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Proverbs 21:20
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:20
New English Translation
20 There is desirable treasure and olive oil[a] in the dwelling of the wise,
but a foolish person[b] devours all he has.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:20 tn The mention of “olive oil” (שֶׁמֶן, shemen) is problematic in the line—how can a fool devour it? Several attempts have been made to alleviate the problem. The NIV interprets “treasure” as “choice food,” so that food and oil would make more sense being swallowed. C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 406) suggests dropping “oil” altogether based on the reading in the LXX, but the Greek is too general for any support: It has “precious treasure will rest on the mouth of the sage.” W. McKane wants to change “oil” to an Arabic word “expensive” to read “desirable and rare wealth” (Proverbs [OTL], 552), but this idea does not match the metaphor any better. The figure of “devouring” in the second line simply means the fool uses up whatever he has.
- Proverbs 21:20 tn Heb “a fool of a man.”
- Proverbs 21:20 tn Heb “he swallows it.” The imagery compares swallowing food with consuming one’s substance. The fool does not prepare for the future.
Proverbs 21:20
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 21:20
Amplified Bible
20
There is precious treasure and oil in the house of the wise [who prepare for the future],
But a short-sighted and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.
Proverbs 21:22
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:22
New English Translation
22 A wise man went up against the city of the mighty
and brought down[a] the stronghold in which they trust.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:22 tn This proverb uses the perfect verb form in the first colon and the preterite form in the second colon. These are past time references. The proverb portrays something which has happened as prototypical, as in the English proverb “curiosity killed the cat.” That wisdom can prevail over brute strength or difficult odds is not an abstract concept but a proven fact.
- Proverbs 21:22 tn Heb “the strength of its confidence” or “its trusted strength.” The word “strength” may refer by metonymy to the place of strength, i.e., “the stronghold.”sn In a war the victory is credited not so much to the infantry as to the tactician who plans the attack. Brilliant strategy wins wars, even over apparently insuperable odds (e.g., Prov 24:5-6; Eccl 9:13-16; 2 Cor 10:4).
Proverbs 21:22
Amplified Bible
Proverbs 21:22
Amplified Bible
22
A wise man scales the city [walls] of the mighty
And brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
New English Translation (NET)
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