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Proverbs 20:2
New English Translation

2 The king’s terrifying anger[a] is like the roar of a lion;
whoever provokes him[b] sins against himself.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:2 tn Heb “the terror of a king” (so ASV, NASB); The term “terror” is a metonymy of effect for cause: the anger of a king that causes terror among the people. The term “king” functions as a possessive genitive: “a king’s anger” (cf. NIV “A king’s wrath”; NLT “The king’s fury”).
  2. Proverbs 20:2 tn The verb מִתְעַבְּרוֹ (mitʿabbero) is problematic; in the MT the form is the Hitpael participle with a pronominal suffix, which is unusual, for the direct object of this verb usually takes a preposition first: “is angry with.” The LXX rendered it “angers [or, irritates].”
  3. Proverbs 20:2 sn The expression “sins against himself” has been taken by some to mean “forfeits his life” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “endangers his life” (cf. NCV, NLT). That may be the implication of getting oneself in trouble with an angry king (cf. TEV “making him angry is suicide”).
Listen to Proverbs 20:2, Proverbs 20:8, Proverbs 20:26, Proverbs 20:28
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Proverbs 20:2
New International Version

2 A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion;(A)
    those who anger him forfeit their lives.(B)

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Proverbs 20:8
New English Translation

8 A king sitting on the throne to judge[a]
separates out[b] all evil with his eyes.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:8 tn The infinitive construct דִּין (din, “to judge”) indicates purpose (so NIV, NCV), even though it does not have a preposition with it.
  2. Proverbs 20:8 tn The second line uses the image of winnowing (cf. NIV, NRSV) to state that the king’s judgment removes evil from the realm. The verb form is מְזָרֶה (mezareh), the Piel participle. It has been translated “to sift; to winnow; to scatter” and “to separate”—i.e., separate out evil from the land. The text is saying that a just government roots out evil (cf. NAB “dispels all evil”), but few governments have been consistently just.
  3. Proverbs 20:8 sn The phrase with his eyes indicates that the king will closely examine or look into all the cases that come before him.
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Proverbs 20:8
New International Version

8 When a king sits on his throne to judge,(A)
    he winnows out all evil with his eyes.(B)

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Proverbs 20:26
New English Translation

26 A wise king separates out[a] the wicked;
he turns the threshing wheel over them.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:26 tn Heb “winnows” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). The sage draws on the process of winnowing to explain how the king uncovers and removes wickedness. The verb from which the participle מְזָרֶה (mezareh) is derived means “to separate; to winnow; to scatter”; the implied comparison means that the king will separate good people from bad people like wheat is separated from chaff. The image of winnowing is also used in divine judgment. The second line of the verse uses a detail of the process to make the point. Driving a wheel over the wheat represents the threshing process; the sharp iron wheels of the cart would easily serve the purpose (e.g., Isa 28:27-28).
  2. Proverbs 20:26 tn The king has the wisdom/ability to destroy evil from his kingdom. See also D. W. Thomas, “Proverbs 20:26, ” JTS 15 (1964): 155-56.
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Proverbs 20:26
New International Version

26 A wise king winnows out the wicked;
    he drives the threshing wheel over them.(A)

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Proverbs 20:28
New English Translation

28 Loyal love and truth[a] preserve a king,
and his throne is upheld by loyal love.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:28 tn The first line uses two Hebrew words, חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת (khesed veʾemet, “loyal love and truth”), to tell where security lies. The first word is the covenant term for “loyal love; loving-kindness; mercy”; and the second is “truth” in the sense of what is reliable and dependable. The two words often are joined together to form a hendiadys: “faithful love.” That a hendiadys is intended here is confirmed by the fact that the second line uses only the critical word חֶסֶד.
  2. Proverbs 20:28 sn The emphasis is on the Davidic covenant (2 Sam 7:11-16; Ps 89:19-37). It is the Lord and his faithful love for his covenant that ultimately makes the empire secure. But the enjoyment of divine protection requires the king to show loyal love as well.
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Proverbs 20:28
New International Version

28 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
    through love(A) his throne is made secure.(B)

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