Proverbs 14:29
New English Translation
29 Someone with great understanding is slow to anger,[a]
but the one who has a quick temper[b] exalts[c] folly.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:29 tn Or “Someone who is slow to anger [has] great understanding.” The translation treats the Hebrew nominal clause as having predicate-subject word order, similar to predicate position for adjectival clauses. But the issue of basic word order is debated.
- Proverbs 14:29 tn Heb “hasty of spirit” (so KJV, ASV); NRSV, NLT “a hasty temper.” One who has a quick temper or a short fuse will be evident to everyone, due to his rash actions.
- Proverbs 14:29 sn The participle “exalts” (מֵרִים, merim) means that this person brings folly to a full measure, lifts it up, brings it to the full notice of everybody.
Proverbs 14:29
Legacy Standard Bible
29 He who is (A)slow to anger has great discernment,
But he who is [a]quick-tempered raises up folly.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:29 Lit short of spirit
Proverbs 16:32
New English Translation
32 Better to be slow to anger[a] than to be a mighty warrior,
and one who controls his temper[b] is better than[c] one who captures a city.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 16:32 tn One who is “slow to anger” is a patient person (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). This is explained further in the parallel line by the description of “one who rules his spirit” (וּמֹשֵׁל בְּרוּחוֹ, umoshel berukho), meaning “controls his temper.” This means the person has the emotions under control and will not “fly off the handle” quickly.
- Proverbs 16:32 tn Heb “who rules his spirit” (so NASB).
- Proverbs 16:32 tn The phrase “is better than” does not appear in this line in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism.
- Proverbs 16:32 sn The saying would have had greater impact when military prowess was held in high regard. It is harder, and therefore better, to control one’s passions than to do some great exploit on the battlefield.
Proverbs 16:32
Legacy Standard Bible
32 He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his own spirit, than he who captures a city.
Proverbs 19:11
New English Translation
11 A person’s wisdom[a] has made him slow to anger,[b]
and it is his glory[c] to overlook[d] an offense.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:11 tn Or “prudence,” the successful use of wisdom in discretion. Cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT “good sense.”
- Proverbs 19:11 tn Heb “has slowed his anger.” The Hiphil perfect of אָרַךְ (ʾarakh, “to be long”) means “to make long; to prolong.” As the perfect form of a dynamic verb it should understood as past or perfective. Having developed an insightful perspective has resulted in not being quick to respond in anger.
- Proverbs 19:11 sn “Glory” signifies the idea of beauty or adornment. D. Kidner explains that such patience “brings out here the glowing colours of a virtue which in practice may look drably unassertive” (Proverbs [TOTC], 133).
- Proverbs 19:11 tn Heb “to pass over” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, TEV “ignore.” The infinitive construct עֲבֹר (ʿavor) functions as the formal subject of the sentence. This clause provides the cause, whereas the former gave the effect—if one can pass over an offense there will be no anger.sn W. McKane says, “The virtue which is indicated here is more than a forgiving temper; it includes also the ability to shrug off insults and the absence of a brooding hypersensitivity…. It contains elements of toughness and self-discipline; it is the capacity to stifle a hot, emotional rejoinder and to sleep on an insult” (Proverbs [OTL], 530).
Proverbs 19:11
Legacy Standard Bible
Proverbs 23:1-3
New English Translation
23 When you sit down to eat with a ruler,
consider carefully[a] what[b] is before you,
2 and put a knife to your throat[c]
if you possess a large appetite.[d]
3 Do not crave that ruler’s[e] delicacies,
for[f] that food is deceptive.[g]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 tn The construction uses the imperfect tense of instruction with the infinitive absolute to emphasize the careful discernment required on such occasions. Cf. NIV “note well”; NLT “pay attention.”
- Proverbs 23:1 tn Or “who,” referring to the ruler (so ASV, NAB, TEV).
- Proverbs 23:2 sn The expression “put a knife to your throat” is an idiom that means “curb your appetite” or “control yourself” (cf. TEV). The instruction was from a time when people dealt with all-powerful tyrants. To enter the presence of such a person and indulge one’s appetites would be to take a very high risk.
- Proverbs 23:2 tn Heb “an owner of appetite.” The idiom בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ (baʿal nefesh) refers to someone who possesses a large appetite (cf. NAB “a ravenous appetite”). A person with a big appetite is in danger of taking liberties when invited to court.
- Proverbs 23:3 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Proverbs 23:3 sn The final line gives the causal clause: The impressive feast is not what it appears to be; the king is not doing you a favor, but rather wants something from you or is observing you (K&D 17:104); cf. TEV “he may be trying to trick you.”
- Proverbs 23:3 sn Verses 1-3 form the sixth saying about being cautious before rulers (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 23, 23:13-18). One should not get too familiar with rulers, for they always have ulterior motives. The Mishnah cites Gamaliel as warning that a ruler only draws someone into his court for his purpose, but in their day of trouble he will not be there to help them (m. Avot 2:3).
Proverbs 23:1-3
Legacy Standard Bible
The Fear of Yahweh
23 When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
Understand well [a]what is before you,
2 So you should put a knife to your throat
If you are a (A)man of appetite.
3 Do not (B)desire his delicacies,
For it is bread of falsehood.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 23:1 Or who
Proverbs 25:28
New English Translation
28 Like a city that is broken down and without a wall,
so is a person who cannot control his temper.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:28 tn Heb “whose spirit lacks restraint” (ASV similar). A person whose spirit (רוּחַ, ruakh) “lacks restraint” is one who is given to outbursts of passion, who lacks self-control (cf. NIV, NRSV, CEV, NLT). This person has no natural defenses but reveals his true nature all the time. The proverb is stating that without self-control a person is vulnerable, like a city without defenses.
Proverbs 25:28
Legacy Standard Bible
28 Like a (A)city that is broken into and without a wall
Is a man (B)without restraint over his spirit.
Proverbs 29:1
New English Translation
29 The one who stiffens his neck[a] after numerous rebukes[b]
will suddenly be destroyed[c] without remedy.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:1 tn The idiom “to harden the neck” (מַקְשֶׁה־עֹרֶף, maqsheh ʿoref) is the idea of resisting the rebukes and persisting in obstinacy (e.g., Exod 32:9). The opposite of a “stiff neck” would be the bending back, i.e., submission.
- Proverbs 29:1 tn The Hebrew construction is אִישׁ תּוֹכָחוֹת (ʾish tokhakhot, “a man of rebukes”), meaning “a man who has (or receives) many rebukes.” This describes a person who is deserving of punishment and who has been given many warnings. The text says, then, “a man of rebukes hardening himself.”
- Proverbs 29:1 sn The stubborn person refuses to listen; he will suddenly be destroyed when the calamity strikes (e.g., Prov 6:15; 13:18; 15:10).
- Proverbs 29:1 tn Or “healing” (NRSV).
Proverbs 29:1
Legacy Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:1 Lit and there is no healing
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.