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Proverbs 2:21
Legacy Standard Bible

21 For (A)the upright will dwell in the land
And (B)the blameless will remain in it;

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Proverbs 2:21
New English Translation

21 For the upright will reside in the land,
and those with integrity[a] will remain in it,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:21 tn Heb “the blameless” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “the honest”; NRSV “the innocent.” The term תְּמִימִים (temimim, “the blameless”) describes those who live with integrity. They are blameless in that they live above reproach according to the requirements of the law.
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Proverbs 1
Proverbs 3
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Proverbs 3:32
Legacy Standard Bible

32 For the (A)devious one is an abomination to Yahweh;
But His (B)secret council is with the upright.

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Proverbs 3:32
New English Translation

32 for one who goes astray[a] is an abomination[b] to the Lord,
but he reveals[c] his intimate counsel[d] to the upright.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:32 tn The basic meaning of the verb לוּז (luz) is “to turn aside; to depart” (BDB 531 s.v.). The Niphal stem is always used figuratively of moral apostasy from the path of righteousness: (1) “to go astray” (Prov 2:15; 3:32; 14:2) and (2) “crookedness” in action (Isa 30:12; see HALOT 522 s.v. לוז nif; BDB 531 s.v. Niph).
  2. Proverbs 3:32 tn Heb “abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as a genitive of respect: “abomination to the Lord.” It is loathsome or detestable to him. Things that are repugnant to the Lord are usually the most heinous of crimes and gross violations of rituals.
  3. Proverbs 3:32 tn Heb “but with the upright is his intimate counsel.” The phrase “he reveals” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and clarity.
  4. Proverbs 3:32 tn Heb “his counsel.” The noun סוֹד (sod) can refer to (1) “intimate circle” of friends and confidants, (2) “confidential discussion” among friends and confidants, or “secret counsel” revealed from one confidant to another and kept secret and (3) relationship of “intimacy” with a person (BDB 691 s.v.; HALOT 745 s.v.). God reveals his secret counsel to the heavenly assembly (Job 15:8; Jer 23:18, 22) and his prophets (Amos 3:7). God has brought the angels into his “intimate circle” (Ps 89:8). Likewise, those who fear the Lord enjoy an intimate relationship with him (Job 29:4; Ps 25:14; Prov 3:32). The perverse are repugnant to the Lord, but he takes the upright into his confidence and brings him into his intimate circle.
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Proverbs 2
Proverbs 4
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Proverbs 11:3
Legacy Standard Bible

3 The (A)integrity of the upright will lead them,
But the (B)crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them.

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Proverbs 11:3
New English Translation

3 The integrity of the upright guides them,[a]
but the crookedness of the treacherous[b] destroys them.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:3 sn This contrasts two lifestyles, affirming the value of integrity. The upright live with integrity—blamelessness—and that integrity leads them in success and happiness. Those who use treachery will be destroyed by it.
  2. Proverbs 11:3 tn The verb בָּגַד (bagad) means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.”
  3. Proverbs 11:3 tc The form is a Kethib/Qere reading. The Qere, יְשָׁדֵּם (yeshoddem), is a Qal imperfect of שָׁדַד (shadad, “to devastate”) and is supported by the versions. The syntactically difficult Kethib, וְשַׁדָּם (veshaddam), is a Qal perfect consecutive prefixed with the conjunction vav.
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Proverbs 10
Proverbs 12
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Proverbs 11:6
Legacy Standard Bible

6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,
But the treacherous will (A)be captured by their own desire.

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Proverbs 11:6
New English Translation

6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them,[a]
but the treacherous will be ensnared[b] by their own desires.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:6 sn The contrast is between being rescued or delivered (נָצַל, natsal) and being captured (לָכַד, lakhad). Righteousness is freeing; [evil] desires are enslaving.
  2. Proverbs 11:6 tn The verb לָכַד (lakhad) means “to capture, trap, overpower.” Here it is passive; cf. NIV, TEV “are trapped,” NASB, NKJV “caught,” ESV, NRSV “taken captive.”
  3. Proverbs 11:6 tc The Hebrew text has the singular construct form וּבְהַוַּת (uvehavvat) which may be from I הַוָּה (havvah, “desire of”) or II הַוָּה (havvah, “disaster of, destruction of”). The line would read “but in the desire of…” (cf. NLT “the ambition of… entraps them”) or “but in the disaster of the treacherous they will be caught.” The BHS editors propose repointing the word to the plural absolute form וּבְהַוֹּת (uvehavvot) resulting in “the treacherous will be ensnared in [their] desires” or “the treacherous will be caught in disasters.” The LXX has a singular form, but it does not represent a Hebrew construct form and not necessarily the same word as the MT: “ungodliness will fall into [the hands of] unrighteousness” or “encounters injustice.”
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Proverbs 10
Proverbs 12
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Proverbs 11:11
Legacy Standard Bible

11 By the blessing of the upright a city is raised up,
But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

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Proverbs 11:11
New English Translation

