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Proverbs 10:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 10:15
New English Translation
15 The wealth of a rich person is like[a] a fortified city,[b]
but the poor are brought to ruin[c] by[d] their poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:15 tn Heb “is.” This expression, “a rich man’s wealth is his strong city,” is a metaphor. The comparative particle “like” is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- Proverbs 10:15 tn Heb “a city of his strength.” The genitive עֹז (ʿoz, “strength”) functions as an attributive genitive: “strong city” = “fortified city.” This phrase is a metaphor; wealth protects its possessors against adversity like a fortified city. Such wealth must be attained by diligence and righteous means (e.g., 13:8; 18:23; 22:7).
- Proverbs 10:15 tn Heb “the ruin of the poor.” The term דַּלִּים (dallim, “of the poor”) functions as an objective genitive. Poverty leads to the ruin of the poor. The term “ruin” includes the shambles in which the person lives. This provides no security but only the fear of ruin. This proverb is an observation on life.
- Proverbs 10:15 tn Heb “is their poverty.”
Proverbs 10:15
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 10:15
New American Standard Bible
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
Proverbs 11:24-26
New English Translation
Proverbs 11:24-26
New English Translation
24 One person is generous[a] and yet grows more wealthy,[b]
but another withholds more than he should[c] and comes to poverty.[d]
25 A generous person[e] will be enriched,[f]
and the one who provides water[g] for others[h] will himself be satisfied.[i]
26 People will curse[j] the one who withholds grain,[k]
but they will praise[l] the one who sells it.[m]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “There is one who scatters.” The participle מְפַזֵּר (mefazzer, “one who scatters”) refers to charity rather than farming or investments (and is thus a hypocatastasis). Cf. CEV “become rich by being generous.”
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “increases.” The verb means that he grows even more wealthy. This is a paradox: Generosity determines prosperity in God’s economy.
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “more than what is right.” This one is not giving enough, but saving for himself.
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “comes to lack.” The person who withholds will come to the diminishing of his wealth. The verse uses hyperbole to teach that giving to charity does not make anyone poor, and neither does refusal to give ensure prosperity.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn Heb “the soul of blessing.” The genitive functions attributively. “Blessing” refers to a gift (Gen 33:11) or a special favor (Josh 15:19). The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole (= person); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn Heb “will grow fat.” Drawing on the standard comparison of fatness and abundance (Deut 32:15), the term means “become rich, prosperous.”
- Proverbs 11:25 tn The verb מַרְוֶה (marveh, “to be saturated; to drink one’s fill”) draws a comparison between providing water for others with providing for those in need (e.g., Jer 31:25; Lam 3:15). The kind act will be reciprocated.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn The phrase “for others” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the causative Hiphil verb which normally takes a direct object; it is elided in the Hebrew for the sake of emphasis. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn This verb also means “to pour water,” and so continues the theme of the preceding participle: The one who gives refreshment to others will be refreshed. BDB 924 s.v. רָוָה lists the form יוֹרֶא (yoreʾ) as a Hophal imperfect of רָוָה (ravah) and translates it “will himself also be watered” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). HALOT notes that some manuscripts have יוֹרֶה (yoreh) and treats it as “an alternate form of I רָוָה” (see HALOT 436 s.v. II ירה). The editors of BHS cite the Syriac evidence and suggest the line should read “the one who curses will be cursed,” taking the verbs as forms of אָרַר (ʾarar, “to curse”).
- Proverbs 11:26 tn The direct object suffix on the verb picks up on the emphatic absolute phrase: “they will curse him—the one who withholds grain.”
- Proverbs 11:26 sn The proverb refers to a merchant who holds back his grain from the free market to raise prices when there is a great need for the produce. It is assumed that merchants are supposed to have a social conscience.
- Proverbs 11:26 tn Heb “but a blessing is for the head of the one who sells.” The parallelism with “curse” suggests that בְּרָכָה (berakhah) “blessing” means “praise.”
