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Proverbs 3:27-28
New English Translation
Proverbs 3:27-28
New English Translation
Wisdom Demonstrated in Relationships with People
27 Do not withhold good from those who need it,[a]
when you[b] have the ability[c] to help.[d]
28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go! Return tomorrow
and I will give it,” when you have it with you at the time.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:27 tn The MT has “from its possessors” and the LXX simply has “from the poor.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 77) suggests emending the text to read “neighbors” (changing בְּעָלָיו [beʿalayv] to רֵעֶיךָ, reʿekha) but that is gratuitous. The idea can be explained as being those who need to possess it, or as BDB 127 s.v. בַּעַל has it with an objective genitive, “the owner of it” = the one to whom it is due.
- Proverbs 3:27 tc The Kethib is the dual form יָדֶיךָ (yadekha, “your hands”); the Qere is the singular יָדְךָ (yadekha, “your hand”). Normally the Qere is preferred because it represents an alternate textual tradition that the Masoretes viewed as superior to the received text.tn Heb “your hand.” The term יָדְךָ (yadekha, “your hand”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= your hand) for the whole person (= you).
- Proverbs 3:27 tn Heb “it is to the power of your hand.” This expression is idiomatic for “it is in your power” or “you have the ability” (Gen 31:29; Deut 28:23; Neh 5:5; Mic 2:1). The noun אֵל (ʾel) means “power” (BDB 43 s.v. 7), and יָד (yad, “hand”) is used figuratively to denote “ability” (BDB 390 s.v. 2). Several translations render this as “when it is in your power to do it” (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NASB) or “when it is in your power to act” (NIV). W. McKane suggests, “when it is in your power to confer it” (Proverbs [OTL], 215).
- Proverbs 3:27 tn Heb “to do [it]” (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV).
- Proverbs 3:28 tn Heb “But there it is with you.” The circumstantial clause introduces a condition which true at the same time as as an earlier clause. The words “at the time” were for clarity.
Proverbs 3:27-28
International Standard Version
Proverbs 3:27-28
International Standard Version
Wisdom in Action
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to act.
28 Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come back.
I will pay you[a] tomorrow,”
when you have cash[b] with you.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 3:28 Lit. it
- Proverbs 3:28 The Heb. lacks cash
Proverbs 11:24-26
New English Translation
Proverbs 11:24-26
New English Translation
24 One person is generous[a] and yet grows more wealthy,[b]
but another withholds more than he should[c] and comes to poverty.[d]
25 A generous person[e] will be enriched,[f]
and the one who provides water[g] for others[h] will himself be satisfied.[i]
26 People will curse[j] the one who withholds grain,[k]
but they will praise[l] the one who sells it.[m]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “There is one who scatters.” The participle מְפַזֵּר (mefazzer, “one who scatters”) refers to charity rather than farming or investments (and is thus a hypocatastasis). Cf. CEV “become rich by being generous.”
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “increases.” The verb means that he grows even more wealthy. This is a paradox: Generosity determines prosperity in God’s economy.
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “more than what is right.” This one is not giving enough, but saving for himself.
- Proverbs 11:24 tn Heb “comes to lack.” The person who withholds will come to the diminishing of his wealth. The verse uses hyperbole to teach that giving to charity does not make anyone poor, and neither does refusal to give ensure prosperity.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn Heb “the soul of blessing.” The genitive functions attributively. “Blessing” refers to a gift (Gen 33:11) or a special favor (Josh 15:19). The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) functions as a synecdoche of part (= soul) for the whole (= person); see BDB 660 s.v. 4.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn Heb “will grow fat.” Drawing on the standard comparison of fatness and abundance (Deut 32:15), the term means “become rich, prosperous.”
- Proverbs 11:25 tn The verb מַרְוֶה (marveh, “to be saturated; to drink one’s fill”) draws a comparison between providing water for others with providing for those in need (e.g., Jer 31:25; Lam 3:15). The kind act will be reciprocated.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn The phrase “for others” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the causative Hiphil verb which normally takes a direct object; it is elided in the Hebrew for the sake of emphasis. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.
