(A)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
    keeping watch on the evil and the good.

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The eyes of the Lord[a] are in every place,
keeping watch on[b] those who are evil and those who are good.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:3 sn The proverb uses anthropomorphic language to describe God’s exacting and evaluating knowledge of all people.
  2. Proverbs 15:3 tn The form צֹפוֹת (tsofot, “watching”) is a feminine plural participle agreeing with “eyes.” God’s watching eyes comfort good people but convict evil.

16 The plans of the heart belong to man,
    but (A)the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

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16 The intentions of the heart[a] belong to a man,
but the answer of the tongue[b] comes from[c] the Lord.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:1 tn Heb “plans of the heart” (so ASV, NASB, NIV). The phrase מַעַרְכֵי־לֵב (maʿarekhe lev) means “the arrangements of the mind.” sn Humans may set things in order, plan out what they are going to say, but God sovereignly enables them to put their thoughts into words.
  2. Proverbs 16:1 tn Here “the tongue” is a metonymy of cause in which the instrument of speech is put for what is said: the answer expressed.
  3. Proverbs 16:1 sn The contrasting prepositions enhance the contrasting ideas—the ideas belong to people, but the words come from the Lord.
  4. Proverbs 16:1 sn There are two ways this statement can be taken: (1) what one intends to say and what one actually says are the same, or (2) what one actually says differs from what the person intended to say. The second view fits the contrast better. The proverb then is giving a glimpse of how God even confounds the wise. When someone is trying to speak [“answer” in the book seems to refer to a verbal answer] before others, the Lord directs the words according to his sovereign will.

(A)The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
    even (B)the wicked for the day of trouble.

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The Lord has worked[a] everything for his own ends[b]
even the wicked for the day of disaster.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:4 tn The Hebrew verb פָּעַל (paʿal) means “to work out; to bring about; to accomplish.” As the perfect form of a dynamic root, it is past or perfective. By using a past nuance, the proverb asserts that this is not just something that will work out some day. It affirms that God has done so and views this action as prototypical of what God does. Elsewhere with this verb, the preposition ל (lamed) indicates the purpose of the work (when followed by an infinitive, e.g. Exod 15:7), or who the action was for/against (when followed by a person, e.g. Isa 26:12). In the only other case where the verb פָּעַל (paʿal) has a direct object and the preposition ל (lamed) it means to make, or modify, the thing into something else (Ps 7:13). Applying that same syntax here could mean “God has turned everything to his own purpose.” God has done so by turning what was meant to harm into good (as with Joseph, Gen 50:20) and here by preparing the wicked for disaster. If it means to turn one thing into another, then the verse affirms God’s sovereignty while not making him directly responsible for evil acts chosen by the wicked.
  2. Proverbs 16:4 tc The Latin Vulgate implies the form לְמַעֲנֵהוּ (lemaʿanehu) “for his/its sake/purpose” rather than the Masoretic text’s לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ (lammaʿanehu) “for his/its purpose/answer.” Both are reading the same consonantal text but understanding the vowels differently. tn At the core of the phrase לַמַּעֲנֵהוּ (lammaʿanehu) in the Masoretic text, lies the word מַעֲנֶה (maʿaneh), which is proposed to mean “answer” or “purpose.” HALOT proposes that they are two homonyms (HALOT I, 614) going back to different homonymous verbal roots. If this is the noun meaning “answer,” it may imply the consequence. God ensures that everyone’s actions and the consequences of those actions correspond—certainly the wicked for the day of calamity. In God’s order there is just retribution for every act.
  3. Proverbs 16:4 sn This is an example of synthetic parallelism (“A, what’s more B”). The A-line affirms a truth, and the B-line expands on it with a specific application about the wicked—whatever disaster comes their way is an appropriate correspondent for their life.

(A)The heart of man plans his way,
    but (B)the Lord establishes his steps.

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A person[a] plans his course,[b]
but the Lord directs[c] his steps.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:9 tn Heb “the mind of a man.” The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) represents the person in this case (a synecdoche of a part for the whole) but highlights that faculty most relevant to the verb for planning.
  2. Proverbs 16:9 tn Heb “his way” (so KJV, NASB).
  3. Proverbs 16:9 tn The verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish; to confirm”) with צַעַד (tsaʿad, “step”) means “to direct” (e.g., Ps 119:133; Jer 10:23). This contrasts what people plan and what actually happens—God determines the latter.
  4. Proverbs 16:9 sn “Steps” is an implied comparison, along with “way,” to indicate the events of the plan as they work out.

33 (A)The lot is cast into the lap,
    but its every decision is (B)from the Lord.

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33 The dice are thrown into the lap,[a]
but their every decision[b] is from the Lord.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:33 tn Heb “the lot is cast.” Because the ancient practice of “casting lots” is unfamiliar to many modern readers, the imagery has been updated to “throwing dice.”sn The proverb concerns the practice of seeking divine leading through casting lots. For a similar lesson, see Amenemope (18, 19:16-17, in ANET 423).
  2. Proverbs 16:33 tn Heb “all its decision.”
  3. Proverbs 16:33 sn The point concerns seeking God’s will through the practice. The Lord gives guidance in decisions that are submitted to him.

