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21 For the upright will dwell in the land.
    The perfect will remain in it.

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21 For the upright will reside in the land,
and those with integrity[a] will remain in it,

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:21 tn Heb “the blameless” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “the honest”; NRSV “the innocent.” The term תְּמִימִים (temimim, “the blameless”) describes those who live with integrity. They are blameless in that they live above reproach according to the requirements of the law.

He who walks blamelessly walks surely,
    but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

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The one who conducts himself[a] in integrity[b] will live[c] securely,
but the one who behaves perversely[d] will be found out.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “he who walks.” The idiom is used widely in both OT and NT for conduct, behavior, or lifestyle.
  2. Proverbs 10:9 sn “Integrity” here means “blameless” in conduct. Security follows integrity, because the lifestyle is blameless. The righteous is certain of the course to be followed and does not fear retribution from man or God.
  3. Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “walks.”
  4. Proverbs 10:9 tn Heb “he who perverts his ways” (so NASB); NIV “who takes crooked paths” (NLT similar). The Piel participle מְעַקֵּשׁ (meʿaqqesh) means “make crooked; twisted; perverse.” It is stronger than simply taking crooked paths; it refers to perverting the ways. The one who is devious will not get away with it.

He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh,
    but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.

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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.

19 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
    than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

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19 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity[a]
than one who is perverse in his speech[b] and is a fool.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 19:1 sn People should follow honesty even if it leads to poverty (e.g., Prov 18:23; 19:22).
  2. Proverbs 19:1 tn Heb “lips.” The term “lips” is a metonymy for what one says with his lips. The expression “perverse in his lips” refers to speech that is morally perverted. Some medieval Hebrew mss, the Syriac, and Tg. Prov 19:1 have “his ways” rather than “his lips” (e.g., Prov 28:6); cf. NAB.
  3. Proverbs 19:1 tc The Syriac and Tg. Prov 19:1 read “rich” instead of MT “fool.” This makes tighter antithetical parallelism than MT and is followed by NAB. However, the MT makes sense as it stands; this is an example of metonymical parallelism. The MT reading is also supported by the LXX. The Hebrew construction uses וְהוּא (vehuʾ), “and he [is],” before “fool.” This may be rendered “one who is perverse while a fool” or “a fool at the same time.”

A righteous man walks in integrity.
    Blessed are his children after him.

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The righteous person[a] behaves in integrity;[b]
blessed are his children after him.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:7 sn Two terms describe the subject of this proverb: “righteous” and “integrity.” The first describes the person as a member of the covenant community who strives to live according to God’s standards; the second emphasizes that his lifestyle is blameless.
  2. Proverbs 20:7 tn Heb “walks in his integrity” (so NASB); cf. NIV “leads a blameless life.” The Hitpael participle of הָלַךְ (halakh) means “to walk about; to walk to and fro.” The idiom of walking representing living is intensified here in this stem. This verbal stem is used in scripture to describe people “walking with” God.
  3. Proverbs 20:7 sn The nature and the actions of parents have an effect on children (e.g., Exod 20:4-6); if the parents are righteous, the children will enjoy a blessing—the respect and the happiness which the parent reflects on them.

18 Whoever walks blamelessly is kept safe;
    but one with perverse ways will fall suddenly.

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18 The one who walks blamelessly will be delivered,[a]
but whoever is perverse in his ways will fall[b] at once.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:18 tn The form is the Niphal imperfect of יָשַׁע (yashaʿ, “will be saved”). In all probability this refers to deliverance from misfortune. Some render it “kept safe” (NIV) or “will be safe” (NRSV, TEV). It must be interpreted in contrast to the corrupt person who will fall.
  2. Proverbs 28:18 tn The Qal imperfect יִפּוֹל (yippol) is given a future translation in this context, as is the previous verb (“will be delivered”) because the working out of divine retribution appears to be coming suddenly in the future. The idea of “falling” could be a metonymy of adjunct (with the falling accompanying the ruin that comes to the person), or it may simply be a comparison between falling and being destroyed. Cf. NCV “will suddenly be ruined”; NLT “will be destroyed.”
  3. Proverbs 28:18 tn The last word in the verse, בְּאֶחָת (beʾekhat), means “in one [= at once (?)].” This may indicate a sudden fall, for falling “in one” (the literal meaning) makes no sense. W. McKane wishes to emend the text to read “into a pit” based on v. 10b (Proverbs [OTL], 622); this emendation is followed by NAB, NRSV.