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Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Proverbs 2:6-8, Proverbs 3:3-4, Proverbs 3:11, Proverbs 5:21, Proverbs 6:16-19, Proverbs 15:3, Proverbs 15:11, Proverbs 15:29, Proverbs 16:1-2, Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 16:11, Proverbs 16:33
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Proverbs 2:6-8
Christian Standard Bible

6 For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.(A)
7 He stores up success[a] for the upright;
He is a shield for those who live with integrity(B)
8 so that he may guard the paths of justice
and protect the way of his faithful followers.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 2:7 Or resourcefulness
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Proverbs 2:6-8
New English Translation

6 For[a] the Lord gives[b] wisdom,
and from his mouth[c] comes[d] knowledge and understanding.
7 He stores up[e] effective counsel[f] for the upright,[g]
and is like[h] a shield[i] for those who live[j] with integrity,[k]
8 to guard[l] the paths of the righteous[m]
and to protect[n] the way of his pious ones.[o]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 2:6 tn This is a causal clause. The reason one must fear and know the Lord is that he is the source of true, effectual wisdom.
  2. Proverbs 2:6 tn The verb is an imperfect tense which probably functions as a habitual imperfect describing a universal truth in the past, present and future.
  3. Proverbs 2:6 sn This expression is an anthropomorphism; it indicates that the Lord is the immediate source or author of the wisdom. It is worth noting that in the incarnation many of these “anthropomorphisms” become literal in the person of the Logos, the Word, Jesus, who reveals the Father.
  4. Proverbs 2:6 tn The verb “comes” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
  5. Proverbs 2:7 tc The form is a Kethib/Qere reading, reflecting confusion between י (yod) and ו (vav). The Kethib וְצָפַן (vetsafan; Qal perfect with vav consecutive) is supported by the Syriac (but not by the LXX, contra the notes in BHS). The Qere יִצְפֹּן (yitspon; Qal imperfect) is supported by the LXX, the Aramaic Targum of Prov 2:7 (the Aramaic translations of the Hebrew scriptures were called Targums), and Latin Vulgate. Internal evidence favors the imperfect. As in v. 6a, this Qal imperfect functions as a habitual imperfect, or general present.sn The verbal root צָפַן (tsafan, “to store up; to treasure up”) is repeated in 2:1 and 2:7. In 2:1 it is the responsibility of man to “store up” wisdom, but in 2:7 it is God who “stores up” wisdom for the wise person who seeks him.
  6. Proverbs 2:7 tn The noun תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyyah) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “sound wisdom” (so KJV, NRSV); “effective counsel” and (2) result (metonymy of effect): “abiding success” (BDB 444 s.v.; W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 388; cf. NIV “victory”). It refers to competent wisdom and its resultant ability to achieve moral success (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 80).
  7. Proverbs 2:7 sn The Hebrew word translated “upright” (יָשָׁר, yashar) is one of the terms used for the righteous. It points to the right conduct of the believer—that which is right or pleasing in the eyes of God. It stresses that the life of the individual is upright, straightforward, and just. It is paralleled with “those who walk in integrity.”
  8. Proverbs 2:7 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  9. Proverbs 2:7 tn The word can be taken as in apposition explaining the subject of the first colon—the Lord is a shield, the Lord stores up. The word then is a metaphor for the protection afforded by the Lord.
  10. Proverbs 2:7 tn Heb “walk.” The verb “to walk” (הָלַךְ, halakh) is an idiom (based upon hypocatastasis: implied comparison) for habitual manner of life (BDB 234 s.v. 3.e).
  11. Proverbs 2:7 tn Heb “those who walk of integrity.” The noun תֹם (tom, “integrity”) functions as a genitive of manner.
  12. Proverbs 2:8 tn The infinitive construct לִנְצֹר (lintsor, “to guard”) designates the purpose of the Lord giving “effective counsel” and being a “shield” to the upright. The verb נָצַר (natsar, “to guard”) has a broad range of meanings: (1) to watch over, guard or protect a vineyard from theft (Prov 27:18); (2) to guard one’s lips or heart from evil (Prov 4:23; 13:3); (3) to protect a person from moral or physical danger (Prov 2:8, 11; 4:6; 13:6; 20:28; 22:12; 24:12) and (4) to guard with fidelity = to observe commands, law or covenant (Prov 3:1, 21; 4:13; 5:2; 6:20; 28:7; see BDB 665-66 s.v.). Here God guards the way of the just, that is, the course and conduct of life from the influence of evil.
  13. Proverbs 2:8 tn Heb “paths of righteousness.” The word “righteousness” is a possessive genitive, signifying the ways that the righteous take.
  14. Proverbs 2:8 tn The imperfect tense verb יִשְׁמֹר (yishmor, “to protect”) continues the syntactical nuance of the preceding infinitive construct of purpose.
  15. Proverbs 2:8 tc The Kethib is the singular noun with third person masculine singular suffix חֲסִידוֹ (khasido) “his pious one.” The Qere reads the plural noun with third person masculine singular suffix חֲסִידָיו (khasidayv) “his pious ones.” The LXX εὐλαβουμένων αὐτόν (eulaboumenōn auton) supports the Qere reading.tn The noun חֶסֶד (khesed, “the pious”) describes those who show “covenantal faithful love” or “loyal love” to God and his people. The description of the righteous by this term indicates their active participation in the covenant, for which God has promised his protection.
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Proverbs 3:3-4
Christian Standard Bible

