Font Size
Proverbs 17:2
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 17:2
Lexham English Bible
2 A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
and in the midst of brothers he will share his inheritance.
Proverbs 17:2
New English Translation
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]
Footnotes
- 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.
- Proverbs 17:2 sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.
- Proverbs 17:2 tn Heb “son.”
- 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.
- Proverbs 17:2 tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”
Proverbs 18:9
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 18:9
Lexham English Bible
9 Even he who is slack in his work,
he is brother to a master[a] of destruction.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:9 Or “owner”
Proverbs 18:9
New English Translation
Proverbs 18:9
New English Translation
Read full chapter
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “Also, the one who.” Many commentators and a number of English versions omit the word “also.”
- Proverbs 18:9 tn The form מִתְרַפֶּה (mitrappeh) is the Hitpael participle, “showing oneself slack.” The verb means “to sink; to relax,” and in the causative stem “to let drop” the hands. This is the lazy person who does not even try to work.
- Proverbs 18:9 sn These two troubling types, the slacker and the destroyer, are closely related.
- Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “possessor of destruction.” This idiom means “destroyer” (so ASV); KJV “a great waster”; NRSV “a vandal.”
Proverbs 19:15
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 19:15
Lexham English Bible
15 Laziness will bring on a deep sleep,
and a person[a] of idleness will suffer hunger.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:15 Or “soul,” or “life”
Proverbs 19:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:15
New English Translation
Read full chapter
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:15 tn Heb “causes to fall” or “casts”; NAB “plunges…into.”
- Proverbs 19:15 tn Or “complete inactivity”; the word תַּרְדֵּמָה (tardemah) can refer to a physical “deep sleep” (e.g., Gen 2:21; Jonah 1:5, 6), but it can also be used figuratively for complete inactivity, as other words for “sleep” can. Here it refers to lethargy or debility and morbidness.
- Proverbs 19:15 tn The expression וְנֶפֶשׁ רְמִיָּה (venefesh remiyyah) can be translated “the soul of deceit” or “the soul of slackness.” There are two identical feminine nouns, one from the verb “beguile,” and the other from a cognate Arabic root “grow loose.” The second is more likely here in view of the parallelism (cf. NIV “a shiftless man”; NAB “the sluggard”). One who is slack, that is, idle, will go hungry.
- Proverbs 19:15 sn The two lines are related in a metonymical sense: “deep sleep” is the cause of going hungry, and “going hungry” is the effect of deep sleep.
Proverbs 19:24
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 19:24
Lexham English Bible
24 A lazy person buries his hand in the dish,
and even to his mouth he will not bring it back.
Proverbs 19:24
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:24
New English Translation
24 The sluggard has plunged[a] his hand into the dish,
and he will not even bring it back to his mouth![b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:24 tn Heb The verb תָּמַן (taman) means “to bury” (so many English versions) or “to hide” (so KJV). As the perfect form of a dynamic verb it should be understood as past or perfective. The proverb presents a scene where the sluggard has not just reached to the food in the dish but buried his hand in it. The second comment reveals that this is not a frozen frame, but a continuing scene revealing the extent of his laziness.
- Proverbs 19:24 sn This humorous portrayal is an exaggeration, but the point is that laziness opposes common sense and can thwart basic needs. It would have a wider application for anyone who would start a project and then lack the interest or energy to finish it (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 111). Ibn Ezra proposes that the dish was empty, because the sluggard was too lazy to provide for himself.
Proverbs 20:4
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 20:4
Lexham English Bible
4 The lazy person will not plow in season;
he will expect at the harvest, but there will be nothing.
Proverbs 20:4
New English Translation
Proverbs 20:4
New English Translation
4 The sluggard will not plow[a] during the planting season,[b]
so at harvest time he asks[c] for grain[d] but has nothing.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:4 sn The act of plowing is put for the whole process of planting a crop.
- Proverbs 20:4 tn Heb “from winter.” The preposition מִן (min) may designate the starting point “from winter [onward]” or the cause “due to” (so ASV “by reason of the winter”). The noun “winter” refers to the time for sowing seed and having the early growth of crops. The right time for planting was after the autumn harvest and the rainy season of autumn and winter began.
- Proverbs 20:4 tc The Kethib reads a Qal imperfect, while the Qere reads a vav plus Qal perfect consecutive. Both forms would be future; the Qere more overtly states this as a consequence.tn The basic meaning of the Qal verb שָׁאַל (shaʾal) is “to ask;” by extension it sometimes means “to wish for; to desire; to borrow” and perhaps “to beg.” The Piel can mean “to beg” and does not require emending the consonantal text. Because he did not plant, or did not do it at the right time, he is reduced to begging and will have nothing (cf. KJV, ASV; NASB “he begs during the harvest”).
- Proverbs 20:4 tn The phrase “for grain” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
Proverbs 20:13
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 20:13
Lexham English Bible
13 Do not love sleep, lest you become poor;
open your eyes and have plenty bread.
