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Proverbs 19:28
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:28
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:28 tn Heb “a witness who is worthless and wicked” (עֵד בְּלִיַּעַל, ʿed beliyyaʿal). Cf. KJV “an ungodly witness”; NAB “an unprincipled witness”; NCV “an evil witness”; NASB “a rascally witness.”sn These are crooked or corrupt witnesses who willfully distort the facts and make a mockery of the whole legal process.
- Proverbs 19:28 tn The parallel line says the mouth of the wicked “gulps down” or “swallows” (יְבַלַּע, yevallaʿ) iniquity. The verb does not seem to fit the line (or the proverb) very well. Some have emended the text to יַבִּיעַ (yabbiaʿ, “gushes”) as in 15:28 (cf. NAB “pours out”). Driver followed an Arabic balaga to get “enunciates,” which works well with the idea of a false witness (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 529). As it stands, however, the line indicates that in what he says the wicked person accepts evil—and that could describe a false witness.
Proverbs 19:28
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 19:28
Christian Standard Bible
28 A worthless witness mocks justice,
and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.(A)
Proverbs 21:4
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:4
New English Translation
4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—
what the wicked cultivate[a] is sin.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:4 tc The MT reads “the tillage (נִר, nir) of the wicked.” The LXX, other versions, and some Hebrew manuscripts read “the lamp (נֵר, ner) of the wicked” (so ASV, NASB, NIV, NRSV). Both are difficult in the context.tn The MT’s נִר (nir) refers to “ground that has recently been cultivated” (HALOT 723, s.v.), hence “tillage” (NAB), or “plowing” (KJV). This image goes one step behind the metaphor of planting to the cultivating the ground, but it may still have the harvest from such work in view. What the wicked cultivate (and produce) is sin. The saying perhaps looks at their haughty attitude as the groundwork for of their actions which are sinful. The LXX’s “lamp” does not solve the difficulty of the relationship between the expressions. We would somehow need to equate haughtiness with what the wicked consider a (guiding?) light, so that it is evaluated as sin.
Proverbs 21:4
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:4
Christian Standard Bible
4 The lamp that guides the wicked—
haughty eyes and an arrogant heart(A)—is sin.
Proverbs 21:7
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:7
New English Translation
7 The violence[a] done by the wicked[b] will drag them away
because[c] they have refused to do what is right.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:7 tn The “violence” (שֹׁד, shod) drags away the wicked, probably either to do more sin or to their punishment. “Violence” here is either personified, or it is a metonymy of cause, meaning “the outcome of their violence” drags them away.
- Proverbs 21:7 tn Heb “violence of the wicked.” This is a subjective genitive: “violence which the wicked do.”
- Proverbs 21:7 tn The second colon of the verse is the causal clause, explaining why they are dragged away. They are not passive victims of their circumstances or their crimes. They have chosen to persist in their violence and so it destroys them.
- Proverbs 21:7 tn Heb “they refused to do מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat; justice). The noun may be an accusative of direct object “do justice” (so ASV) or an adverbial accusative of manner “act justly” or “act with justice” (so NASB).
Proverbs 21:7
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:7
Christian Standard Bible
7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away
because they refuse to act justly.
Proverbs 21:10
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:10
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:10 tn Heb “soul.” The Hebrew text uses נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, traditionally, “soul”) as the formal subject of the sentence—“the soul of a wicked man desires.” This term has at its core the idea of appetites, and so its use here underscores that the cravings are deep-seated (BDB 660 s.v. 5), and the translation “appetite” reflects this.
- Proverbs 21:10 tn The verb אִוְּתָה (ʾivvetah) is a Piel perfect. Categorically, Piel verbs are dynamic rather than stative, so the perfect form should be understood as past or perfective. In the Qal, some verbs for “desire” are stative and some dynamic; so semantically the question could be raised whether this is a rare, or lone, stative in the Piel. If stative, it could be understood as present tense, as rendered in most translations. But it is doubtful that more recent developments in linguistics and biblical Hebrew influenced any of the translations. However, as perfective we should understand that this is what they have set their desire on, and that is ongoing, so a present time relevance is appropriate. In this proverb the first colon provides the setting as a basis, and the second colon gives the result. We may understand it as “because [he/she] has desired evil, his/her neighbor will not be shown favor.”
- Proverbs 21:10 tn The form יֻחַן (yukhan) is a Hophal imperfect from חָנַן (khanan); it means “to be shown mercy”—here negated to mean “he will not be shown mercy.” The person who lives to satisfy his own craving for evil will not be interested in meeting the needs of others.