3 Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.
Tie them around your neck;
write them on the tablet of your heart.(A)
4 Then you will find favor and high regard
with God and people.(B)

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Proverbs 3:3-4
New English Translation

3 Do not let mercy and truth[a] leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.[b]
4 Then you will find[c] favor and good understanding,[d]
in the sight of God and people.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:3 tn The term חֶסֶד (khesed) can mean “mercy, loyal love, covenant love.” The two words חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת (khesed veʾemet, “mercy and truth”) are used together over two dozen times. Sometimes they are treated in parallel clauses and sometimes they are paired in a hendiadys, to be understood as “faithful mercy.” Here they are pictured as concrete objects to tie around one’s neck, so at that level they are distinct even though they complement each other.
  2. Proverbs 3:3 sn The picture of tying mercy and truth on the neck (also at 6:21) is similar to tying God’s commands on the hand or letting them be frontlets for the eyes (Deut 6:8; 11:18). To live by these characteristics is compared to wearing them like clothes, to have these qualities adorn the “wearer.” The picture of writing them on the heart emphasizes the inward appropriation of the teachings as a complement to their outward manifestation.
  3. Proverbs 3:4 tn The form וּמְצָא (umetsaʾ, “find”) is the imperative but it functions as a purpose/result statement. Following a string of imperatives (v. 3), the imperative with a prefixed vav introduces a volitive sequence expressing purpose or result (v. 4).
  4. Proverbs 3:4 tn The noun שֵׂכֶל (sekhel, “understanding”) does not seem to parallel חֵן (khen, “favor”). The LXX attaches the first two words to v. 3 and renders v. 4: “and devise excellent things in the sight of the Lord and of men.” Tg. Prov 3:4 and Syriac Peshitta list all three words separately: “favor and good and understanding.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 59) suggests emending the MT’s שֵׂכֶל־טוֹב (sekhel tov, “good understanding”) to שֵׁם־טוֹב (shem tov, “a good name”). It is also possible to take the two words as a hendiadys: the favor of good understanding, meaning, a reputation for good understanding.
  5. Proverbs 3:4 tn Heb “man.”
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Proverbs 3:11
Christian Standard Bible

11 Do not despise the Lord’s instruction, my son,
and do not loathe his discipline;(A)

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Proverbs 3:11
New English Translation

11 My child, do not despise discipline from the Lord,[a]
and do not loathe[b] his rebuke.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 3:11 tn Heb “the discipline of the Lord.” Or “instruction,” see the note at 1:2.
  2. Proverbs 3:11 tn The verb קוּץ (quts) has a two-fold range of meaning: (1) “to feel a loathing; to abhor” and (2) “to feel a sickening dread” (BDB 880 s.v.). The parallelism with “do not despise” suggests the former nuance here. The common response to suffering is to loathe it; however, the righteous understand that it refines one’s moral character and that it is a means to the blessing.
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Proverbs 5:21
Christian Standard Bible

21 For a man’s ways are before the Lord’s eyes,(A)
and he considers all his paths.(B)

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Proverbs 5:21
New English Translation

