Font Size
Proverbs 18:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 18:15
New English Translation
Read full chapter
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:15 tn Heb “discerning mind.” The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is a synecdoche of part (= heart/mind) for the whole (= person); cf. TEV, NLT “intelligent people.” Placing “heart” and “ear” in parallel encompasses more of the process of acquiring knowledge. The ear listens for and to instruction, and the mind considers what is heard to acquire knowledge.
- Proverbs 18:15 tn Heb “the ear of the wise.” The term “ear” is a synecdoche of part (= ear) for the whole (= person): “wise person.” sn The wise continually seek more knowledge. D. Kidner says, “Those who know most know best how little they know” (Proverbs [TOTC], 129).
- Proverbs 18:15 sn This line features a mixed metaphor: The “ear” is pictured “seeking.” The wise person is listening for (on the lookout for) things worth listening to in the pursuit of knowledge.
Proverbs 18:15
Common English Bible
Proverbs 18:15
Common English Bible
15 An understanding mind gains knowledge;
the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
Proverbs 19:2
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:2
New English Translation
2 It is dangerous[a] to have zeal[b] without knowledge,
and the one who acts hastily[c] makes poor choices.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:2 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure known as tapeinosis (a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario): “it is dangerous!”
- Proverbs 19:2 tn The interpretation of this line depends largely on the meaning of נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) which has a broad range of meanings: (1) the breathing substance of man, (2) living being, (3) life, (4) person, (5) seat of the appetites, (6) seat of emotions and passions, (7) activities of intellect, emotion and will, (8) moral character, etc. (BDB 659-61 s.v.). In light of the synonymous parallelism, the most likely nuance here is “zeal, passion” (HALOT 713 s.v. 8). NIV takes the word in the sense of “vitality” and “drive”—“it is not good to have zeal without knowledge” (cf. NCV, TEV, and NLT which are all similar).
- Proverbs 19:2 tn Heb “he who is hasty with his feet.” The verb אוּץ (ʾuts) means “to be pressed; to press; to make haste.” The verb is followed by the preposition ב (bet) which indicates that with which one hastens—his feet. The word “feet” is a synecdoche of part for the whole person—body and mind working together (cf. NLT “a person who moves too quickly”).
- Proverbs 19:2 tn Heb “misses the goal.” The participle חוֹטֵא (khoteʾ) can be translated “sins” (cf. KJV, ASV), but in this context it refers only to actions without knowledge, which could lead to sin, or could lead simply to making poor choices (cf. NAB “blunders”; NASB “errs”; NCV “might make a mistake”). sn The basic meaning of the verb is “to miss a goal or the way.” D. Kidner says, “How negative is the achievement of a man who wants tangible and quick rewards”—he will miss the way (Proverbs [TOTC], 132).
Proverbs 19:2
Common English Bible
Proverbs 19:2
Common English Bible
2 Ignorant desire isn’t good;
rushing feet make mistakes.
Proverbs 19:27
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:27
New English Translation
Read full chapter
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:27 tn Heb “Stop listening…!” The infinitive construct לִשְׁמֹעַ (lishmoaʿ) functions as the direct object of the imperative: “stop heeding [or, listening to].” Of course in this proverb which shows the consequences of doing so, this is irony. The sage is instructing not to stop. The conditional protasis construction does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation.
- Proverbs 19:27 tn The second line has an infinitive construct לִשְׁגוֹת (lishgot), meaning “to stray; to go astray; to err.” It indicates the result of the instruction—stop listening, and as a result you will go astray. The LXX took it differently: “A son who ceases to attend to discipline is likely to stray from words of knowledge.” RSV sees the final clause as the purpose of the instructions to be avoided: “do not listen to instructions to err.”
Proverbs 19:27
Common English Bible
Proverbs 19:27
Common English Bible
27 If, my child, you stop listening to discipline,
you will wander away from words of knowledge.
Proverbs 22:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:12
New English Translation
12 The eyes of the Lord[a] watched[b] over a cause,[c]
and subverted the words of the treacherous person.[d]
Footnotes
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Proverbs 22:12
Common English Bible
Proverbs 22:12
Common English Bible
12 The Lord’s eyes protect knowledge,
but he frustrates the words of the treacherous.
Proverbs 23:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 23:12
New English Translation
12 Apply[a] your heart to instruction
and your ears to the words of knowledge.
Footnotes
- 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.”
Proverbs 23:12
Common English Bible
Proverbs 23:12
Common English Bible
12 Bring your mind to instruction,
your ear to knowledgeable sayings.
Proverbs 24:3-5
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:3-5
New English Translation
3 By[a] wisdom a house is built,[b]
and through understanding it is established;
4 by knowledge its rooms are filled
with all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures.
5 A wise warrior[c] is strong,[d]
and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger;
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:3 tn The preposition ב (bet, “by; through”) in these two lines indicates means.
- Proverbs 24:3 sn The twentieth saying, vv. 3-4, concerns the use of wisdom for domestic enterprises. In Prov 9:1 wisdom was personified as a woman who builds a house, but here the emphasis is primarily on the building—it is a sign of security and prosperity (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 442). One could still make a secondary application from this line for a household or “family” (cf. NCV, which sees this as a reference to the family).
- Proverbs 24:5 sn The twenty-first saying seems to be concerned with the need for wisdom in warfare. In line with that, the word used here is גֶּבֶר (gever), “mighty man; hero; warrior.”
- Proverbs 24:5 tn The expression בַּעוֹז (baʿoz) employs a beth essentiae, meaning he “is strong,” not “in strength.”
Proverbs 24:3-5
Common English Bible
Proverbs 24:3-5
Common English Bible
3 By wisdom a house is built;
by understanding it is established.
4 By knowledge rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant wealth.
5 A wise person is mightier than a strong one;[a]
a knowledgeable person than a powerful one.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:5 LXX; MT A wise man is strong.
Proverbs 28:2
New English Translation
Proverbs 28:2
New English Translation
2 When a country is rebellious[a] it has many princes,[b]
but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable[c] order is maintained.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:2 sn The Hebrew word translated “rebellious” has rebellion as its basic meaning, and that is the idea here. The proverb is describing a time when sinfulness brings about social and political unrest.
- Proverbs 28:2 tn Heb “many are its princes” (so NASB).sn In such a chaotic time there will be many rulers, either simultaneously or in a rapid sequence. The times of the judges or the days of the northern kings of Israel provide examples.
- Proverbs 28:2 tn Heb “a man who understands [and] knows”; NRSV “an intelligent ruler”; NLT “wise and knowledgeable leaders.”
- Proverbs 28:2 tc The LXX reads (probably from a different underlying Hebrew text): “It is the fault of a violent man that quarrels start, but they are settled by a man of discernment.” For a survey of suggestions, see C. H. Toy, Proverbs (ICC), 495, and W. McKane, Proverbs (OTL), 630. tn This last line is difficult. The MT has כֵּן יַאֲרִיךְ (ken yaʾarikh). The verb means “to prolong,” but כֵּן (ken) is open to several possibilities for meaning. J. H. Greenstone’s interpretation of it as a noun from the Hollow root כּוּן (kun) with a meaning of “established order” is what is expected here (Proverbs, 293).sn For a study of the verses in chapters 28 and 29 concerning kings and governments, see B. V. Malchow, “A Manual for Future Monarchs,” CBQ 47 (1985): 238-45.
Proverbs 28:2
Common English Bible
Proverbs 28:2
Common English Bible
2 When a land rebels, there are many leaders;
but a person with understanding brings order.
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible