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Proverbs 1:7
New English Translation
Proverbs 1:7
New English Translation
Introduction to the Theme of the Book
7 Fearing the Lord[a] is the beginning[b] of discernment,[c]
but[d] fools[e] have despised[f] wisdom and moral instruction.[g]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:7 tn Heb “fear of the Lord.” In this expression (יִרְאַת יְהוָה, yirʾat yehvah) “the Lord” functions as an objective genitive. He is the object of fear and wonder. The term יִרְאָה(yirʾah) comes from the root יָרֵא (yareʾ), the common root for fear in the OT which has a basic three-fold range of meanings: (1) “be in dread or terror” (Deut 1:29; Jonah 1:10), (2) “to stand in awe” (1 Kgs 3:28), (3) “to revere; to respect” (Lev 19:3). With the Lord as the object, it captures the tension of shrinking back in fear and drawing close in awe and adoration. Both categories of meaning appear in Exod 20:20 (where the Lord descended upon Sinai amidst geophysical convulsions). Moses encouraged the Israelites to not be afraid of God striking them dead for no reason (“Do not fear!”) but informed the people that the Lord revealed himself in such a terrifying manner to scare them from sinning (“God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him in you so that you do not sin”). The fear of the Lord is expressed in reverential submission to his will—the characteristic of true worship. The fear of the Lord is the foundation for wisdom (9:10) and the discipline leading to wisdom (15:33). It is expressed in hatred of evil (8:13) and avoidance of sin (16:6), and so results in prolonged life (10:27; 19:23).
- Proverbs 1:7 tn The noun רֵאשִׁית (reʾshit) has a two-fold range of meaning (BDB 912 s.v.): (1) “beginning” = first step in a course of action (e.g., Ps 111:10; Prov 17:14; Mic 1:13) or (2) “chief thing” as the principal aspect of something (e.g., Prov 4:7). So fearing the Lord is either (1) the first step in acquiring moral knowledge or (2) the most important aspect of moral knowledge. The first option is preferred because 1:2-6 focuses on the acquisition of wisdom.
- Proverbs 1:7 tn Heb “knowledge.” The noun דָּעַת (daʿat, “knowledge”) refers to experiential knowledge, not just cognitive knowledge, including the intellectual assimilation and practical application (BDB 394). It is also used in v. 4 with the nuance “discernment” and the variation of this motto in Prov 9:10 substitutes חָכְמָה (khokhmah, “wisdom, moral skill”) at this point.
- Proverbs 1:7 tn The conjunction “but” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the antithetical parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for clarity. Note, however that the Hebrew word order is “wisdom and instruction—fools have despised.” Without a conjunction the clash or contrast is held poetically until the end.
- Proverbs 1:7 tn The term אֱוִיל (ʾevil, “fool”) refers to a person characterized by moral folly (BDB 17 s.v.). Fools lack understanding (10:21), do not store up knowledge (10:14), fail to attain wisdom (24:7), and refuse correction (15:5; 27:22). They are arrogant (26:5), talk loosely (14:3) and are contentious (20:3). They might have mental intelligence but they are morally foolish. In sum, they are stubborn and “thick-brained” (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 6).
- Proverbs 1:7 tn The verb בָּזָה (bazah, “despise”) means to treat things of value with contempt, as if they were worthless (BDB 102 s.v.). The classic example is Esau who despised his birthright and sold it for lentil stew (Gen 25:34). The perfect verb places the life that fools have lived in contrast with the beginning of moral knowledge. Here is the way of wisdom; fools have gone a different way. Now by implication—what is your choice? The translation of the perfect verb depends on whether the verb’s root is stative or dynamic. Stative verbs (verbs that describe a state) may be present time in the perfect and so can have gnomic force (cf. KJV, NASB, ESV, NIV). Dynamic verbs (verbs that describe actions) in the Hebrew perfect form are past or perfective. They may describe a past action which is prototypical of ongoing behavior. This type of root does not have a morphological test to distinguish if it is stative or dynamic. But the meaning “to treat with” despite suggests that it is dynamic, making the perfective translation “have despised” preferred.
- Proverbs 1:7 sn Heb “wisdom and instruction fools have despised.” Placing “wisdom and moral instruction” first makes this the focus. The reader is not asked to think primarily about the nature of fools but about the choice regarding wisdom. The pair of terms echoes v. 2a, perhaps forming an inclusio.