Proverbs 20:13
New English Translation
Proverbs 20:13
New English Translation
13 Do not love sleep,[a] lest you become impoverished;
open your eyes so that[b] you might be satisfied with food.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:13 sn The proverb uses antithetical parallelism to teach that diligence leads to prosperity. It contrasts loving sleep with opening the eyes, and poverty with satisfaction. Just as “sleep” can be used for slothfulness or laziness, so opening the eyes can represent vigorous, active conduct. The idioms have caught on in modern usage as well—things like “open your eyes” or “asleep on the job.”
- Proverbs 20:13 tn The second line uses two imperatives in a sequence (without the vav [ו]): “open your eyes” and then (or, in order that) you will “be satisfied.”
- Proverbs 20:13 tn Heb “bread” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV), although the term often serves in a generic sense for food in general.
Proverbs 21:5
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 21:5
Lexham English Bible
5 The plans of the diligent only lead to abundance,
but all who are hasty, only to want.
Proverbs 21:5
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:5
New English Translation
5 The plans of the diligent[a] lead[b] only to plenty,[c]
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:5 tn The word “diligent” is an adjective used substantivally. The related verb means “to cut, sharpen, decide”; so the adjective describes one who is “sharp”—one who acts decisively. The word “hasty” has the idea of being pressed or pressured into quick actions. So the text contrasts calculated expeditiousness with unproductive haste. C. H. Toy does not like this contrast, and so proposes changing the latter to “lazy” (Proverbs [ICC], 399), but W. McKane rightly criticizes that as unnecessarily forming a pedestrian antithesis (Proverbs [OTL], 550).
- Proverbs 21:5 tn The term “lead” is supplied in the translation.
- Proverbs 21:5 tn The Hebrew noun translated “plenty” comes from the verb יָתַר (yatar), which means “to remain over.” So the calculated diligence will lead to abundance, prosperity.
- Proverbs 21:5 tn Heb “lack; need; thing needed”; NRSV “to want.”
Proverbs 21:17
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 21:17
Lexham English Bible
17 A man of want is he who loves pleasure;
he who loves wine and oil[a] will not become rich.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:17 Or “fat”
Proverbs 21:17
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:17
New English Translation
17 The one who loves[a] pleasure[b] will be[c] a poor person;[d]
whoever loves wine and anointing oil[e] will not be rich.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:17 sn The participle “loves” (אֹהֵב, ʾohev) indicates in this context that more is involved than the enjoyment of pleasure, for which there is no problem. The proverb is looking at “love” in the sense of needing and choosing, an excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in pleasure.
- Proverbs 21:17 sn “Pleasure” is actually the Hebrew word “joy” (שִׂמְחָה, simkhah). It is a metonymy of effect, the cause being the good life that brings the joy. In the second colon, “wine” and “oil” would be metonymies of cause, the particular things in life that bring joy. Therefore the figures in the lines work together to give the complete picture.
- Proverbs 21:17 tn The phrase “will be” is supplied in the translation.
- Proverbs 21:17 tn Heb “a man of poverty”; NRSV “will suffer want.”
- Proverbs 21:17 sn In elaborate feasts and celebrations the wine was for drinking but the oil was for anointing (cf. NAB, NCV “perfume”). Both of these characterize the luxurious life (e.g., Pss 23:5; 104:15; Amos 6:6).
Proverbs 21:25-26
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 21:25-26
Lexham English Bible
25 The craving of a lazy person will kill him,
for his hands refuse to work.[a]
26 All day[b] he craves a craving,
but the righteous will give and not hold back.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:25 Or “make”
- Proverbs 21:26 Literally “All the day”
Proverbs 21:25-26
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:25-26
New English Translation
25 What the sluggard desires[a] will kill him,[b]
for his hands[c] have refused to work.
26 All day long he has craved greedily,[d]
but the righteous person gives and does not hold back.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:25 tn Heb “the desire of the sluggard” (so ASV, NASB). This phrase features a subject genitive: “what the sluggard desires.” The term תַּאֲוַת (taʾavat, “desire; craving”) is a metonymy of cause. The craving itself will not destroy the sluggard, but what will destroy him is what the craving causes him to do or not to do. The lazy come to ruin because they desire the easy way out.
- Proverbs 21:25 tn The verb תְּמִיתֶנּוּ (temitennu) is the Hiphil imperfect with a suffix: “will kill him.” It is probably used hyperbolically here for coming to ruin (cf. NLT), although it could include physical death.
- Proverbs 21:25 sn “Hands” is figurative for the whole person, but “hands” is retained in the translation because it is often the symbol to express one’s ability of action.
