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Proverbs 18:12
New English Translation

12 Before destruction the heart[a] of a person is proud,
but humility comes[b] before honor.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:12 sn The term “heart” is a metonymy of subject, referring to the seat of the spiritual and intellectual capacities—the mind, the will, the motivations and intentions. Proud ambitions and intentions will lead to a fall.
  2. Proverbs 18:12 tn Heb “[is] before honor”; cf. CEV “humility leads to honor.”
  3. Proverbs 18:12 sn The way to honor is through humility (e.g., Prov 11:2; 15:33; 16:18). The humility and exaltation of Jesus provides the classic example (Phil 2:1-10).
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Proverbs 18:12
Legacy Standard Bible

12 (A)Before destruction the heart of man is haughty,
But (B)humility goes before glory.

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Proverbs 17
Proverbs 19
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Proverbs 18:14
New English Translation

14 A person’s spirit[a] sustains him through sickness—
but who can bear[b] a crushed spirit?[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:14 tn Heb “the spirit of a man.” Because the verb of this clause is a masculine form, some have translated this line as “with spirit a man sustains,” but that is an unnecessary change.
  2. Proverbs 18:14 sn This is a rhetorical question, asserting that very few can cope with depression.
  3. Proverbs 18:14 sn The figure of a “crushed spirit” (ASV, NAB, NCV, NRSV “a broken spirit,” comparing depression to something smashed or crushed) suggests a broken will, a loss of vitality, despair, and emotional pain. In physical sickness one can fall back on the will to live, but in depression even the will to live is gone.
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Proverbs 18:14
Legacy Standard Bible

14 The (A)spirit of a man can endure his sickness,
But as for a (B)broken spirit, who can bear it?

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Proverbs 17
Proverbs 19
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Proverbs 19:3
New English Translation

3 A person’s folly[a] subverts[b] his way,
and[c] his heart rages[d] against the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:3 tn Heb “the folly of a man.”
  2. Proverbs 19:3 tn The verb סָלַף (salaf) normally means “to twist; to pervert; to overturn,” but in this context it means “to subvert” (BDB 701 s.v.); cf. ASV “subverteth.” sn J. H. Greenstone comments: “Man’s own failures are the result of his own folly and should not be attributed to God” (Proverbs, 201).
  3. Proverbs 19:3 tn The clause begins with vav on the nonverb phrase “against the Lord.” While clause structure and word order is less compelling in a book like Proverbs, this fits well as a circumstantial clause indicating concession.
  4. Proverbs 19:3 sn The “heart raging” is a metonymy of cause (or adjunct); it represents the emotions that will lead to blaming God for the frustration. Genesis 42:28 offers a calmer illustration of this as the brothers ask what God was doing to them.
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Proverbs 19:3
Legacy Standard Bible

3 The (A)folly of man subverts his way,
But his heart (B)rages against Yahweh.

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Proverbs 18
Proverbs 20
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Proverbs 19:20
New English Translation

20 Listen to advice[a] and receive discipline,
that[b] you may become wise[c] by the end of your life.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:20 sn The advice refers in all probability to the teachings of the sages that will make one wise.
  2. Proverbs 19:20 tn The proverb is one continuous thought, but the second half of the verse provides the purpose for the imperatives of the first half.
  3. Proverbs 19:20 tn The imperfect tense has the nuance of a final imperfect in a purpose clause, and so is translated “that you may become wise” (cf. NAB, NRSV).
  4. Proverbs 19:20 tn Heb “become wise in your latter end” (cf. KJV, ASV) which could obviously be misunderstood.
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Proverbs 19:20
Legacy Standard Bible

20 (A)Listen to counsel and receive discipline,
That you may be wise in [a]the end of your days.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:20 Lit your latter end
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Proverbs 18
Proverbs 20
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Proverbs 20:5
New English Translation

5 Counsel[a] in a person’s heart[b] is like[c] deep water,[d]
but an understanding person[e] draws it out.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:5 sn The noun means “advice, counsel”; it can have the connotation of planning or making decisions. Those with understanding can sort out plans.
  2. Proverbs 20:5 tn The Hebrew term לֶב (lev) refers to the “mind” (NRSV) as well as the “heart” (KJV, NIV, NASB). The expression refers to unspoken thoughts.
  3. Proverbs 20:5 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  4. Proverbs 20:5 sn The motives or plans of a person are “difficult to fathom”; it takes someone with understanding to discover and surface them (the verb in the last colon continues the figure with the sense of bringing the plans to the surface and sorting them out).
  5. Proverbs 20:5 tn Heb “a man of understanding”; TEV “someone with insight”; NLT “the wise.”
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Proverbs 20:5
Legacy Standard Bible

5 Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water,
But a man of discernment draws it out.