Proverbs 1:7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 1:7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.(A)
Proverbs 1:32
New English Translation
Proverbs 1:32
New English Translation
32 For the waywardness[a] of the
simpletons will kill[b] them,
and the careless ease[c] of fools will destroy them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:32 tn Heb “turning away” (so KJV). The term מְשׁוּבַת (meshuvat, “turning away”) refers to moral defection and apostasy (BDB 1000 s.v.; cf. ASV “backsliding”). The noun מְשׁוּבַת (“turning away”) which appears at the end of Wisdom’s speech in 1:32 is from the same root as the verb תָּשׁוּבוּ (tashuvu, “turn!”) which appears at the beginning of this speech in 1:23. This repetition of the root שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn”) creates a wordplay: Because fools refuse to “turn to” wisdom (1:23), they will be destroyed by their “turning away” from wisdom (1:32). The wordplay highlights the poetic justice of their judgment. But here they have never embraced the teaching in the first place; so it means turning from the advice as opposed to turning to it.
- Proverbs 1:32 sn The Hebrew verb “to kill” (הָרַג, harag) is the end of the naive who refuse to change. The word is broad enough to include murder, massacre, killing in battle, and execution. Here it is judicial execution by God, using their own foolish choices as the means to ruin.
- Proverbs 1:32 tn Heb “complacency” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “smugness.” The noun שַׁלְוַה (shalvah) means (1) positively: “quietness; peace; ease” and (2) negatively: “self-sufficiency; complacency; careless security” (BDB 1017 s.v.), which is the sense here. It is “repose gained by ignoring or neglecting the serious responsibilities of life” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 29).
Proverbs 1:32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 1:32
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
32 For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;(A)
Proverbs 3:35
New English Translation
Proverbs 3:35
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:35 tc MT reads מֵרִים (merim, “he lifts up”): singular Hiphil participle of רוּם (rum, “to rise; to exalt”), functioning verbally with the Lord as the implied subject: “but he lifts up fools to shame.” The LXX and Vulgate reflect the plural מְרִימִים (merimim, “they exalt”) with “fools” (כְּסִילִים, kesilim) as the explicit subject: “but fools exalt shame.” The textual variant was caused by haplography or dittography of ים (yod and mem), depending on whether MT or the alternate tradition is original.
- Proverbs 3:35 tn The noun קָלוֹן (qalon, “ignominy; dishonor; contempt”) is from קָלָה (qalah) which is an alternate form of קָלַל (qalal) which means (1) “to treat something lightly,” (2) “to treat with contempt [or, with little esteem]” or (3) “to curse.” The noun refers to personal disgrace or shame. While the wise will inherit honor, fools will be made a public display of dishonor. God lets fools entangle themselves in their folly in a way for all to see.
Proverbs 3:35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 3:35
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.
Proverbs 10:14
New English Translation
Proverbs 10:14
New English Translation
14 Those who are wise[a] store up[b] knowledge,
but foolish speech[c] leads to imminent[d] destruction.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:14 tn Heb “wise men.”
- Proverbs 10:14 sn The verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to store up; to treasure”) may mean (1) the wise acquire and do not lose wisdom (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV), or (2) they do not tell all that they know (cf. NCV), that is, they treasure it up for a time when they will need it. The fool, by contrast, talks without thinking.
- Proverbs 10:14 tn Heb “the mouth of foolishness”; cf. NRSV, NLT “the babbling of a fool.” The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for speech. The genitive אֶוִיל (ʾevil, “foolishness”) functions as an attributive adjective: “a foolish mouth” = foolish speech.
- Proverbs 10:14 tn Heb “near destruction.” The words of the fool that are uttered without wise forethought may invite imminent ruin (e.g., James 3:13-18). See also Ptah-hotep and Amenemope in ANET 414 and 423.
Proverbs 10:14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 10:14
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
14 The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
Proverbs 10:21
New English Translation
Proverbs 10:21
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:21 tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said (or in this case taught).
- Proverbs 10:21 tn The verb רָעָה (raʿah) means “to feed” or “to shepherd” (e.g., Gen 48:15). What they say will meet the needs of many.
- Proverbs 10:21 tn In what sense the fool “dies” is unclear. Fools ruin their lives and the lives of others by their lack of discipline and knowledge. The contrast is between enhancing life and ruining life.