21 For the ways of a person[a] are in front of the Lord’s eyes,
and the Lord[b] weighs[c] all that person’s[d] paths.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “man.”
  2. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Proverbs 5:21 tn BDB 814 s.v. פָּלַס 2 suggests that the participle מְפַּלֵּס (mepalles) means “to make level [or, straight].” As one’s ways are in front of the eyes of the Lord, they become straight or right. It could be translated “weighs” since it is a denominative from the noun for “balance, scale”; the Lord weighs or examines the actions.
  4. Proverbs 5:21 tn Heb “all his”; the referent (the person mentioned in the first half of the verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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Proverbs 6:16-19
Christian Standard Bible

What the Lord Hates

16 The Lord hates six things;
in fact, seven are detestable to him:
17 arrogant eyes,(A) a lying tongue,(B)
hands that shed innocent blood,(C)
18 a heart that plots wicked schemes,(D)
feet eager to run to evil,(E)
19 a lying witness who gives false testimony,(F)
and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.(G)

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Proverbs 6:16-19
New English Translation

16 There are six things that the Lord hates,
even[a] seven[b] things that are an abomination to him:[c]
17 haughty eyes,[d] a lying tongue,[e]
and hands that shed innocent blood,[f]
18 a heart that devises wicked plans,[g]
feet that are swift to run[h] to evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,[i]
and a person who spreads discord[j] among family members.[k]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:16 tn The conjunction has the explicative use here (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 71, §434).
  2. Proverbs 6:16 sn This saying involves a numerical ladder, paralleling six things with seven things (e.g., also 30:15, 18, 21, 24, 29). The point of such a numerical arrangement is that the number does not exhaust the list (W. M. Roth, “The Numerical Sequence x / x +1 in the Old Testament,” VT 12 [1962]: 300-311; and his “Numerical Sayings in the Old Testament,” VT 13 [1965]: 86).
  3. Proverbs 6:16 tn Heb “his soul.”
  4. Proverbs 6:17 sn The expression “high/ lofty [רָמוֹת, ramot] eyes” refers to a proud look suggesting arrogant ambition (cf. NCV “a proud look”). The use of “eyes” is a metonymy of adjunct, the look in the eyes accompanying the attitude. This term “high” is used in Num 15:30 for the sin of the “high hand,” i.e., willful rebellion or defiant sin. The usage of “haughty eyes” may be illustrated by its use with the pompous Assyrian invader (Isa 10:12-14) and the proud king of the book of Daniel (11:12). God does not tolerate anyone who thinks so highly of himself and who has such ambition.
  5. Proverbs 6:17 tn Heb “a tongue of deception.” The genitive noun functions attributively. The term “tongue” functions as a metonymy. The term is used of false prophets who deceive (Jer 14:14), and of a deceiver who betrays (Ps 109:2). The Lord hates deceptive speech because it is destructive (26:28).
  6. Proverbs 6:17 sn The hands are the instruments of murder (metonymy of cause), and God hates bloodshed. Gen 9:6 prohibited shedding blood because people are the image of God. Even David being a man of blood (in war mostly) was not permitted to build the Temple (1 Chr 22:8). But shedding innocent blood was a greater crime—it usually went with positions of power, such as King Manasseh filling the streets with blood (2 Kgs 21:16), or princes doing it for gain (Ezek 22:27).
  7. Proverbs 6:18 tn Heb “heart that devises plans of wickedness.” The latter term is an attributive genitive. The heart (metonymy of subject) represents the will; here it plots evil schemes. The heart is capable of evil schemes (Gen 6:5); the heart that does this is deceitful (Prov 12:20; 14:22).
  8. Proverbs 6:18 tc The MT reads “make haste to run,” that is, be eager to seize the opportunity. The LXX omits “run,” that is, feet hastening to do evil. It must have appeared to the LXX translator that the verb was unnecessary; only one verb occurs in the other cola.sn The word “feet” is here a synecdoche, a part for the whole. Being the instruments of movement, they represent the swift and eager actions of the whole person to do some harm.
  9. Proverbs 6:19 sn The Lord hates perjury and a lying witness (e.g., Ps 40:4; Amos 2:4; Mic 1:4). This is a direct violation of the law (Exod 20).
  10. Proverbs 6:19 sn Dissension is attributed in Proverbs to contentious people (21:9; 26:21; 25:24) who have a short fuse (15:8).
  11. Proverbs 6:19 tn Heb “brothers,” although not limited to male siblings only. Cf. NRSV, CEV “in a family”; TEV “among friends.”sn These seven things the Lord hates. To discover what the Lord desires, one need only list the opposites: humility, truthful speech, preservation of life, pure thoughts, eagerness to do good, honest witnesses, and peaceful harmony. In the NT the Beatitudes present the positive opposites (Matt 5). It has seven blessed things to match these seven hated things; moreover, the first contrasts with the first here (“poor in spirit” of 5:5 with “haughty eyes”), and the seventh (“peacemakers” of 5:7) contrasts with the seventh here (“sows dissension”).
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Proverbs 15:3
Christian Standard Bible

