” does not appear in the Hebrew but is understood from the first half of the line through the convention of ellipsis and double duty.
- Proverbs 9:12 tn Here the conjunction vav begins a second conditional sentence, laying down an antithetical condition. It uses the perfect form of a dynamic verb in contrast to the first verb (the stative perfect for present time). While it is advantageous to be or become wise at any time, once you have mocked, there will be a consequence for it.
- Proverbs 9:12 tn The use of the imperfect tense here could be the simple future tense (cf. NASB, NRSV “you…will bear it”), but the obligatory nuance is more appropriate—“you must bear it.” These words anticipate James’ warnings that the words we speak will haunt us through life (e.g., James 3:1-12).
- Proverbs 9:12 tc The LXX has an addition: “Forsake folly, that you may reign forever; and seek discretion and direct understanding in knowledge.”
Proverbs 9:12
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 9:12
Christian Standard Bible
12 If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;(A)
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”
Proverbs 9:12
New International Version
Proverbs 9:12
New International Version
12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.
Proverbs 13:1
New English Translation
Proverbs 13:1
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:1 tc The MT reads “a wise son, discipline of a father.” Instead of מוּסָר (musar, “discipline”), G. R. Driver suggested reading this word as מְיֻסַּר (meyussar, “allows himself to be disciplined”); see his “Hebrew Notes on Prophets and Proverbs,” JTS 41 (1940): 174. A few Medieval Hebrew manuscripts, the LXX, and the Syriac read יִשְׁמַע (yishmaʿ) “a wise son listens to/obeys his father.” The translation, “accepts…discipline,” reflects the notion intended by either.
- Proverbs 13:1 sn The “scoffer” is the worst kind of fool. He has no respect for authority, reviles worship of God, and is unteachable because he thinks he knows it all. The change to a stronger word in the second colon—“rebuke” (גָּעַר, gaʿar)—shows that he does not respond to instruction on any level. Cf. NLT “a young mocker,” taking this to refer to the opposite of the “wise son” in the first colon.
- Proverbs 13:1 tn Heb “has not listened.” The perfect verb has been chosen to emphasize the past pattern of the scoffer.
Proverbs 13:1
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 13:1
Christian Standard Bible
13 A wise son responds to his father’s discipline,
but a mocker doesn’t listen to rebuke.
Proverbs 13:1
New International Version
Proverbs 13:1
New International Version
13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
but a mocker does not respond to rebukes.(A)
Proverbs 14:6
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:6
New English Translation
6 The scorner[a] sought wisdom—there was none,[b]
but understanding was easy[c] for a discerning person.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:6 sn The “scorner” (לֵץ, lets) is intellectually arrogant; he lacks any serious interest in knowledge or religion. He pursues wisdom in a superficial way so that he can appear wise. The acquisition of wisdom is conditioned by one’s attitude toward it (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 149).
- Proverbs 14:6 sn It is not that wisdom was unavailable (as if in contradiction to Prov 8). Instead the proverb enters the point of view of the person characterized by derision and scoffing. From their perspective it wasn’t there. As observers we see that the scorner did not find wisdom because of a haughty attitude. Perhaps the proverb is given in a past time reference because it also pictures a person is done with seeking wisdom. They looked. It wasn’t there. They stopped looking.
- Proverbs 14:6 tn The verb קָלַל (qalal) is a stative verb meaning to “be small, insignificant, quick, easy.” Stative verbs seldom appear in the Niphal, as the verb does here. But in the Niphal they are often ingressive, “knowledge (be)came easy for the discerning.”
Proverbs 14:6
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 14:6
Christian Standard Bible
6 A mocker seeks wisdom and doesn’t find it,
but knowledge comes easily to the perceptive.
Proverbs 14:6
New International Version
Proverbs 14:6
New International Version
6 The mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,
but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.(A)
Proverbs 15:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 15:12
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:12 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) is stative, so its imperfect form should be future tense.sn This is an understatement, the opposite being intended (a figure called tapeinosis). A scorner rejects any efforts to reform him.
- Proverbs 15:12 tn The form הוֹכֵחַ (hokheakh) is a Hiphil infinitive absolute. It could function as the object of the verb (cf. NIV, NRSV) or as a finite verb (cf. KJV, NASB, NLT). The latter has been chosen here because of the prepositional phrase following it, although that is not a conclusive argument.
- Proverbs 15:12 tc The MT has אֶל (ʾel, “to [the wise]”), suggesting seeking the advice of the wise. The LXX, however, has “with the wise,” suggesting אֶת (ʾet).
Proverbs 15:12
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 15:12
Christian Standard Bible
12 A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;(A)
he will not consult the wise.
Proverbs 15:12
New International Version
Proverbs 15:12
New International Version
12 Mockers resent correction,(A)
so they avoid the wise.
