31 (A)Do not envy (B)a man of violence
    and do not choose any of his ways,

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31 Do not envy a violent man,[a]
and do not choose any of his ways;

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Footnotes

  1. 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.).

30 A tranquil[a] heart gives (A)life to the flesh,
    but (B)envy[b] makes (C)the bones rot.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:30 Or healing
  2. Proverbs 14:30 Or jealousy

30 A tranquil spirit[a] revives the body,[b]
but envy[c] is rottenness to the bones.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:30 tn Heb “heart of calmness” or “heart of healing.” The term לֵב (lev, “heart, mind”) is a metonymy for the emotional state of a person (BDB 660 s.v. 6). The genitive noun מַרְפֵּא (marpeʾ) functions as an attributive adjective and may be one of two homonyms. 1 מַרְפֵּא (“healing”) derives from the root רָפָא (raphaʾ, “to heal”) and 2 מַרְפֵּא (“calmness, gentleness”) derives from the root רָפָה (raphah, “to be slack, loose”). A healthy spirit is tranquil, bringing peace to the body (J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 158).
  2. Proverbs 14:30 tn Heb “is the life of the flesh” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NIV “gives life to the body.”
  3. Proverbs 14:30 tn The term קִנְאָה (qinʾah, “envy”) refers to passionate zeal or “jealousy” (so NAB, NCV, TEV, NLT), depending on whether the object is out of bounds or within one’s rights. In the good sense one might be consumed with zeal to defend the institutions of the sanctuary. But as envy or jealousy the word describes an intense and sometimes violent excitement and desire that is never satisfied.
  4. Proverbs 14:30 tn Heb “rottenness of bones.” The term “bones” may be a synecdoche representing the entire body; it is in contrast with “flesh” of the first colon. One who is consumed with envy finds no tranquility or general sense of health in body or spirit.

17 Let not your heart (A)envy sinners,
    but continue in (B)the fear of the Lord all the day.

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17 Do not let your heart envy[a] sinners,
but rather be zealous in fearing the Lord[b] all the time.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 23:17 tn The verb in this line is אַל־יְקַנֵּא (ʾal yeqanneʾ), the Piel jussive negated. The verb means “to be jealous, to be zealous”; it describes passionate intensity for something. In English, if the object is illegitimate, it is called “envy”; if it is correct, it is called “zeal.” Here the warning is not to envy the sinners. The second colon could use the verb in the positive sense to mean “but rather let your passion burn for the fear of the Lord.”
  2. Proverbs 23:17 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” This expression features an objective genitive: “fearing the Lord.”

24 Be not (A)envious of evil men,
    nor desire to be (B)with them,
for their hearts (C)devise violence,
    and their lips (D)talk of trouble.

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24 Do not envy evil people,[a]
do not desire[b] to be with them;
for their hearts contemplate violence,
and their lips speak harm.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:1 tn Heb “evil men,” although the context indicates a generic sense.
  2. Proverbs 24:1 tn The Hitpael jussive is from the verb that means “to crave; to desire.” This is more of a coveting, an intense desire.
  3. Proverbs 24:2 sn This nineteenth saying warns against evil associations. Evil people are obsessed with destruction and trouble. See on this theme 1:10-19; 3:31 and 23:17. D. Kidner observes that a close view of sinners is often a good antidote to envying them (Proverbs [TOTC], 153).

19 (A)Fret not yourself because of evildoers,
    and be not (B)envious of the wicked,
20 for the evil man has no (C)future;
    (D)the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

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19 Do not fret because of evil people
or be envious of wicked people,
20 for the evil person has no future,[a]
and the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
  2. Proverbs 24:20 sn The saying warns against envying the wicked; v. 19 provides the instruction, and v. 20 the motivation. The motivation is that there is no future hope for them—nothing to envy, or as C. H. Toy explains, there will be no good outcome for their lives (Proverbs [ICC], 449). They will die suddenly, as the implied comparison with the lamp being snuffed out signifies.