- Proverbs 11:26 tn Heb “for the head of the one who sells.” The term “head” functions as a synecdoche of part (= head) for the whole (= person). The head is here emphasized because it is the “crowning” point of praise. The direct object (“it”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
Proverbs 11:24-26
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 11:24-26
New American Standard Bible
24 There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more,
And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in poverty.
25 A [a](A)generous person will be [b]prosperous,
And one who (B)gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.
26 One who withholds grain, the (C)people will curse him,
But (D)blessing will be on the head of him who (E)sells it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit soul of blessing
- Proverbs 11:25 Lit made fat
Proverbs 13:23
New English Translation
Proverbs 13:23
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:23 tn Heb “abundance of food, fallow ground of רָאשִׁים (raʾshim).” The line has several difficulties. The word רָאשִׁים is spelled as if from ראֹשׁ (roʾsh, “head”) meaning a tribal head, leader, chief (HALOT 1166 s.v.). It is usually assumed however that it is a participle from רוּשׁ (rush) meaning “to be poor” (HALOT 1209 s.v.). The lack of a verb also poses a problem. Some translations assume that the food is in the field or the field produces the food (NASB, KJV, BBE, NIV [2011], Holman), but this runs counter to the notion of fallow ground. If it is full of crops, it isn’t fallow (if indeed נִיר [nir] means prepared unplanted soil). Other translations are modal, stating that the field “may” or “would” produce much food (NIV [1973], ESV, NLT, NRSV). Perhaps it is fallow after a harvest; or perhaps the saying is about presuming the crops before they are actually there (like counting your chickens before they are hatched). BDB proposes the possibility: “abundant food [yields] the fallow ground of poor men” (BDB 644 s.v. נִיר). If food leads to fallow ground, it may imply not seeing a need to plant all the fields, which later results in poverty. Any of these options seems equally speculative.
- Proverbs 13:23 tc The MT reads “there is what is swept away without justice” (וְיֵשׁ נִסְפֶּה בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט, veyesh nispeh beloʾ mishpat). The LXX reads “the great enjoy wealth many years, but some men perish little by little.” The Syriac reads “those who have no habitation waste wealth many years, and some waste it completely.” Tg. Prov 13:23 reads “the great man devours the land of the poor, and some men are taken away unjustly.” The Vulgate has “there is much food in the fresh land of the fathers, and for others it is collected without judgment.” C. H. Toy says that the text is corrupt (Proverbs [ICC], 277). Nevertheless, the MT makes sense: The ground could produce enough food for people if there were no injustice in the land.
Proverbs 13:23
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 13:23
New American Standard Bible
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:23 Lit there is what is swept
Proverbs 15:25
New English Translation
Proverbs 15:25
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:25 sn The “proud” have to be understood here in contrast to the widow, and their “house” has to be interpreted in contrast to the widow’s territory. The implication may be that the “proud” make their gain from the needy, and so God will set the balance right.
- Proverbs 15:25 sn The Lord administers justice in his time. The Lord champions the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the needy. These people were often the prey of the proud, who would take and devour their houses and lands (e.g., 1 Kgs 21; Prov 16:19; Isa 5:8-10).
Proverbs 15:25
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 15:25
New American Standard Bible
25 The Lord will (A)tear down the house of the proud,
But He will (B)set the boundary of the (C)widow.
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
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 17:5
New American Standard Bible
5 One who mocks the (A)poor taunts his Maker;
One who (B)rejoices at disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 19:4
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:4
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:4 tn The Niphal imperfect probably should be taken in the passive sense (the poor person is deserted by his “friend,” cf. NAB, NIV) rather than as a direct middle (the poor person deserted his friend).
- Proverbs 19:4 sn This proverb simply makes an observation on life: People pursue wealthy folk hoping that they can gain something from the rich, but the poor are deserted even by friends, who fear that the poor will try to gain something from them.
Proverbs 19:4
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:4
New American Standard Bible
4 (A)Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.
