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Proverbs 3:27-32
New English Translation

Wisdom Demonstrated in Relationships with People

27 Do not withhold good from those who need it,[a]
when you[b] have the ability[c] to help.[d]
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go! Return tomorrow
and I will give it,” when you have it with you at the time.[e]
29 Do not plot[f] evil against your neighbor
when[g] he dwells by you unsuspectingly.
30 Do not accuse[h] anyone[i] without legitimate cause,[j]
if he has not treated you wrongly.
31 Do not envy a violent man,[k]
and do not choose any of his ways;
32 for one who goes astray[l] is an abomination[m] to the Lord,
but he reveals[n] his intimate counsel[o] to the upright.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:27 tn The MT has “from its possessors” and the LXX simply has “from the poor.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 77) suggests emending the text to read “neighbors” (changing בְּעָלָיו [beʿalayv] to רֵעֶיךָ, reʿekha) but that is gratuitous. The idea can be explained as being those who need to possess it, or as BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל has it with an objective genitive, “the owner of it” = the one to whom it is due.
  2. Proverbs 3:27 tc The Kethib is the dual form יָדֶיךָ (yadekha, “your hands”); the Qere is the singular יָדְךָ (yadekha, “your hand”). Normally the Qere is preferred because it represents an alternate textual tradition that the Masoretes viewed as superior to the received text.tn Heb “your hand.” The term יָדְךָ (yadekha, “your hand”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= your hand) for the whole person (= you).
  3. Proverbs 3:27 tn Heb “it is to the power of your hand.” This expression is idiomatic for “it is in your power” or “you have the ability” (Gen 31:29; Deut 28:23; Neh 5:5; Mic 2:1). The noun אֵל (ʾel) means “power” (BDB 43 s.v. 7), and יָד (yad, “hand”) is used figuratively to denote “ability” (BDB 390 s.v. 2). Several translations render this as “when it is in your power to do it” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NASB) or “when it is in your power to act” (NIV). W. McKane suggests, “when it is in your power to confer it” (Proverbs [OTL], 215).
  4. Proverbs 3:27 tn Heb “to do [it]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV).
  5. Proverbs 3:28 tn Heb “But there it is with you.” The circumstantial clause introduces a condition which true at the same time as as an earlier clause. The words “at the time” were for clarity.
  6. Proverbs 3:29 sn The verb חָרַשׁ (kharash) means “to cut in; to engrave; to plough; to devise.” The idea of plotting is metaphorical for working, practicing or fabricating (BDB 360 s.v.).
  7. Proverbs 3:29 tn Heb “And he dwells trustingly (or securely) with you.” The vav (ו) prefixed to the pronoun introduces a circumstantial clause which further defines the neighbor.
  8. Proverbs 3:30 sn The term רִיב (riv) can mean “quarrel” or “legal accusation” (BDB 936 s.v.). Both ideas would work but the more technical legal accusation fits the context better. This is a warning to not bring legal accusations against anyone without a legitimate reason.
  9. Proverbs 3:30 tn Heb “a man.”
  10. Proverbs 3:30 tn Heb “gratuitously”; NIV, TEV “for no (+ good NCV) reason.” The adverb חִנָּם (khinam) means “without cause, undeservedly,” especially of groundless hostility (HALOT 334 s.v. 3; BDB 336 s.v. c).
  11. Proverbs 3:31 tn Heb “a man of violence.” The noun חָמָס (khamas, “violence”) functions as an attributive genitive. The word itself means “violence, wrong” (HALOT 329 s.v.) and refers to physical violence, social injustice, harsh treatment, wild ruthlessness, injurious words, hatred, and general rudeness (BDB 329 s.v.).
  12. 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).
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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 3:27-32
Common English Bible

27 Don’t withhold good from someone who deserves it,
    when it is in your power to do so.
28 Don’t say to your neighbor, “Go and come back;
    I’ll give it to you tomorrow,” when you have it.
29 Don’t plan to harm your neighbor
    who trusts and lives near you.
30 Don’t accuse anyone without reason,
    when they haven’t harmed you.
31 Don’t envy violent people
    or choose any of their ways.
32 Devious people are detestable to the Lord,
    but the virtuous are his close friends.