- Proverbs 21:26 tn The construction uses the Hitpael perfect tense הִתְאַוָּה (hitʾavvah) followed by the cognate accusative תַאֲוָה (taʾavah). While the Piel verb means “to desire, wish for,” the reflexive meaning of the Hitpael appears to mean to encourage or build one’s desire. An English idiom might be to fan the flames of desire. It is not inherently immoral (the king will build desire for his bride in Ps 45:11) but often more often refers to a greedy craving or lust. This verse has been placed with the preceding because of the lexical connection with “desire/craving.”
- Proverbs 21:26 sn The additional clause, “and does not hold back,” emphasizes that when the righteous gives he gives freely, without fearing that his generosity will bring him to poverty. This is the contrast with the one who is self-indulgent and craves for more.
Proverbs 22:13
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 22:13
Lexham English Bible
13 A lazy person says “A lion in the street!
In the middle of the highway, I shall be killed!”
Proverbs 22:13
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:13
New English Translation
13 The sluggard has said,[a] “There is a lion[b] outside!
I will be killed in the middle of the streets!”[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:13 tn The verb אָמַר (ʾamar) can mean “to say” or “to think.” The proverb uses the Hebrew perfect form of the verb for the past tense, giving the reason the sluggard is still in the house rather than out working. It is an example of the sorts of excuses he has made.
- Proverbs 22:13 sn The proverb humorously describes the sluggard as making ridiculous excuses for not working—he might be eaten by a lion (e.g., 26:13). It is possible that “lion” is figurative, intended to represent someone who is like a lion, but this detracts from the humor of the exaggeration.
- Proverbs 22:13 tc The LXX changes the phrase to read “murderers in the street” to form a better parallelism, possibly because the verb רָצַח (ratsakh) is used only of humans, not wild animals. The NIV attempts to solve the problem by making the second line a separate claim by the sluggard: “or, ‘I will be murdered in the streets!’”
Proverbs 22:29
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 22:29
Lexham English Bible
29 A man who is skillful in his work, you shall see:
before kings, he will serve;
he will not serve before the commoners.
Proverbs 22:29
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:29
New English Translation
29 You have seen[a] a person skilled[b] in his work—
he will take his position before kings;
he will not take his position[c] before obscure people.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:29 tn Most translations render the verse as a question (“do you see…?”, so NIV, NASB, RSV, ESV) or as a condition (“if you…, so CEV), but the Hebrew has a perfect verb form (חָזִיתָ, khazita) without an interrogative or conditional marker. Hebrew proverbs can use the past tense to set the topic or opening premise of a proverb (to present a case, e.g. “take this situation where X occurred”), and then comment on it in the second half of the proverb. English translators of proverbial sayings tend to want to make the past time verbs in Hebrew into present tense in English. But this convention is difficult with second person verb forms, so the translations tend to take the tactic of changing the nature of the sentence to interrogative or conditional.
- Proverbs 22:29 sn The word translated “skilled” is general enough to apply to any craft, but it may refer to a scribe or an official (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 134).
- Proverbs 22:29 tn The verb form used twice here is יִתְיַצֵּב (yityatsev), the Hitpael imperfect of יָצַב (yatsav), which means “to set or station oneself; to take one’s stand” in this stem. With the form לִפְנֵי (lifne) it means “to present oneself before” someone; so here it has the idea of serving as a courtier in the presence of a king.
- Proverbs 22:29 sn The fifth saying affirms that true skill earns recognition and advancement (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 30, 27:16-17 [ANET 424]).
Proverbs 24:10
Lexham English Bible
Proverbs 24:10
Lexham English Bible
10 If you faint on the day of adversity,
little is your strength.
Proverbs 24:10
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:10
New English Translation
Read full chapter
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:10 tn The verb הִתְרַפִּיתָ (hitrappita) is a Hitpael perfect form of רָפָה (rafah). Most translations render the verse as a conditional statement (“if you…”) though the Hebrew lacks the term “if.” Hebrew proverbs can use the past tense to set the topic or opening premise of a proverb, and then comment on it in the second half of the proverb. English translators of proverbial sayings tend to want to make the Hebrew past time verbs into present tense in English. But this convention is difficult with second person verb forms, so the translations tend to change the sentence into an interrogative or conditional formula. The direct address in the Hebrew is more confrontational. In the Qal, the verb רָפָה (rafah) means “to become slack, limp, to wither.” In the Hitpael it means “to slack off,” “be lax,” possibly “to discourage oneself.” It has also been rendered as “give up” (NCV, CEV); “fail” (NLT); “falter” (NIV), “faint” (ASV, ESV).
- Proverbs 24:10 tn The verse employs a paronomasia to underscore the point: “trouble” is צָרָה (tsarah), literally “a bind; a strait [or, narrow] place”; “small” is צַר (tsar), with the same idea of “narrow” or “close.”
- Proverbs 24:10 sn The test of strength is adversity, for it reveals how strong a person is. Of course a weak person can always plead adverse conditions in order to quit. This is the twenty-fourth saying.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software
New English Translation (NET)
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.