- Proverbs 10:21 tn The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) is used as a metonymy of association for what one does with the mind (i.e., thinking), and so refers to discernment, wisdom, good sense.
Proverbs 10:21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 10:21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
21 The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
Proverbs 10:23
New English Translation
Proverbs 10:23
New English Translation
23 Carrying out a wicked scheme[a] is enjoyable[b] to a fool,
and so is wisdom for the one who has discernment.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:23 tn Heb “doing a plan.” The noun זִמָּה (zimmah, “plan”) is often used pejoratively of a scheme to do wickedness. It is used elsewhere for planning lewdness, murder, incest, adultery, idolatry, and licentiousness. Any planned gross impropriety gives the fool pleasure. The verb עָשָׂה (ʿasah, “to do”) here means “to carry out (a plan)” (BDB 794 s.v.).
- Proverbs 10:23 tn Heb “like sport” (so NASB, NRSV). The noun שְׂחוֹק (sekhoq, “sport”) is used elsewhere to refer to what is exhilarating and pleasurable (BDB 966 s.v.). As W. G. Plaut says, it is like child’s play (Proverbs, 132). For the fool evil brings such enjoyment; for the discerning wisdom does.
- Proverbs 10:23 tn Heb “a man of discernment.”
Proverbs 10:23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 10:23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
23 Doing wrong is like sport to a fool,
but wise conduct is pleasure to a person of understanding.(A)
Proverbs 11:29
New English Translation
Proverbs 11:29
New English Translation
29 The one who troubles[a] his family[b] will inherit nothing,[c]
and the fool[d] will be a servant to the wise person.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:29 tn The verb עָכַר (ʿakhar, “to trouble”) refers to actions which make life difficult for one’s family (BDB 747 s.v.). He will be cut out of the family inheritance.
- Proverbs 11:29 tn Heb “his house.” The term בֵּית (bet, “house”) is a synecdoche of container (= house) for its contents (= family, household).
- Proverbs 11:29 tn Heb “the wind” (so KJV, NCV, NLT); NAB “empty air.” The word “wind” (רוּחַ, ruakh) refers to what cannot be grasped (Prov 27:16; Eccl 1:14, 17). The figure is a hypocatastasis, comparing wind to what he inherits—nothing he can put his hands on. Cf. CEV “won’t inherit a thing.”
- Proverbs 11:29 sn The “fool” here is the “troubler” of the first half. One who mismanages his affairs so badly so that there is nothing for the family may have to sell himself into slavery to the wise. The ideas of the two halves of the verse are complementary.
- Proverbs 11:29 tn Heb “the wise of mind.” The noun לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) functions as a genitive of specification: “wise in the mind” or “wise-minded.” Cf. “wisehearted” NASB; “wise of heart” ESV, NKJV. The term לֵב represents the person in this case (a synecdoche of part for the whole) because it is the seat of thinking and wisdom; see BDB 525 s.v. 7.
Proverbs 11:29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 11:29
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
29 Those who trouble their households will inherit wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Proverbs 14:3
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:3
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:3 tn The preposition ב (bet) may denote (1) exchange: “in exchange for” foolish talk there is a rod; or (2) cause: “because of” foolish talk.
- Proverbs 14:3 sn The noun פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said (“speech, words, talk”).
- Proverbs 14:3 tc The MT reads גַּאֲוָה (gaʾavah, “pride”) which creates an awkward sense “in the mouth of a fool is a rod/shoot of pride” (cf. KJV, ASV), perhaps meaning that pride sprouts from his mouth. The BHS editors suggest emending the form to גֵּוֹה (gevoh, “disciplining-rod”) to create tighter parallelism and irony: “in the mouth of a fool is a rod for the back” (e.g., Prov 10:13). What the fool says will bring discipline.tn Heb “a rod of back.” The noun גֵּוֹה functions as a genitive of specification: “a rod for his back.” The fool is punished because of what he says.
- Proverbs 14:3 tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy of cause, meaning what they say. The wise by their speech will find protection.
Proverbs 14:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 14:3
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
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Footnotes
- 14.3 Cn: Heb a rod of pride
Proverbs 14:8
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:8
New English Translation
8 The wisdom of the shrewd person[a] is to discern[b] his way,
but the folly of fools is deception.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:8 tn Or “the prudent [person]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
- Proverbs 14:8 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct denotes purpose. Those who are shrewd will use it to give careful consideration to all their ways.