- Proverbs 11:25 tn This verb also means “to pour water,” and so continues the theme of the preceding participle: The one who gives refreshment to others will be refreshed. BDB 924 s.v. רָוָה lists the form יוֹרֶא (yoreʾ) as a Hophal imperfect of רָוָה (ravah) and translates it “will himself also be watered” (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). HALOT notes that some manuscripts have יוֹרֶה (yoreh) and treats it as “an alternate form of I רָוָה” (see HALOT 436 s.v. II ירה). The editors of BHS cite the Syriac evidence and suggest the line should read “the one who curses will be cursed,” taking the verbs as forms of אָרַר (ʾarar, “to curse”).
- Proverbs 11:26 tn The direct object suffix on the verb picks up on the emphatic absolute phrase: “they will curse him—the one who withholds grain.”
- Proverbs 11:26 sn The proverb refers to a merchant who holds back his grain from the free market to raise prices when there is a great need for the produce. It is assumed that merchants are supposed to have a social conscience.
- Proverbs 11:26 tn Heb “but a blessing is for the head of the one who sells.” The parallelism with “curse” suggests that בְּרָכָה (berakhah) “blessing” means “praise.”
- Proverbs 11:26 tn Heb “for the head of the one who sells.” The term “head” functions as a synecdoche of part (= head) for the whole (= person). The head is here emphasized because it is the “crowning” point of praise. The direct object (“it”) is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
Proverbs 11:24-26
International Standard Version
Proverbs 11:24-26
International Standard Version
24 Those who give freely gain even more;
others hold back what they owe, becoming even poorer.
25 A generous person will prosper,
and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return.
26 People will curse whoever withholds grain,
but blessing will come to whoever is selling.
Proverbs 13:22
New English Translation
Proverbs 13:22
New English Translation
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for[a] his grandchildren,
but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:22 sn In ancient Israel the idea of leaving an inheritance was a sign of God’s blessing; blessings extended to the righteous and not the sinners.
- Proverbs 13:22 sn In the ultimate justice of God, the wealth of the wicked goes to the righteous after death (e.g., Ps 49:10, 17).
Proverbs 13:22
International Standard Version
Proverbs 13:22
International Standard Version
22 A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren,
but the wealth of the wicked is reserved for the righteous.
Proverbs 14:21
New English Translation
Proverbs 14:21
New English Translation
21 The one who despises his neighbor sins,
but whoever is kind to the needy is blessed.
Proverbs 14:21
International Standard Version
Proverbs 14:21
International Standard Version
21 Whoever despises his neighbor sins,
but whoever shows kindness to the poor will be happy.
Proverbs 18:16
New English Translation
Proverbs 18:16
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:16 sn The Hebrew term translated “gift” is a more general term than “bribe” (שֹׁחַד, shokhad), used in 17:8, 23. But it also has danger (e.g., 15:27; 21:14), for by giving gifts one might learn how influential they are and use them for bribes. The proverb simply states that a gift can expedite matters.
- Proverbs 18:16 sn The two verbs here show a progression, helping to form the synthetic parallelism. The gift first “makes room” (יַרְחִיב, yarkhiv) for the person, that is, extending a place for him, and then “ushers him in” (יַנְחֵנּוּ, yankhennu) among the greats.
Proverbs 18:16
International Standard Version
Proverbs 18:16
International Standard Version
16 A person’s gift opens doors for him,
bringing him access to important people.
Proverbs 19:17
New English Translation
Proverbs 19:17
New English Translation
17 The one who is gracious to[a] the poor lends to[b] the Lord,
and the Lord[c] will repay him[d] for his good deed.[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:17 sn The participle חוֹנֵן (khonen, “shows favor to”) is related to the word for “grace.” The activity here is the kind favor shown poor people for no particular reason and with no hope of repayment. It is literally an act of grace.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn The form מַלְוֵה (malveh) is the Hiphil participle from לָוָה (lavah) in construct; it means “to cause to borrow; to lend.” The expression here is “lender of the Lord.” The person who helps the poor becomes the creditor of God.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn Heb “he.” The referent of the third person masculine singular pronoun is “the Lord” in the preceding line, which has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
- Proverbs 19:17 sn The promise of reward does not necessarily mean that the person who gives to the poor will get money back; the rewards in the book of Proverbs involve life and prosperity in general.
- Proverbs 19:17 tn Heb “and his good deed will repay him.” The word גְּמֻלוֹ (gemulo) could be (1) the subject or (2) part of a double accusative of the verb. Understanding it as part of the double accusative makes better sense, for then the subject of the verb is God. How “his deed” could repay him is not immediately obvious.
