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Proverbs 14:8
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 14:8
Lexham English Bible
8 The wisdom of the clever is understanding his ways,
but the folly of fools is deceit.
Proverbs 14:8
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:8
New English Translation
8 The wisdom of the shrewd person[a] is to discern[b] his way,
but the folly of fools is deception.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:8 tn Or “the prudent [person]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV).
- Proverbs 14:8 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct denotes purpose. Those who are shrewd will use it to give careful consideration to all their ways.
- Proverbs 14:8 tn The word means “deception,” but some suggest “self-deception” here (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 466; and D. W. Thomas, “Textual and Philological Notes on Some Passages in the Book of Proverbs,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 286); cf. NLT “fools deceive themselves.” The parallelism would favor this, but there is little support for it. The word usually means “craft practiced on others.” If the line is saying the fool is deceitful, there is only a loose antithesis between the cola.
Proverbs 14:15
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 14:15
Lexham English Bible
15 The simple will believe every word,
but the clever will consider his step.
Proverbs 14:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:15
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:15 sn The contrast is with the simpleton and the shrewd. The simpleton is the young person who is untrained morally or intellectually, and therefore gullible. The shrewd one is the prudent person, the one who has the ability to make critical discriminations.
- Proverbs 14:15 tn Heb “his step”; cf. TEV “sensible people watch their step.”
Proverbs 14:18
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 14:18
Lexham English Bible
18 The simple are adorned with folly,
but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
Proverbs 14:18
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:18
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:18 tc G. R. Driver proposed reading the verb as “are adorned” from a supposed verb חָלָה (khalah) derived from the noun חֲלִי (khali, “ornament”) (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 181). A similar reading is followed by a number of English versions (e.g., NAB, NRSV, NLT).tn Or “have taken possession of.” The verb נָחֲלוּ (nakhalu) is a Qal perfect form of נָחַל (nakhal) “to inherit, to take possession, to maintain as a possession.” The tense of the translation depends on whether the verb is stative or dynamic. Morphologically it is ambiguous. Based on its lexical meaning, it appears to be a dynamic verb, though it does not occur enough times in the Qal to be certain based on its usage. (All other perfect forms are past and all its imperfect forms could be future. However, Ps 82:8 and Prov 3:35; 11:29; 28:10 could be cases of the present and these all use the imperfect, as dynamic verbs can for present tense.) As a dynamic verb, its perfect form should be understood as past time or perfective. As such the antithetic parallelism of the verse contrasts the verb tenses as well as the subjects and results. The naive have gotten folly and continue in it (unless they change). But the prudent are in a process of putting on knowledge in which they will be crowned with it. If the root is stative it could be understood as present, “The naive inherit folly.”
- Proverbs 14:18 tn Or “prudent” (KJV, NASB, NIV); NRSV, TEV “clever.”
- Proverbs 14:18 tn The meaning of יַכְתִּרוּ (yaktiru, Hiphil imperfect of כָּתַר, katar) is elusive. The noun from the same root, כֶּתֶר (keter), refers to a headdress, e.g. a turban or crown in Esther 1:11. The verbal root relates to surrounding. So the picture of wrapping on a turban, or “crowning” oneself, may be correct. However it may mean “to encompass knowledge,” i.e., possess it (parallel to the verb “inherit”).
Proverbs 15:5
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 15:5
Lexham English Bible
5 A fool will despise the instruction of his father,
but he who guards reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:5
New English Translation
Proverbs 15:5
New English Translation
5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline,
but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:5 tn Heb “is prudent” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NCV, NLT “is wise.” Anyone who accepts correction or rebuke will become prudent in life.
Proverbs 22:3
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 22:3
Lexham English Bible
3 The clever sees danger and hides,
but the simple go on and suffer.
Proverbs 22:3
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:3
New English Translation
3 A shrewd person[a] saw[b] danger[c] and hid[d] himself,
but the naive passed on by and paid for it.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:3 sn The contrast is between the “shrewd” (prudent) person and the “simpleton.” The shrewd person knows where the dangers and pitfalls are in life and so can avoid them; the naive person is unwary, untrained, and gullible, unable to survive the dangers of the world and blundering into them.
- Proverbs 22:3 tn All the verbs in this verse are perfect forms, so past tense in English. They portray events that have happened as prototypical of what commonly happens.
- Proverbs 22:3 tn Heb “evil,” a term that is broad enough to include (1) “sin” as well as (2) any form of “danger” (NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or “trouble” (TEV, CEV). The second option is more likely what is meant here: The naive simpleton does not see the danger to be avoided and so suffers for it.
- Proverbs 22:3 tc The Kethib is a Niphal imperfect, while the Qere is a Niphal perfect. The perfect form matches the rest of the verbs in the verse and is followed here.
- Proverbs 22:3 tn The verb עָנַשׁ (ʿanash) means “to fine” specifically. In the Niphal stem it means “to be fined,” or more generally, “to be punished.” In this line the punishment is the consequence of blundering into trouble—they will pay for it.
Proverbs 27:12
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 27:12
Lexham English Bible
12 When the clever sees danger, he hides;
the simple go on and suffer.
Proverbs 27:12
New English Translation
Proverbs 27:12
New English Translation
12 A shrewd person saw[a] danger—he hid himself;
the naive[b] passed right on by[c]—they had to pay[d] for it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 27:12 tn All of the verbs in this verse are Hebrew perfect forms that should be understood as past tense. The proverb presents its message as events which have occurred and are prototypical of the behavior of the shrewd and the inexperienced.
- Proverbs 27:12 tn This noun is plural, while the earlier substantival adjective “shrewd” is singular. The contrast may suggest that the naive are in a group, each one doing what the others do, while insightful person had to go against the flow. That is, the naive go along with the bandwagon; but the shrewd person thinks for his/herself and makes good decisions accordingly.
- Proverbs 27:12 tn Heb “passed by”; the word “right” is supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning: The naive person, oblivious to impending danger, meets it head on.
- Proverbs 27:12 tn The Qal of the verb עָנָשׁ (ʿanash) means to impose a fine; here in the Niphal it means to have a fine imposed, or to have to pay for something. By extension it means to suffer a penalty. The English idiom “to pay for” meaning “to suffer the consequences” conveys the idea while preserving the lexical base in Hebrew. Cf. NIV, ESV “suffer for it,” NASB, TNIV “pay the penalty,” KJV, Holman “are punished.”
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