Proverbs 19:7
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:7
New English Translation
7 All the relatives[a] of a poor person hate him;[b]
how much more do his friends avoid[c] him—
one who chases words, which are nothing.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:7 tn Heb “brothers,” but not limited only to male siblings in this context.
- Proverbs 19:7 tn Heb “hate him.” The verb שָׂנֵא (saneʾ) may be nuanced “reject” here (metonymy of effect, cf. CEV). The kind of “dislike” or “hatred” family members show to a poor relative is to have nothing to do with him (NIV “is shunned”). If relatives do this, how much more will the poor person’s friends do so.
- Proverbs 19:7 tn Heb “his friends are far from him.”
- Proverbs 19:7 tc The section titled “proverbs of Solomon” (10:1-22:16) has 375 proverbs. 374 are two-line proverbs, while this three-line proverb has a difficult and awkward third line. The LXX has three two-line proverbs where this one verse is in the Hebrew text. The second proverb in the Greek text is separate and self contained; the third has some correlation to the stray third line in the Hebrew Masoretic text. Assuming the LXX points to an original two-line Hebrew proverb, Delitzsch proposed two Hebrew texts possibly lying behind the Greek. The reconstructed text would begin with “the friend of many is repaid with harm” and end with either (1) “the one who pursues words [=rumors] will not escape” or (2) “chasing words which are not [=nothing]” (Delitzsch, Proverbs I, 15; Proverbs II, 25). The first option best reflects the Greek, while the second option reflects the existing Hebrew. Besides the issue raised by the LXX, the Hebrew itself differs in tradition, with the Kethib reading the final two words as “they are not” (לֹא הֵמָּה; loʾ hemmah) and the Qere reading “they are his” (לוֹ הֵמָּה; lo hemmah). Unless other manuscript evidence comes to light, the text cannot be recovered with certainty.tn Different solutions have been proposed for the problematic last line of the verse. One perspective is that his attempts at friendship result only in empty words (words which are not). Another that he pursues words (spoken by family and friends) but only the words belong to him (they are his). Another supplies missing (but implied?) elements, “he pursues [them with] words, but they [do] not [respond].” Since they are far off, he has to look for them “with words” (adverbial accusative), that is, “send word” for help. But they “are nowhere to be found” (so NIV). The basic idea is of his family and friends rejecting the poor person, revealing how superficial they are, and making themselves scarce.
Proverbs 19:7
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:7
New American Standard Bible
7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his (A)friends abandon him!
He (B)pursues them with words, but they are [a]gone.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:7 Lit not
Proverbs 19:17
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:17
New English Translation
17 The one who is gracious to[a] the poor lends to[b] the Lord,
and the Lord[c] will repay him[d] for his good deed.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:17 sn The participle חוֹנֵן (khonen, “shows favor to”) is related to the word for “grace.” The activity here is the kind favor shown poor people for no particular reason and with no hope of repayment. It is literally an act of grace.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn The form מַלְוֵה (malveh) is the Hiphil participle from לָוָה (lavah) in construct; it means “to cause to borrow; to lend.” The expression here is “lender of the Lord.” The person who helps the poor becomes the creditor of God.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn Heb “he.” The referent of the third person masculine singular pronoun is “the Lord” in the preceding line, which has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
- Proverbs 19:17 sn The promise of reward does not necessarily mean that the person who gives to the poor will get money back; the rewards in the book of Proverbs involve life and prosperity in general.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn Heb “and his good deed will repay him.” The word גְּמֻלוֹ (gemulo) could be (1) the subject or (2) part of a double accusative of the verb. Understanding it as part of the double accusative makes better sense, for then the subject of the verb is God. How “his deed” could repay him is not immediately obvious.
Proverbs 19:17
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:17
New American Standard Bible
17 One who (A)is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his [a](B)good deed.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:17 Or benefits
Proverbs 21:13
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:13
New English Translation
13 The one who shuts his ears[a] to the cry[b] of the poor,
he too will cry out and will not be answered.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:13 sn The imagery means “pay no attention to” the cry for help or “refuse to help,” so it is a metonymy of cause for the effect.