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Proverbs 10:2
New English Translation

2 Treasures gained by wickedness[a] do not profit,
but righteousness[b] delivers from death.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:2 tn Heb “treasures of wickedness” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “Ill-gotten gains”; TEV “Wealth that you get by dishonesty.”
  2. Proverbs 10:2 sn The term “righteousness” here means honesty (cf. TEV). Wealth has limited value even if gained honestly, but honesty delivers from mortal danger.
  3. Proverbs 10:2 tn Heb “death.” This could refer to literal death, but it is probably figurative here for mortal danger or ruin.
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Proverbs 10:2
Common English Bible

2 The treasure of the wicked won’t profit them,
    but righteousness rescues people from death.

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Proverbs 11:1
New English Translation

11 The Lord abhors[a] dishonest scales,[b]
but an accurate weight[c] is his delight.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 11:1 tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) is a subjective genitive.
  2. Proverbs 11:1 tn Heb “scales of deception.” The genitive is attributive: “deceptive scales.” This refers to dishonesty in the market where silver was weighed in the scales. God condemns dishonest business practices (Deut 25:13-16; Lev 19:35-36), as did the ancient Near East (ANET 388, 423).
  3. Proverbs 11:1 tn Heb “a perfect stone.” שָׁלֵם (shalem) can mean “intact, whole, perfect.” Stones were used for measuring amounts of silver on the scales and so were critical to the integrity of economic translations. Someone might cheat by tampering with the scale or the stones. The Lord is pleased with a proper stone that has not been tampered with because it represents integrity of process in the marketplace.
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Proverbs 11:1
Common English Bible

11 The Lord detests dishonest scales,
    but delights in an accurate weight.

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Proverbs 13:3
New English Translation

3 The one who guards his words[a] guards his life;
whoever is talkative[b] will come to ruin.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “mouth” (so KJV, NAB). The term פֶּה (peh, “mouth”) functions as a metonymy of cause for speech.
  2. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “opens wide his lips.” This is an idiom meaning “to be talkative” (BDB 832 s.v. פָּשַׂק Qal). Cf. NIV “speaks rashly”; TEV “a careless talker”; CEV “talk too much.”
  3. Proverbs 13:3 tn Heb “ruin belongs to him.”sn Tight control over what one says prevents trouble (e.g., Prov 10:10; 17:28; Jas 3:1-12; Sir 28:25). Amenemope advises to “sleep a night before speaking” (5:15; ANET 422, n. 10). The old Arab proverb is appropriate: “Take heed that your tongue does not cut your throat” (O. Zockler, Proverbs, 134).
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Proverbs 13:3
Common English Bible

3 People who watch their mouths guard their lives,
    but those who open their lips are ruined.

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Proverbs 13:11
New English Translation

11 Wealth gained quickly[a] will dwindle away,[b]
but the one who gathers it little by little[c] will become rich.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 tc The MT reads מֵהֵבֶל (mehevel) “from vanity” and is followed by KJV and ASV. The word הֵבֶל (hevel) means “vapor” and figuratively refers to that which is unsubstantial, fleeting, or amounts to nothing (BDB 210 s.v.). The Greek and Latin versions, followed by RSV, reflect מְבֹהָל (mevohal, “in haste”) which exhibits metathesis. A different pointing of the MT has also been proposed: מְהֻבָּל (mehubbal) “obtained by fraud” (HALOT 236 s.v. הבל), cf. NASB, NIV, CEV. The proverb favors steady disciplined work and saving over get-rich-quick schemes, be they by fraud or by empty dreams (cf. Prov 20:21; 28:20, 22).
  2. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “will become small.” The verb מָעָט (maʿat) means “to become small; to become diminished; to become few.” Money gained without work will diminish quickly, because it was come by too easily. The verb forms a precise contrast with רָבָה (ravah), “to become much; to become many,” but in the Hiphil, “to multiply; to make much many; to cause increase.”
  3. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “by hand”; cf. KJV, ASV, NASB “by labor.”
  4. Proverbs 13:11 tn Heb “will increase.”
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Proverbs 13:11
Common English Bible

