Proverbs 3:31
New English Translation
31 Do not envy a violent man,[a]
and do not choose any of his ways;
Footnotes
- 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.).
Proverbs 3:31
World English Bible
31 Don’t envy the man of violence.
Choose none of his ways.
Proverbs 14:30
New English Translation
Footnotes
- 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).
- Proverbs 14:30 tn Heb “is the life of the flesh” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NIV “gives life to the body.”
- 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.
- 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.
Proverbs 14:30
World English Bible
30 The life of the body is a heart at peace,
but envy rots the bones.
Proverbs 23:17
New English Translation
Footnotes
- 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.”
- Proverbs 23:17 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” This expression features an objective genitive: “fearing the Lord.”
Proverbs 23:17
World English Bible
17 Don’t let your heart envy sinners,
but rather fear Yahweh all day long.
Proverbs 24:1-2
New English Translation
24 Do not envy evil people,[a]
do not desire[b] to be with them;
2 for their hearts contemplate violence,
and their lips speak harm.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:1 tn Heb “evil men,” although the context indicates a generic sense.
- 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.
- 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).
Proverbs 24:1-2
World English Bible
24 Don’t be envious of evil men,
neither desire to be with them;
2 for their hearts plot violence
and their lips talk about mischief.
Proverbs 24:19-20
New English Translation
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]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:20 tn Heb “there is no end [i.e., future] for the evil.”
- 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.
Proverbs 24:19-20
World English Bible
19 Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers,
neither be envious of the wicked;
20 for there will be no reward to the evil man.
The lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
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