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Proverbs 19
Proverbs 21
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Proverbs 20:27
New English Translation

27 The human spirit[a] is like[b] the lamp[c] of the Lord,
searching all his innermost parts.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:27 sn The expression translated “the human spirit” is the Hebrew term נִשְׁמַת (nishmat), a feminine noun in construct. This is the inner spiritual part of human life that was breathed in at creation (Gen 2:7) and that constitutes humans as spiritual beings with moral, intellectual, and spiritual capacities.
  2. Proverbs 20:27 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  3. Proverbs 20:27 tn The “lamp” is the metaphor in the line; it signifies that the human spirit functions as a conscience, enabling people to know and please God, and directing them in choices that will be life-giving. E. Loewenstamm unnecessarily reads נִיר (nir, “to plow”) instead of נֵר (ner, “lamp”) to say that God plows and examines the soul (“Remarks on Proverbs 17:12 and 20:27, ” VT 37 [1967]: 233). The NIV supplies a verb (“searches”) from the second half of the verse, changing the emphasis somewhat.
  4. Proverbs 20:27 tn Heb “all the chambers of the belly.” This means “the inner parts of the body” (BDB 293 s.v. חֶדֶר); cf. NASB “the innermost parts of his being.”
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Proverbs 20:27
Legacy Standard Bible

27 The [a](A)breath of man is the lamp of Yahweh,
Searching all the [b]innermost parts of his body.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:27 Or what a man breathes out
  2. Proverbs 20:27 Lit chambers of the stomach
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Proverbs 19
Proverbs 21
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Proverbs 21:1-2
New English Translation

21 The king’s heart[a] is in the hand[b] of the Lord like channels of water;[c]
he turns it wherever he wants.
2 All a person’s ways seem right in his own opinion,[d]
but the Lord evaluates[e] his thoughts.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:1 sn “Heart” is a metonymy of subject; it signifies the ability to make decisions, if not the decisions themselves.
  2. Proverbs 21:1 sn “Hand” in this passage is a personification; the word is frequently used idiomatically for “power,” and that is the sense intended here.
  3. Proverbs 21:1 tn “Channels of water” (פַּלְגֵי, palge) is an adverbial accusative, functioning as a figure of comparison—“like channels of water.” Cf. NAB “Like a stream”; NIV “watercourse”; NRSV, NLT “a stream of water.”sn The farmer channels irrigation ditches where he wants them, where they will do the most good; so does the Lord with the king. No king is supreme; the Lord rules.
  4. Proverbs 21:2 tn Heb “in his own eyes.” The term “eyes” is a metonymy for estimation, opinion, evaluation. Physical sight is used figuratively for one’s point of view intellectually.
  5. Proverbs 21:2 tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “examines”; NCV, TEV “judges.” Weighing on scales is an act of examining and verifying weight for market purposes (2 Kgs 12:11) but can be used metaphorically for evaluating other things (e.g. the Lord weighs actions in (1 Sam 2:3).
  6. Proverbs 21:2 tn Heb “the minds.” The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is used as a metonymy of association for thoughts and motives (BDB 660-61 s.v. 6-7). sn It is easy to rationalize one’s point of view and deceive even oneself. But the Lord evaluates our thinking and motives as well (cf. Prov 16:2).
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Proverbs 21:1-2
Legacy Standard Bible

Salvation Belongs to Yahweh

21 The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of Yahweh;
He (A)turns it wherever He pleases.
2 (B)Every man’s way is right in his own eyes,
But Yahweh (C)weighs the hearts.

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Proverbs 20
Proverbs 22
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Proverbs 22:11
New English Translation

11 The one who loves a pure heart[a]
and whose speech is gracious[b]—the king will be his friend.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 22:11 sn The “heart” is a metonymy of subject; it represents the intentions and choices that are made. “Pure of heart” uses “heart” as a genitive of specification. The expression refers to someone who has honest and clear intentions.
  2. Proverbs 22:11 tn Heb “grace of his lips” (so KJV, ASV). The “lips” are a metonymy of cause representing what is said; it also functions as a genitive of specification. sn This individual is gracious or kind in what he says; thus the verse is commending honest intentions and gracious words.
  3. Proverbs 22:11 tn The syntax of the line is somewhat difficult, because “grace of his lips” seems to be intruding on the point of the verse with little explanation. Therefore the LXX rendered it “The Lord loves the pure in heart; all who are blameless in their ways are acceptable to him.” This has very little correspondence with the Hebrew; nevertheless commentators attempt to reconstruct the verse using it, and the NAB follows the first clause of the LXX here. Some have suggested taking “king” as the subject of the whole verse (“the king loves…”), but this is forced.
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Proverbs 22:11
Legacy Standard Bible