- Proverbs 14:8 tn The word means “deception,” but some suggest “self-deception” here (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 466; and D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 286); cf. NLT “fools deceive themselves.” The parallelism would favor this, but there is little support for it. The word usually means “craft practiced on others.” If the line is saying the fool is deceitful, there is only a loose antithesis between the cola.
Proverbs 14:8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 14:8
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
8 It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,
but the folly of fools misleads.(A)
Proverbs 14:9
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:9
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:9 tn The noun “fools” is plural but the verb “mock” is singular. This has led some to reverse the line to say “guilty/guilt offering mocks fools” (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 287); see, e.g., Isa 1:14; Amos 5:22. But lack of agreement between subject and verb is not an insurmountable difficulty.
- Proverbs 14:9 tc The LXX reads “houses of transgressors will owe purification.” Tg. Prov 14:9 has “guilt has its home among fools,” apparently reading יָלִין (yalin, “to spend the night, dwell”) instead of יָלִיץ (yalits, “to scoff at”).tn Heb “guilt.” The word אָשָׁם (ʾasham) has a broad range of meanings: “guilt, restitution, guilt-offering.” According to Leviticus, when someone realized he was guilty he would bring a “reparation offering,” a sin offering with an additional tribute for restitution (Lev 5:1-6). It would be left up to the guilty to come forward; it was for the kind of thing that only he would know, for which his conscience would bother him. Fools mock any need or attempt to make things right, to make restitution (cf. NIV, NRSV, NCV, TEV).
- Proverbs 14:9 tn The word רָצוֹן (ratson) means “favor; acceptance; pleasing.” It usually means what is pleasing or acceptable to God. In this passage it either means that the upright try to make amends, or that the upright find favor for doing so.
Proverbs 14:9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 14:9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,[a]
but the upright enjoy God’s favor.
Footnotes
- 14.9 Meaning of Heb uncertain
Proverbs 14:16
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:16
New English Translation
16 A wise person is cautious[a] and turns from evil,
but a fool throws off restraint[b] and is overconfident.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:16 tn Heb “fears.” Since the holy name (Yahweh, translated “the Lord”) is not used, it probably does not here mean fear of the Lord, but of the consequences of actions.
- Proverbs 14:16 tn The Hitpael of עָבַר (ʿavar, “to pass over”) means “to pass over the bounds of propriety; to act insolently” (BDB 720 s.v.; cf. ASV “beareth himself insolently”).
- Proverbs 14:16 tn The verb בָּטַח here denotes self-assurance or overconfidence. Fools are not cautious and do not fear the consequences of their actions.
Proverbs 14:16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 14:16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
16 The wise are cautious and turn away from evil,
but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.(A)
Proverbs 14:24
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:24
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:24 tc The LXX reads πανοῦργος (panourgos, “crafty”) which suggests deleting the שׁ (shin) from עָשְׁרָם (ʿoshram, “their riches”) and reading a noun or adj. derived from the verb עָרֹם (ʿarom, “be crafty). If the first case of “folly” in the second half is also emended, the proverb would read “The crown of the wise is their craftiness, but the garland of fools is folly.”sn C. H. Toy suggests that this line probably means that wealth is an ornament to those who use it well (Proverbs [ICC], 269). J. H. Greenstone suggests that it means that the wisdom of the wise, which is their crown of glory, constitutes their wealth (Proverbs, 155).
- Proverbs 14:24 tc The MT reads אִוֶלֶת (ʾivelet, “folly”). The editors of BHS propose emending the text to וְלִוְיַת (velivyat) from לִוְיָה (livyah, “wreath, garland”). This would provide the same parallelism (“garland” and “crown”) as Prov 4:9. The LXX reads διατριβὴ (diatribē, “lifestyle”). See M. Rotenberg, “The Meaning of אִוֶּלֶת in Proverbs,” LesŒ 25 (1960-1961): 201. A similar emendation is followed by NAB (“the diadem”) and NRSV (“the garland”).
Proverbs 14:24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Proverbs 14:24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,
but folly is the garland[a] of fools.
Footnotes
- 14.24 Cn: Heb is the folly
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