Proverbs 21:10
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:10
Christian Standard Bible
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Footnotes
- 21:10 Or favor
Proverbs 21:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:12
New English Translation
12 The Righteous One[a] considers[b] the house[c] of the wicked;
he overthrows the wicked to their ruin.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:12 tn In the book of Proverbs, the Hebrew term צַּדִּיק (tsaddiq) normally refers to a human being, and that is a possible translation here (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB), although it would have to refer to a righteous person who was a judge or a ruler with the right to destroy the wicked. Many commentators and English versions simply interpret this as a reference to God (cf. NIV, NRSV, TEV, NLT).
- Proverbs 21:12 tn The form מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is now used with the meaning “to consider; to give attention to; to ponder.” It is the careful scrutiny that is given to the household of the wicked before judgment is poured out on them.
- Proverbs 21:12 tn Heb “house.” This term probably means “household” here—the family. One way to read the line is that the righteous judge (human or divine) takes into consideration the wicked person’s family before judging the wicked person. The other—and more plausible—interpretation is that the judge considers the household of the wicked and then on the basis of what was observed judges them.
- Proverbs 21:12 tn Heb “to evil” (i.e., catastrophe); cf. NLT “to disaster.”
Proverbs 21:12
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:12
Christian Standard Bible
12 The Righteous One[a] considers the house of the wicked;
he brings the wicked to ruin.
Footnotes
- 21:12 Or righteous one
Proverbs 21:18
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:18
New English Translation
18 The wicked become a ransom[a] for the righteous,
and the treacherous[b] are taken[c] in the place of the upright.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:18 sn The Hebrew word translated “ransom” (כֹּפֶר, kofer) normally refers to a penalty paid in place of some other punishment or the price paid to free a prisoner. But since it seems out of place to suggest that the just face a punishment that they need a ransom for, the proverb remains obscure. Similar wording is reflected in Isa 43:3-4 where God substitutes Egpyt as Judah’s “ransom” and Ethiopia and Seba “in place of” Judah. In that passage Judah is not just, but has been punished and is now being redeemed. Another application reported by R. Murphy is that punishment intended for a group may take the wicked from that group, who then serve metaphorically as a ransom for the righteous (R. Murphy, Proverbs [WBC] 161), but as Murphy points out this is an application rather than the assertion of the proverb. R. N. Whybray (Proverbs [CBC], 121) similarly suggests it may taken to mean that the wicked suffers the evil he has prepared for the righteous, which harmonizes with Proverbs elsewhere (e.g., 11:8). When Haman is taken in place of Mordecai (Esth 7:9-10) would illustrate an application where the righteous escape and the wicked suffer in their place.
- Proverbs 21:18 tn The verb בָּגַד (bagad), here a participle, means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.”
- Proverbs 21:18 tn The phrase “are taken” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
Proverbs 21:18
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:18
Christian Standard Bible
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Footnotes
- 21:18 Or in place of
Proverbs 21:27
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:27
New English Translation
27 The wicked person’s sacrifice[a] is an abomination;
how much more[b] when he brings it with evil intent![c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:27 tn Heb “the sacrifice of the wicked” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This is a subjective genitive. The foundational clause states that ritual acts of worship brought by the wicked (thus a subjective genitive) are detestable to God. The “wicked” refers here to people who are not members of the covenant (no faith) and are not following after righteousness (no acceptable works). But often they participate in sanctuary ritual, which amounts to hypocrisy.
- Proverbs 21:27 sn This rhetorical device shows that if the act is abomination, the wicked heart is an even greater sin. It argues from the lesser to the greater.
- Proverbs 21:27 tn The noun זִמָּה (zimmah) means “plan; device; wickedness”; here it indicates that the person is coming to the ritual with “sinful purpose.” Some commentators suggest that this would mean he comes with the sacrifice as a bribe to pacify his conscience for a crime committed, over which he has little remorse or intent to cease (cf. NLT “with ulterior motives”). In this view, people in ancient Israel came to think that sacrifices could be given for any reason without genuine submission to God.
Proverbs 21:27
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:27
Christian Standard Bible
27 The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—
how much more so
when he brings it with ulterior motives!(A)
Proverbs 21:29
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:29
New English Translation
29 A wicked person[a] has put on a bold face,[b]
but as for the upright,[c] he establishes[d] his ways.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:29 tn Heb “a wicked man.”
- Proverbs 21:29 tn Heb “he has strengthened his face.” The Hifil of עָזַז (ʿazaz) “to cause to be strong” is used idiomatically with “face” meaning to show boldness. Similarly the seductress in Prov 7:13 had put on a bold/impudent face. This person makes a show of confidence, either to be persuasive or to divert their own attention from the substance of a matter. Their confidence is not backed up by reality.
- Proverbs 21:29 tn The “upright” is an independent nominative absolute; the pronoun becomes the formal (emphatic) subject of the verb.