11 He who loves (A)purity of heart
And (B)grace on his lips, the king is his friend.

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Proverbs 21
Proverbs 23
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Proverbs 23:12
New English Translation

12 Apply[a] your heart to instruction
and your ears to the words of knowledge.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:12 tn Heb “bring.” The Hiphil imperative “come; enter” means “to apply the heart,” to use the heart or mind in the process. The same would be true in the second half: “to bring the ears” would mean to listen very carefully. Cf. TEV “Pay attention.”
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Proverbs 23:12
Legacy Standard Bible

12 Bring your heart to discipline
And your ears to [a]words of knowledge.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:12 Lit sayings
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Proverbs 22
Proverbs 24
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Proverbs 24:11-12
New English Translation

11 Deliver those being taken away to death,
and hold back those slipping to the slaughter.[a]
12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”
won’t[b] the one who evaluates[c] hearts discern it?
Won’t the one who guards your life realize[d]
and repay each person according to his deeds?[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:11 tn The idea of “slipping” (participle from מוֹט, mot) has troubled some commentators. G. R. Driver emends it to read “at the point of” (“Problems in Proverbs,” ZAW 50 [1932]: 146). But the MT as it stands makes good sense. The reference would be general, viz., to help any who are in mortal danger or who might be tottering on the edge of such disaster—whether through sin, or through disease, war, or danger. Several English versions (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this term as “staggering.”sn God holds people responsible for rescuing those who are in mortal danger. The use of “death” and “slaughter” seems rather strong in the passage, but they have been used before in the book for the destruction that comes through evil.
  2. Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “Will he not?” The verb is an imperfect stative and so should be understood as future or modal. Likewise the verb in the next line.
  3. Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV) meaning “tests” or “evaluates.”
  4. Proverbs 24:12 tn The imperfect of the stative verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) means “will know/come to know,” thus “will learn, find out, realize.”
  5. Proverbs 24:12 sn The verse completes the saying by affirming that people will be judged responsible for helping those in mortal danger. The verse uses a series of rhetorical questions to affirm that God knows our hearts and we cannot plead ignorance.
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Proverbs 24:11-12
Legacy Standard Bible

11 (A)Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are stumbling to the slaughter, Oh hold them back.
12 If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
Does not He (B)who weighs the hearts (C)understand?
And (D)does not He who (E)guards your soul know?
And will not He [a](F)render to man according to his work?

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:12 Lit bring back
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Proverbs 23
Proverbs 25
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Proverbs 24:17-18
New English Translation

17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,[a]
and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice,
18 lest the Lord see it, and be displeased,[b]
and turn his wrath away from him.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:17 sn The saying (vv. 17, 18) warns against gloating over the misfortune of one’s enemies. The prohibition is formed with two negated jussives “do not rejoice” and “let not be glad,” the second qualified by “your heart” as the subject, signifying the inner satisfaction of such a defeat.
  2. Proverbs 24:18 tn Heb “and [it is] evil in his eyes.”
  3. Proverbs 24:18 sn The judgment of God should strike a note of fear in the heart of people (e.g., Lev 19:17-18). His judgment is not to be taken lightly, or personalized as a victory. If that were to happen, then the Lord might take pity on the enemies in their calamity, for he champions the downtrodden and defeated. These are probably personal enemies; the imprecatory psalms and the prophetic oracles present a different set of circumstances for the downfall of God’s enemies—even the book of Proverbs says that brings joy to the community.
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Proverbs 24:17-18
Legacy Standard Bible

17 When your enemy falls, (A)do not be glad,
And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
18 Lest Yahweh see it and it be evil in His eyes,
And turn His anger away from him.

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Proverbs 25
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Proverbs 24:19-20
New English Translation

19 Do not fret because of evil people
or be envious of wicked people,
20 for the evil person has no future,[a]
and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
  2. Proverbs 24:20 sn The saying warns against envying the wicked; v. 19 provides the instruction, and v. 20 the motivation. The motivation is that there is no future hope for them—nothing to envy, or as C. H. Toy explains, there will be no good outcome for their lives (Proverbs [ICC], 449). They will die suddenly, as the implied comparison with the lamp being snuffed out signifies.
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Proverbs 24:19-20
Legacy Standard Bible

19 (A)Do not fret because of evildoers
Do not be (B)jealous of the wicked;
20 For (C)there will be no [a](D)future for the evil one;
The (E)lamp of the wicked will go out.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:20 Lit latter end
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Proverbs 25
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