11 Riches gotten quickly[a] will dwindle,
    but those who acquire them gradually become wealthy.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 LXX; MT from meaninglessness
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Proverbs 14:2
New English Translation

2 The one who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,[a]
but the one who is perverted in his ways[b] despises him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:2 tn Heb “fear of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as an objective genitive.
  2. Proverbs 14:2 tn Heb “crooked of ways”; NRSV “devious in conduct.” This construct phrase features a genitive of specification: “crooked in reference to his ways.” The term “ways” is an idiom for moral conduct. The evidence that people fear the Lord is uprightness; the evidence of those who despise him is the devious ways.
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Proverbs 14:2
Common English Bible

2 Those who walk with integrity fear the Lord,
    but those who take a crooked path despise him.

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Proverbs 14:5
New English Translation

5 A truthful witness[a] does not lie,
but a false witness[b] breathes out lies.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:5 tn Heb “a witness of faithfulness.” The genitive functions in an attributive sense: “faithful witness” (so KJV, NRSV); TEV “reliable witness.”
  2. Proverbs 14:5 tn Heb “a witness of falsehood.” The genitive functions in an attributive sense: “false witness.”
  3. Proverbs 14:5 sn This saying addresses the problem of legal testimony: A faithful witness does not lie, but a false witness does lie—naturally. The first colon uses the verb כָּזַב (kazav, “to lie”) and the second colon uses the noun כָּזָב (kazav, “lie; falsehood”).
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Proverbs 14:5
Common English Bible

5 A truthful witness doesn’t lie,
    but a false witness spews lies.

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Proverbs 15:27
New English Translation

27 The one who is greedy for gain[a] troubles[b] his household,[c]
but whoever hates bribes[d] will live.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:27 tn Heb “the one who gains.” The phrase בּוֹצֵעַ בָּצַע (botseaʿ batsaʿ) is a participle followed by its cognate accusative. This refers to a person who is always making the big deal, getting the larger cut, or in a hurry to get rich. The verb, though, makes it clear that the gaining of a profit is by violence and usually unjust, since the root has the idea of “cut off; break off; gain by violence.” The line is contrasted with hating bribes, and so the gain in this line may be through bribery.
  2. Proverbs 15:27 sn The participle “troubles” (עֹכֵר, ʿokher) can have the connotation of making things difficult for the family, or completely ruining the family (cf. NAB). In Josh 7:1 Achan took some of the “banned things” and was put to death: Because he “troubled Israel,” the Lord would “trouble” him (take his life, Josh 7:25).
  3. Proverbs 15:27 tn Heb “his house.”
  4. Proverbs 15:27 tn Heb “gifts” (so KJV). Gifts can be harmless enough, but in a setting like this the idea is that the “gift” is in exchange for some “profit [or, gain].” Therefore they are bribes (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), and to be hated or rejected. Abram, for example, would not take anything that the king of Sodom had to offer, “lest [he] say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:22-24).
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Proverbs 15:27
Common English Bible

27 Those who acquire things unjustly gain trouble for their house,
    but those who hate bribes will live.

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Proverbs 16:6
New English Translation