11 A city is exalted by the blessing provided from[a] the upright,
but it is destroyed by the counsel[b] of the wicked.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:11 tn Heb “the blessing of the upright.” This expression features either an objective or subjective genitive. It may refer to the blessing God gives the upright (which will benefit society) or the blessing that the upright are to the city. The latter fits the parallelism best: The blessings are the beneficent words and deeds that the righteous perform.
  2. Proverbs 11:11 tn Heb “mouth.” The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for counsel, as the parallelism suggests.
  3. Proverbs 11:11 sn What the wicked say has a disastrous effect on society, endangering, weakening, demoralizing, and perverting with malicious and slanderous words. Wicked leaders, in particular, can bring destruction on a city by their evil counsel.
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Proverbs 10
Proverbs 12
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Proverbs 14:9
Legacy Standard Bible

9 Ignorant fools scoff at guilt,
But (A)among the upright there is favor.

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Proverbs 14:9
New English Translation

9 Fools mock[a] at reparation,[b]
but among the upright there is favor.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
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Proverbs 13
Proverbs 15
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Proverbs 14:11
Legacy Standard Bible

11 The (A)house of the wicked will be destroyed,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

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Proverbs 14:11
New English Translation

11 The household[a] of the wicked will be destroyed,
but the tent[b] of the upright will flourish.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:11 tn Heb “house.” The term “house” is a metonymy of subject, referring to their contents: families and family life. sn Personal integrity ensures domestic stability and prosperity, while lack of such integrity (= wickedness) will lead to the opposite.
  2. Proverbs 14:11 tn The term “tent” is a metonymy here referring to the contents of the tent: families.
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Proverbs 13
Proverbs 15
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Proverbs 15:8
Legacy Standard Bible

8 The (A)sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh,
But (B)the prayer of the upright is His delight.

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Proverbs 15:8
New English Translation

8 The Lord abhors[a] the sacrifice of the wicked,[b]
but the prayer[c] of the upright pleases him.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:8 tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as a subjective genitive: “the Lord abhors.” Cf. NIV “the Lord detests”; NCV, NLT “the Lord hates”; CEV “the Lord is disgusted.”
  2. Proverbs 15:8 sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God.
  3. Proverbs 15:8 sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162).
  4. Proverbs 15:8 tn Heb “[is] his pleasure.” The third person masculine singular suffix functions as a subjective genitive: “he is pleased.” God is pleased with the prayers of the upright.
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Proverbs 14
Proverbs 16
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Proverbs 15:19
Legacy Standard Bible

19 The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.

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Proverbs 15:19
New English Translation

19 The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,[a]
but the path of the upright is like[b] a highway.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:19 tn Heb “like an overgrowth”; NRSV “overgrown with thorns”; cf. CEV “like walking in a thorn patch.” The point of the simile is that the path of life taken by the lazy person has many obstacles that are painful—it is like trying to break through a hedge of thorns. The LXX has “strewn with thorns.”
  2. Proverbs 15:19 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
  3. Proverbs 15:19 sn The contrast to the “thorny way” is the highway, the Hebrew word signifying a well built-up road (סָלַל, salal, “to heap up”). The upright have no reason to swerve, duck, or detour, but may expect “clear sailing.” Prov 28:19 pairs similar concepts while Prov 6:10 and 10:26 speak of the hardships associated with laziness.
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Proverbs 14
Proverbs 16
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Proverbs 16:17
Legacy Standard Bible

17 The (A)highway of the upright is to turn away from evil;
He who guards his way keeps his [a]soul.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:17 Or life
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Proverbs 16:17
New English Translation

17 The highway[a] of the upright is to turn away[b] from evil;
the one who guards[c] his way safeguards his life.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:17 sn The point of righteous living is made with the image of a highway, a raised and well-graded road (a hypocatastasis, implying a comparison between a highway and the right way of living).
  2. Proverbs 16:17 tn The form סוּר (sur) is a Qal infinitive; it indicates that a purpose of the righteous life is to turn away from evil. “Evil” here has the sense of sinful living. So the first line asserts that the well-cared-for life avoids sin.
  3. Proverbs 16:17 sn The second half of the verse uses two different words for “guard”; this one is נֹצֵר (notser) “the one who guards his way,” and the first is שֹׁמֵר (shomer) “the one who guards his life” (the order of the words is reversed in the translation). The second colon then explains further the first (synthetic parallelism), because to guard one’s way preserves life.
  4. Proverbs 16:17 tc The LXX adds three lines after 17a and one after 17b: “The paths of life turn aside from evils, and the ways of righteousness are length of life; he who receives instruction will be prosperous, and he who regards reproofs will be made wise; he who guards his ways preserves his soul, and he who loves his life will spare his mouth.”
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Proverbs 15
Proverbs 17
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Proverbs 21:18
Legacy Standard Bible

18 The wicked is a (A)ransom for the righteous,
And the (B)treacherous is in the place of the upright.

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. 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.
  2. Proverbs 21:18 tn The verb בָּגַד (bagad), here a participle, means “to act treacherously, with duplicity, or to betray.”
  3. 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.
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Proverbs 20
Proverbs 22
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Proverbs 21:29
Legacy Standard Bible

29 A wicked man [a](A)displays a brazen face,
But as for the (B)upright, he establishes his way.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 Lit makes firm with his face
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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:29 tn Heb “a wicked man.”
  2. 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.
  3. Proverbs 21:29 tn The “upright” is an independent nominative absolute; the pronoun becomes the formal (emphatic) subject of the verb.
  4. 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.
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Proverbs 20
Proverbs 22
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