3 The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
observing the wicked and the good.(A)

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Proverbs 15:3
New English Translation

3 The eyes of the Lord[a] are in every place,
keeping watch on[b] those who are evil and those who are good.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:3 sn The proverb uses anthropomorphic language to describe God’s exacting and evaluating knowledge of all people.
  2. Proverbs 15:3 tn The form צֹפוֹת (tsofot, “watching”) is a feminine plural participle agreeing with “eyes.” God’s watching eyes comfort good people but convict evil.
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Proverbs 16
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Proverbs 15:11
Christian Standard Bible

11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord(A)—
how much more, human hearts.(B)

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Proverbs 15:11
New English Translation

11 Death and Destruction[a] are before the Lord—
how much more[b] the hearts of humans![c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:11 tn Heb “Sheol and Abaddon” (שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדּוֹן (sheʾol vaʾavaddon); so ASV, NASB, NRSV; cf. KJV “Hell and destruction”; NAB “the nether world and the abyss.” These terms represent the remote underworld and all the mighty powers that reside there (e.g., Prov 27:20; Job 26:6; Ps 139:8; Amos 9:2; Rev 9:11). The Lord knows everything about this remote region.
  2. Proverbs 15:11 tn The construction אַף כִּי (ʾaf ki, “how much more!”) introduces an argument from the lesser to the greater: If all this is open before the Lord, how much more so human hearts. “Hearts” here is a metonymy of subject, meaning the motives and thoughts (cf. NCV “the thoughts of the living”).
  3. Proverbs 15:11 tn Heb “the hearts of the sons of man,” although here “sons of man” simply means “men” or “human beings.”
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Proverbs 15:29
Christian Standard Bible

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,(A)
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.(B)

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Proverbs 15:29
New English Translation

29 The Lord is far[a] from the wicked,
but he hears[b] the prayer of the righteous.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:29 sn To say that the Lord is “far” from the wicked is to say that he has made himself unavailable to their appeal—he does not answer them. This motif is used by David throughout Ps 22 for the problem of unanswered prayer—“Why are you far off?”
  2. Proverbs 15:29 sn The verb “hear” (שָׁמַע, shamaʿ) has more of the sense of “respond to” in this context. If one “listens to the voice of the Lord,” for example, it means that he obeys the Lord. If one wishes God to “hear his prayer,” it means he wishes God to answer it.
  3. Proverbs 15:29 sn God’s response to prayer is determined by the righteousness of the one who prays. A prayer of repentance by the wicked is an exception, for by it they would become the righteous (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 316).
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Proverbs 16
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Proverbs 16:1-2
Christian Standard Bible

16 The reflections of the heart belong to mankind,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.(A)

2 All a person’s ways seem right to him,
but the Lord weighs motives.[a](B)

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  1. 16:2 Lit spirits
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Proverbs 16:1-2
New English Translation