21 (A)Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
    but (B)it is the purpose of the Lord (C)that will stand.

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21 There are many plans[a] in a person’s mind,[b]
but it[c] is the counsel[d] of the Lord that will stand.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:21 sn The plans (from the Hebrew verb חָשַׁב [khashav], “to think; to reckon; to devise”) in the human heart are many. But only those which God approves will succeed.
  2. Proverbs 19:21 tn Heb “in the heart of a man” (cf. NAB, NIV). Here “heart” is used for the seat of thoughts, plans, and reasoning, so the translation uses “mind.” In contemporary English “heart” is more often associated with the seat of emotion than with the seat of planning and reasoning.
  3. Proverbs 19:21 tn Heb “but the counsel of the Lord, it will stand.” The construction draws attention to the “counsel of the Lord”; it is an independent nominative absolute, and the resumptive independent pronoun is the formal subject of the verb.
  4. Proverbs 19:21 tn The antithetical parallelism pairs “counsel” with “plans.” “Counsel of the Lord” (עֲצַת יְהוָה, ʿatsat yehvah) is literally “advice” or “counsel” with the connotation of “plan” in this context (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “purpose”; NCV “plan”; TEV “the Lord’s will”).sn The point of the proverb is that the human being with many plans is uncertain, but the Lord with a sure plan gives correct counsel.

30 (A)No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel
    can avail against the Lord.
31 (B)The horse is made ready for the day of battle,
    but (C)the victory belongs to the Lord.

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30 There is no wisdom and there is no understanding,
and there is no counsel against[a] the Lord.[b]
31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
but the victory is from the Lord.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:30 tn The form לְנֶגֶד (leneged) means “against; over against; in opposition to.” The line indicates they cannot in reality be in opposition, for human wisdom is nothing in comparison to the wisdom of God (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 232).
  2. Proverbs 21:30 sn The verse uses a single sentence to state that all wisdom, understanding, and advice must be in conformity to the will of God to be successful. It states it negatively—these things cannot be in defiance of God (e.g., Job 5:12-13; Isa 40:13-14).
  3. Proverbs 21:31 tn Heb “of the Lord.” The victory being “of the Lord” means that it is accomplished by him. Ultimate success comes from the Lord and not from human efforts. The faithful have acknowledged this down through the ages, even though they have been responsible and have prepared for the wars. Without this belief there would have been no prayer on the eve of battle (e.g., Pss 20:7; 33:17).

12 The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,
    but he (A)overthrows the words of the traitor.

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12 The eyes of the Lord[a] watched[b] over a cause,[c]
and subverted the words of the treacherous person.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:12 sn The “eyes of the Lord” is an anthropomorphic expression; the omniscience of God is the intended meaning. When scripture uses the “eyes” of the Lord, it usually means evaluation, superintending, or safeguarding.
  2. Proverbs 22:12 tn The first verb is the Hebrew perfect form and the second is a preterite, successive actions in past time. The proverb presents something God has done as prototypical.
  3. Proverbs 22:12 tn The common Hebrew word דַּעַת (daʿat), with the abstract meaning “knowledge, ability, insight,” is an awkward direct object for this subject and verb. The verb is used one other time with this object but the expression is different (Prov 5:2 “that your lips preserve knowledge,” that is, to say what is wise and not need words of regret). דַּעַת does occur in Prov 29:7 in parallelism to דִּין (din), a cause or legal claim, which suggests a technical use for דַּעַת, such as the facts of a case. HALOT (I, 229) follows D. W. Thomas (VTSupp 3, 285) in proposing a homonym for דַּעַת meaning “claim, right” based on an Arabic cognate. (See also D. W. Thomas “A Note on דַּעַת in Proverbs 22:12, ” JTS 14 [1963]: 93-94). The second half of the proverb supports the idea of ensuring that the truth comes out.
  4. Proverbs 22:12 tn The participle בֹגֵד (voged) means “one who acts treacherously, a traitor;” cf. NASB “the treacherous man;” ESV “traitor;” NIV “unfaithful;” KJV “transgressor.” What treacherous people say is treachery, that which would distort or undermine a just cause.sn The proverb affirms that God in safeguarding true knowledge will frustrate deception from faithless people—what they say will not have its intended effect.

27 Do not boast about tomorrow,
    (A)for you do not know what a day may bring.

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27 Do not boast[a] about tomorrow;[b]
for you do not know[c] what a day may bring forth.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:1 tn The form אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל (ʾal tithallel) is the Hitpael jussive negated; it is from the common verb “to praise,” and so in this setting means “to praise oneself” or “to boast.” sn The verse rules out one’s overconfident sense of ability to control the future. No one can presume on the future.
  2. Proverbs 27:1 sn The word “tomorrow” is a metonymy of subject, meaning what will be done tomorrow, or in the future in general.
  3. Proverbs 27:1 sn The expression “you do not know” balances the presumption of the first line, reminding the disciple of his ignorance and therefore his need for humility (e.g., Matt 6:34; Luke 12:20; Jas 4:13-16).