Proverbs 20:25
English Standard Version
25 It is a snare to say rashly, “It is holy,”
and to reflect only (A)after making vows.
Proverbs 20:25
New English Translation
25 It is a snare[a] for a person[b] to rashly cry,[c] “Holy!”
and only afterward to consider[d] what he has vowed.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:25 sn It would be a “snare” because it would lead people into financial difficulties; Leviticus 27 talks about foolish or rash vows.
- Proverbs 20:25 tn Heb “a man.”
- Proverbs 20:25 tn The verb is from לוּע (luʿ) or לָעַע (laʿaʿ); it means “to talk wildly” (not to be confused with the homonym “to swallow”). It occurs here and in Job 6:3. sn This refers to speaking rashly in dedicating something to the sanctuary by calling it “Holy.”
- Proverbs 20:25 tn Heb “reflect on.” The person is to consider the vows before making them, to ensure that they can be fulfilled. Too many people make their vow or promise without thinking, and then later worry about how they will fulfill their vows.
- Proverbs 20:25 tn Heb “the vows” (so NASB); CEV “promises.”
Proverbs 25:8
English Standard Version
8 (A)do not hastily bring into court,[a]
for[b] what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:8 Or presence of a noble, as your eyes have seen. 8Do not go hastily out to court
- Proverbs 25:8 Hebrew or else
Proverbs 25:8
New English Translation
8 Do not go out hastily to litigation,[a]
or[b] what will you do afterward
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:8 tn Heb “do not go out hastily to strive”; the verb “to strive” means dispute in the legal context. The last clause of v. 7, “what your eyes have seen,” does fit very well with the initial clause of v. 8. It would then say: What you see, do not take hastily to court, but if the case was not valid, he would end up in disgrace.sn The Hebrew verb רִיב (riv) is often used in legal contexts; here the warning is not to go to court hastily lest it turn out badly.
- Proverbs 25:8 tn The clause begins with פֶּן (pen, “lest”) which seems a bit out of place in this line. C. H. Toy suggests changing it to כִּי (ki, “for”) to make a better connection, instead of supplying an ellipsis: “lest it be said what…” (Proverbs [ICC], 461).
Proverbs 29:20
English Standard Version
20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
(A)There is more hope for a fool than for him.
Proverbs 29:20
New English Translation
20 You have seen[a] someone[b] who is hasty in his words[c]—
there is more hope for a fool than for him.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:20 tn Most translations render the verse as a present tense question (“Do you see?” so KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV). But the Hebrew has a perfect verb form (חָזִיתָ; khazita) without an interrogative marker. Hebrew proverbs can use the past tense to set the topic or opening premise of a proverb, and then comment on it in the second half of the proverb. English translators of proverbial sayings tend to want to make the past time verbs in Hebrew into present tense in English. But this convention is difficult with second person verb forms, so the translations tend to take the tactic of changing the nature of the sentence to interrogative or conditional. The verb חָזָה (khazah) means “to look at, watch,” but is rendered to match the English lead-in expression “you’ve seen X….”
- Proverbs 29:20 tn The Hebrew term אִישׁ (ʾish) is commonly translated “a man,” but can in fact refer to a man or a woman. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males.
- Proverbs 29:20 sn The focus of this proverb is on someone who is hasty in his words. This is the person who does not stop to think, but acts on the spur of the moment. To speak before thinking is foolishness.
- Proverbs 29:20 sn Rash speech cannot easily be remedied. The prospects for a fool are better (e.g., Prov 26:12).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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