Proverbs 19:17
International Standard Version
Proverbs 19:17
International Standard Version
17 Whoever is kind to the poor is lending to the Lord—
the benefit of his gift will return to him in abundance.
Proverbs 21:13
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:13
New English Translation
13 The one who shuts his ears[a] to the cry[b] of the poor,
he too will cry out and will not be answered.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:13 sn The imagery means “pay no attention to” the cry for help or “refuse to help,” so it is a metonymy of cause for the effect.
- Proverbs 21:13 sn “Cry” here would be a metonymy of effect for the cause, the cause being the great needs of the poor.
- Proverbs 21:13 sn The proverb is teaching that those who show mercy will receive mercy. It involves the principle of talionic justice—those who refuse the needs of others will themselves be refused when they need help (so Luke 16:19-31).
Proverbs 21:13
International Standard Version
Proverbs 21:13
International Standard Version
13 Whoever refuses to hear the cry of the poor
will also cry himself, but he won’t be answered.
Proverbs 22:9
New English Translation
Proverbs 22:9
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:9 tn Heb “good of eye.” This expression is an attributive genitive meaning “bountiful of eye” (cf. KJV, ASV “He that hath a bountiful eye”). This is the opposite of the “evil eye” which is covetous and wicked. The “eye” is a metonymy representing looking well to people’s needs. So this refers to the generous person (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
- Proverbs 22:9 tn The form יְבֹרָךְ (yevorakh) is a Pual imperfect (here in pause) from בָּרַךְ (barakh); the word means “blessed” in the sense of “enriched,” implying there is a practical reward for being generous to the poor.
- Proverbs 22:9 sn It is from his own food that he gives to the poor. Of the many observations that could be made, it is worth noting that in blessing this kind of person God is in fact providing for the poor, because out of his blessing he will surely continue to share more. Also, the blessing is not for those who take the resources of others and redistribute that to the poor.
Proverbs 22:9
International Standard Version
Proverbs 22:9
International Standard Version
9 Whoever is generous[a] will be blessed,
for he shares his food with the poor.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 22:9 Lit. A good eye
Proverbs 25:14
New English Translation
Proverbs 25:14
New English Translation
14 Like cloudy skies and wind that produce no rain,[a]
so is the one who boasts[b] of a gift not given.[c]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 25:14 sn The emblem now is one of clouds and winds that would be expected to produce rain; they gain attention and raise people’s expectations but prove to be disappointing when no rain is forthcoming, and hence could be thought of as deceitful.
- Proverbs 25:14 tn The form מִתְהַלֵּל (mithallel) is the Hitpael participle of the well-known word for “praise,” but in this stem it means “to praise oneself” or “to boast.” The description of “windbag” seems appropriate in this context.
- Proverbs 25:14 tn Heb “a gift of falsehood.” This would mean that the individual brags about giving a gift, when there is no gift.
Proverbs 25:14
International Standard Version
Proverbs 25:14
International Standard Version
14 Like clouds and winds without rain
is the man who brags
about gifts he never gave.
Proverbs 28:27
New English Translation
Proverbs 28:27
New English Translation
27 The one who gives to the poor will not lack,[a]
but whoever shuts his eyes to them[b] will receive[c] many curses.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:27 sn The generous individual will be rewarded. He will not lack nor miss what he has given away to the poor.
- Proverbs 28:27 tn Heb “hides his eyes”; “to them” is supplied in the translation to indicate the link with the poor in the preceding line. Hiding or closing the eyes is a metonymy of cause or of adjunct, indicating a decision not to look on and thereby help the poor. It could also be taken as an implied comparison, i.e., not helping the poor is like closing the eyes to them.
- Proverbs 28:27 tn The term “receives” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied, and is supplied in the translation.
- Proverbs 28:27 sn The text does not specify the nature or the source of the curses. It is natural to think that they would be given by the poor who are being mistreated and ignored. Far from being praised for their contributions to society, selfish, stingy people will be reviled for their heartless indifference.
Proverbs 28:27
International Standard Version
Proverbs 28:27
International Standard Version
27 Whoever gives to the poor will never lack,
but whoever shuts his eyes to their poverty[a] will be cursed.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:27 The Heb. lacks to their poverty
New English Translation (NET)
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