Proverbs 17:5
New English Translation
Proverbs 17:5
New English Translation
5 The one who mocks the poor[a] has insulted[b] his Creator;
whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:5 tn Or “A mocker of the poor.”sn The parallelism helps define the subject matter: The one who “mocks the poor” (NAB, NASB, NIV) is the one who “rejoices [NIV gloats] over disaster,” where the disaster resulted in the poverty of others. The topic of the parable is the person who mocks others by making fun of their misfortune.
- Proverbs 17:5 sn The Hebrew word translated “insults” (חֵרֵף, kheref) means “reproach; taunt” (as with a cutting taunt); it describes words that show contempt for or insult God. The idea of reproaching the Creator may be mistaking and blaming God’s providential control of the world (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 337). W. G. Plaut, however, suggests that mocking the poor means holding up their poverty as a personal failure and thus offending their dignity and their divine nature (Proverbs, 187). Cf. Prov 14:31.
Proverbs 17:5
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 17:5
Christian Standard Bible
5 The one who mocks the poor insults his Maker,(A)
and one who rejoices over calamity
will not go unpunished.(B)
Proverbs 17:5
New International Version
Proverbs 17:5
New International Version
Proverbs 19:25
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:25
New English Translation
25 Flog[a] a scorner, and as a result the simpleton[b] will learn prudence;[c]
correct a discerning person, and as a result he will understand knowledge.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:25 tn The Hiphil imperfect תַּכֶּה (takkeh) is followed by another imperfect. It could be rendered: “strike a scorner [imperfect of instruction] and a simpleton will become prudent.” But the first of the parallel verbs can also be subordinated to the second as a temporal or conditional clause. Some English versions translate “beat” (NAB “if you beat an arrogant man”), but this could be understood to refer to competition rather than physical punishment. Therefore “flog” has been used in the translation, since it is normally associated with punishment or discipline.
- Proverbs 19:25 sn Different people learn differently. There are three types of people in this proverb: the scorner with a closed mind, the simpleton with an empty mind, and the discerning person with an open mind (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 135). The simpleton learns by observing a scoffer being punished, even though the punishment will have no effect on the scoffer.
- Proverbs 19:25 sn The word is related to “shrewdness” (cf. 1:4). The simpleton will learn at least where the traps are and how to avoid them.
- Proverbs 19:25 tn The second half begins with הוֹכִיחַ (hokhiakh), the Hiphil infinitive construct. This parallels the imperfect tense beginning the first half; it forms a temporal or conditional clause as well, so that the main verb is “he will understand.”sn The discerning person will learn from verbal rebukes. The contrast is caught in a wordplay in the Midrash: “For the wise a hint [rʾmizo], for the fool a fist [kurmezo]” (Mishle 22:6).
Proverbs 19:25
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:25
Christian Standard Bible
25 Strike a mocker, and the inexperienced learn a lesson;(A)
rebuke the discerning, and he gains knowledge.(B)
Proverbs 19:25
New International Version
Proverbs 19:25
New International Version
Proverbs 21:24
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:24
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:24 tn The word זֵד (zed, “proud”) comes from the verb זִיד (zid, “to boil up; to seethe; to act proudly [or, presumptuously].” Just as water boiling up in a pot will boil over, so the presumptuous person “oversteps” the boundaries.
- Proverbs 21:24 tn The word יָהִיר (yahir) means “haughty,” that is, to be or show oneself to be presumptuous or arrogant.
- Proverbs 21:24 tn Heb “proud haughty scorner his name” (KJV similar). There are several ways that the line could be translated: (1) “Proud, arrogant—his name is scoffer” or (2) “A proud person, an arrogant person—‘Scoffer’ is his name.” BDB 267 s.v. זֵד suggests, “A presumptuous man, [who is] haughty, scoffer is his name.”
- Proverbs 21:24 tn Heb “does.” The Qal active participle “does” serves as the main verb, and the subject is “proud person” in the first line.
- Proverbs 21:24 tn The expression בְּעֶבְרַת זָדוֹן (beʿevrat zadon) means “in the overflow of insolence.” The genitive specifies what the overflow is; the proud deal in an overflow of pride. Cf. NIV “overweening pride”; NLT “boundless arrogance.”sn The portrait in this proverb is not merely of one who is self-sufficient, but one who is insolent, scornful, and arrogant.
Proverbs 21:24
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:24
Christian Standard Bible
24 The arrogant and proud person, named “Mocker,”
acts with excessive arrogance.(A)
Proverbs 21:24
New International Version
Proverbs 21:24
New International Version
24 The proud and arrogant person(A)—“Mocker” is his name—
behaves with insolent fury.
New English Translation (NET)
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