16 The intentions of the heart[a] belong to a man,
but the answer of the tongue[b] comes from[c] the Lord.[d]
2 All a person’s ways[e] seem right[f] in his own opinion,[g]
but the Lord evaluates[h] the motives.[i]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:1 tn Heb “plans of the heart” (so ASV, NASB, NIV). The phrase מַעַרְכֵי־לֵב (maʿarekhe lev) means “the arrangements of the mind.” sn Humans may set things in order, plan out what they are going to say, but God sovereignly enables them to put their thoughts into words.
  2. Proverbs 16:1 tn Here “the tongue” is a metonymy of cause in which the instrument of speech is put for what is said: the answer expressed.
  3. Proverbs 16:1 sn The contrasting prepositions enhance the contrasting ideas—the ideas belong to people, but the words come from the Lord.
  4. Proverbs 16:1 sn There are two ways this statement can be taken: (1) what one intends to say and what one actually says are the same, or (2) what one actually says differs from what the person intended to say. The second view fits the contrast better. The proverb then is giving a glimpse of how God even confounds the wise. When someone is trying to speak [“answer” in the book seems to refer to a verbal answer] before others, the Lord directs the words according to his sovereign will.
  5. Proverbs 16:2 tn Heb “ways of a man.”
  6. Proverbs 16:2 sn The Hebrew term translated “right” (זַךְ, zakh) means “pure, clear, clean” (cf. KJV, NASB “clean;” NIV “innocent;” ESV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV “pure.” It is used in the Bible for pure (uncontaminated) oils or undiluted liquids. Here it means uncontaminated actions and motives. It address how people naively conclude or rationalize that their actions are fine.
  7. Proverbs 16:2 tn Heb “in his eyes.” Physical sight is used figuratively for insight, or one’s intellectual point of view.
  8. Proverbs 16:2 tn The figure (a hypocatastasis) of “weighing” signifies “evaluation” (e.g., Exod 5:8; 1 Sam 2:3; 16:7; Prov 21:2; 24:12). There may be an allusion to the Egyptian belief of weighing the heart after death to determine righteousness. But in Hebrew thought it is an ongoing evaluation as well, not merely an evaluation after death.
  9. Proverbs 16:2 tn Heb “spirits” (so KJV, ASV). This is a metonymy for the motives, the intentions of the heart (e.g., 21:2 and 24:2). sn Humans deceive themselves rather easily and so appear righteous in their own eyes, but the proverb says that God evaluates motives and so he alone can determine if the person’s ways are innocent.
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Proverbs 16:9
Christian Standard Bible

9 A person’s heart plans his way,
but the Lord determines his steps.(A)

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Proverbs 16:9
New English Translation

9 A person[a] plans his course,[b]
but the Lord directs[c] his steps.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:9 tn Heb “the mind of a man.” The term לֵב (lev, “mind, heart”) represents the person in this case (a synecdoche of a part for the whole) but highlights that faculty most relevant to the verb for planning.
  2. Proverbs 16:9 tn Heb “his way” (so KJV, NASB).
  3. Proverbs 16:9 tn The verb כּוּן (kun, “to establish; to confirm”) with צַעַד (tsaʿad, “step”) means “to direct” (e.g., Ps 119:133; Jer 10:23). This contrasts what people plan and what actually happens—God determines the latter.
  4. Proverbs 16:9 sn “Steps” is an implied comparison, along with “way,” to indicate the events of the plan as they work out.
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Proverbs 16:11
Christian Standard Bible

11 Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his concern.(A)

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Proverbs 16:11
New English Translation

11 Honest scales and balances[a] are from the Lord;
all the weights[b] in the bag are his handiwork.

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  1. Proverbs 16:11 tn Heb “a scale and balances of justice.” This is an attributive genitive, meaning “just scales and balances.” The law required that scales and measures be accurate and fair (Lev 19:36; Deut 25:13). Shrewd dishonest people kept light and heavy weights to make unfair transactions.
  2. Proverbs 16:11 tn Heb “stones.”
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Proverbs 16:33
Christian Standard Bible

33 The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the Lord.(A)

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Proverbs 16:33
New English Translation

33 The dice are thrown into the lap,[a]
but their every decision[b] is from the Lord.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:33 tn Heb “the lot is cast.” Because the ancient practice of “casting lots” is unfamiliar to many modern readers, the imagery has been updated to “throwing dice.”sn The proverb concerns the practice of seeking divine leading through casting lots. For a similar lesson, see Amenemope (18, 19:16-17, in ANET 423).
  2. Proverbs 16:33 tn Heb “all its decision.”
  3. Proverbs 16:33 sn The point concerns seeking God’s will through the practice. The Lord gives guidance in decisions that are submitted to him.
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