- Proverbs 21:13 sn “Cry” here would be a metonymy of effect for the cause, the cause being the great needs of the poor.
- Proverbs 21:13 sn The proverb is teaching that those who show mercy will receive mercy. It involves the principle of talionic justice—those who refuse the needs of others will themselves be refused when they need help (so Luke 16:19-31).
Proverbs 21:13
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:13
New American Standard Bible
13 One who (A)shuts his ear to the outcry of the poor
Will also call out himself, and not be (B)answered.
Proverbs 22:9
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:9
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:9 tn Heb “good of eye.” This expression is an attributive genitive meaning “bountiful of eye” (cf. KJV, ASV “He that hath a bountiful eye”). This is the opposite of the “evil eye” which is covetous and wicked. The “eye” is a metonymy representing looking well to people’s needs. So this refers to the generous person (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Proverbs 22:9 tn The form יְבֹרָךְ (yevorakh) is a Pual imperfect (here in pause) from בָּרַךְ (barakh); the word means “blessed” in the sense of “enriched,” implying there is a practical reward for being generous to the poor.
- Proverbs 22:9 sn It is from his own food that he gives to the poor. Of the many observations that could be made, it is worth noting that in blessing this kind of person God is in fact providing for the poor, because out of his blessing he will surely continue to share more. Also, the blessing is not for those who take the resources of others and redistribute that to the poor.
Proverbs 22:9
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 22:9
New American Standard Bible
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit has a good eye
Proverbs 22:16
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:16
New English Translation
16 The one who oppresses the poor to increase his own gain
and the one who gives to the rich[a]—both end up only in poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:16 tn Heb “oppressing the poor, it is gain; giving to the rich, it is loss.” The Hebrew is cryptic, but two sins are mentioned here that will be punished by poverty: extortion and bribery. Perhaps the proverb is simply saying it is easy to oppress the poor for gain, but it is a waste of money to try to buy or bribe a patron (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 149).
Proverbs 22:16
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 22:16
New American Standard Bible
16 One (A)who oppresses the poor to make [a]more for himself,
Or gives to the rich, (B)will only come to poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:16 Lit much
Proverbs 22:22-23
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:22-23
New English Translation
22 Do not exploit[a] a poor person because he is poor
and do not crush the needy in court,[b]
23 for the Lord will plead their case[c]
and will rob the life[d] of those who are robbing[e] them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:22 tn Two negated jussives form the instruction here: אַל־תִּגְזָל (ʾal tigzal, “do not exploit”) and וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּא (veʾal tedakkeʾ, “do not crush”). sn Robbing or oppressing the poor is easy because they are defenseless. But this makes the crime tempting as well as contemptible. What is envisioned may be in bounds legally (just) but out of bounds morally.
- Proverbs 22:22 tn Heb “in the gate” (so KJV); NAB, NASB, NRSV “at the gate.” The “gate” of the city was the center of activity, the place of business as well as the place for settling legal disputes. The language of the next verse suggests a legal setting, so “court” is an appropriate translation here.
- Proverbs 22:23 tn The construction uses the verb יָרִיב (yariv) with its cognate accusative. It can mean “to strive,” but here it probably means “to argue a case, plead a case” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). How the Lord will do this is not specified—either through righteous people or by direct intervention.
- Proverbs 22:23 tn The expression “rob the life” occurs only here. Possibly it means to kill (similar to “seek the life [of someone]”) or perhaps “to take away vitality” by some means.
- Proverbs 22:23 tn The verb קָבַע (qavaʿ, “to rob; to spoil; to plunder”) is used here in both places to reflect the principle of talionic justice. What the oppressors did to the poor will be turned back on them by the Lord.
Proverbs 22:22-23
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 22:22-23
New American Standard Bible
22 (A)Do not rob the poor because he is poor,
Nor (B)crush the needy at the gate;
23 For the Lord will (C)plead their case
And [a]take the life of those who rob them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:23 Lit rob the soul
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