- Proverbs 21:29 tc The Kethib is the imperfect of כּוּן (kun), “he establishes.” This reading has the support of the Syriac, Latin, and Tg., and is followed by ASV and NASB. The Qere is the imperfect tense of בִּין (bin), “he understands; he discerns.” It has the support of the LXX and is followed by NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT. The difficulty is that both make good sense in the passage and both have support. The contrast is between the wicked who [merely] puts up a bold front and the upright who either [actually] discerns his ways (Qere) or makes his ways solid (Kethib). And whichever reading is chosen, the meaning of the other is implied. It would not make sense for the verse to talk about someone who understands but does not act accordingly; on the other hand, to make his/her way solid, the upright person must understand it.
Proverbs 21:29
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 21:29
Christian Standard Bible
29 A wicked person puts on a bold face,(A)
but the upright one considers his way.
Proverbs 24:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:15
New English Translation
15 Do not lie in wait like the wicked[a] against the place where the righteous live;
do not assault[b] his home.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:15 tn The word “wicked” could be taken as a vocative (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, “O wicked man”), but since the next line refers to the wicked this is unlikely. It serves better as an adverbial accusative (“like the wicked”).
- Proverbs 24:15 sn The saying warns that it is futile and self-defeating to mistreat God’s people, for they survive—the wicked do not. The warning is against a deliberate, planned assault on their places of dwelling.
Proverbs 24:15
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 24:15
Christian Standard Bible
15 Don’t set an ambush, you wicked one,
at the camp of the righteous man;(A)
don’t destroy his dwelling.
Proverbs 24:16
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:16
New English Translation
16 Indeed[a] a righteous person will fall[b] seven times, and then get up again,
but the guilty will collapse[c] in calamity.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:16 tn The clause beginning with כִּי (ki) could be interpreted as temporal, conditional, or emphatic. It may be viewed as concessive (“although”) but a concessive force would typically arise from its context and relationship to other independent clauses. In any case, the first half of the proverb assures that the righteous keep getting up and going again.sn The righteous may suffer adversity or misfortune any number of times—seven times here—but they will “rise” for virtue triumphs over evil in the end (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 140).
- Proverbs 24:16 tn The verb is a Hebrew imperfect of נָפַל (nafal) which should be understood as future “will fall” or modal “may fall.” If it is future, it is exemplary and not predictive of the number of times a righteous person will metaphorically fall down. It is followed by a vav plus perfect consecutive, which either continues the force of the preceding verb, or advances it one logical step, like the apodosis of a condition.
- Proverbs 24:16 tn The Niphal of כָּשַׁל (kashal; to stumble) is typically reflexive “to collapse.” Intransitive verbs do not tend to have passive meanings, but the Niphal may refer to the resulting state, “be collapsed, fallen, brought down,” (although some take the Niphal unusually as “caused to stagger”). The imperfect verb form could be taken as a general present, but the future presents a better parallel to the first half of the proverb.
Proverbs 24:16
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 24:16
Christian Standard Bible
16 Though a righteous person falls seven times,
he will get up,(A)
but the wicked will stumble into ruin.(B)
Proverbs 24:19-20
New English Translation
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]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
- 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.
Proverbs 24:19-20
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 24:19-20
Christian Standard Bible
19 Don’t be agitated by evildoers,
and don’t envy the wicked.(A)
20 For the evil have no future;(B)
the lamp of the wicked will be put out.(C)
Proverbs 25:4-5
New English Translation
Proverbs 25:4-5
New English Translation
4 Remove the dross from the silver,
and material[a] for the silversmith will emerge;
5 remove the wicked from before the king,[b]
and his throne[c] will be established in righteousness.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:4 tn The Hebrew כֶּלִי (keli) means “vessel; utensil” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). But purging dross from silver does not produce a “vessel” for the silversmith. Some versions therefore render it “material” (e.g., NIV, NRSV). The LXX says “that it will be entirely pure.” So D. W. Thomas reads כָּלִיל (kalil) and translates it “purified completely” (“Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VT 15 [1965]: 271-79; cf. NAB). W. McKane simply rearranges the line to say that the smith can produce a work of art (Proverbs [OTL], 580; cf. TEV “a thing of beauty”). The easiest explanation is that “vessel” is a metonymy of effect, “vessel” put for the material that goes into making it (such metonymies occur fairly often in Psalms and Proverbs).
- Proverbs 25:5 sn These two verses present first an illustration and then the point (so it is emblematic parallelism). The passage uses imperatives to teach that the wicked must be purged from the kingdom.
- Proverbs 25:5 sn “Throne” is a metonymy of subject (or adjunct); it is the symbol of the government over which the king presides (cf. NCV, TEV).
- Proverbs 25:5 sn When the king purges the wicked from his court he will be left with righteous counselors and his government therefore will be “established in righteousness”—it will endure through righteousness (cf. NLT “made secure by justice”). But as J. H. Greenstone says, “The king may have perfect ideals and his conduct may be irreproachable, but he may be misled by unscrupulous courtiers” (Proverbs, 264).
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