6 Through loyal love and truth[a] iniquity is appeased;[b]
through fearing the Lord[c] one avoids[d] evil.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:6 sn These two words are often found together to form a nominal hendiadys: “faithful loyal love.” The couplet often characterizes the Lord, but here in parallel to the fear of the Lord it refers to the faithfulness of the believer. Such faith and faithfulness bring atonement for sin.
  2. Proverbs 16:6 tn Heb “is atoned”; KJV “is purged”; NAB “is expiated.” The verb is from I כָּפַר (kafar, “to atone; to expiate; to pacify; to appease”; HALOT 493-94 s.v. I כפר). This root should not be confused with the identically spelled Homonym II כָּפַר (kafar, “to cover over”; HALOT 494 s.v. II *כפר). Atonement in the OT expiated sins, it did not merely cover them over (cf. NLT). C. H. Toy explains the meaning by saying it affirms that the divine anger against sin is turned away and man’s relation to God is as though he had not sinned (Proverbs [ICC], 322). Genuine repentance, demonstrated by loyalty and truthfulness, appeases the anger of God against one’s sin.
  3. Proverbs 16:6 tn Heb “fear of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as an objective genitive: “fearing the Lord.”
  4. Proverbs 16:6 tn Heb “turns away from”; NASB “keeps away from.”
  5. Proverbs 16:6 sn The Hebrew word translated “evil” (רַע, raʿ) can in some contexts mean “calamity” or “disaster,” but here it seems more likely to mean “evil” in the sense of sin. Faithfulness to the Lord brings freedom from sin. The verse uses synonymous parallelism with a variant: One half speaks of atonement for sin because of the life of faith, and the other of avoidance of sin because of the fear of the Lord.
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Proverbs 16:6
Common English Bible

6 Love and faithfulness reconcile guilt;
    the fear of the Lord turns away evil.

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Proverbs 16:8
New English Translation

8 Better to have a little with righteousness[a]
than to have abundant income without justice.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:8 sn The lines contrast the modest income with the abundant income, but the real contrast is between righteousness and the lack of justice (or injustice). “Justice” is used for both legal justice and ethical conduct. It is contrasted with righteousness in 12:5 and 21:7; it describes ethical behavior in 21:3. Here the point is that unethical behavior tarnishes the great gain and will be judged by God.
  2. Proverbs 16:8 sn This is another “better” saying; between these two things, the first is better. There are other options—such as righteousness with wealth—but the proverb is not concerned with that. A similar saying appears in Amenemope 8:19-20 (ANET 422).
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Proverbs 16:8
Common English Bible

8 Better a little with righteousness
    than great profits without justice.

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Proverbs 16:11
New English Translation

11 Honest scales and balances[a] are from the Lord;
all the weights[b] in the bag are his handiwork.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:11 tn Heb “a scale and balances of justice.” This is an attributive genitive, meaning “just scales and balances.” The law required that scales and measures be accurate and fair (Lev 19:36; Deut 25:13). Shrewd dishonest people kept light and heavy weights to make unfair transactions.
  2. Proverbs 16:11 tn Heb “stones.”
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Proverbs 16:11
Common English Bible

11 Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;
    all the weights in the bag are his doing.

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Proverbs 17:2
New English Translation

2 A servant who acts wisely[a] will rule
over[b] an heir[c] who behaves shamefully,[d]
and will share the inheritance along with the relatives.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:2 sn The setting is in the ancient world where a servant rarely advanced beyond his or her station in life. But there are notable exceptions (e.g., Gen 15:3 where the possibility is mentioned, 1 Chr 2:35 where it changed through marriage, and 2 Sam 16:1-4; 19:24-30, with the story of Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth). This proverb focuses on a servant who is wise, one who uses all his abilities effectively—a Joseph figure.
  2. Proverbs 17:2 sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.
  3. Proverbs 17:2 tn Heb “son.”
  4. Proverbs 17:2 tn The form מֵבִישׁ (mevish) is a Hiphil participle, modifying בֵּן (ben). This original heir would then be one who caused shame or disgrace to the family, probably by showing a complete lack of wisdom in the choices he made.
  5. Proverbs 17:2 tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”
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Proverbs 17:2
Common English Bible

2 An insightful servant rules over a disgraceful son
    and will divide an inheritance
    with the brothers.

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