translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PRO

label: NET study note

text: The drinks are wine and barley beer (e.g., Lev 10:9 ; Deut 14:26 ; Isa 28:7 ). These terms here could be understood as personifications, but better as metonymies for those who drink wine and beer. The inebriated person mocks and brawls.


text: The proverb does not prohibit the use of wine or beer; in fact, strong drink was used at festivals and celebrations. But intoxication was considered out of bounds for a member of the covenant community (e.g., 23:20-21, 29-35; 31:4-7 ). To be led astray by their use is not wise.


text: The expression “sins against himself” has been taken by some to mean “forfeits his life” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV) or “endangers his life” (cf. NCV, NLT). That may be the implication of getting oneself in trouble with an angry king (cf. TEV “making him angry is suicide”).


text: The act of plowing is put for the whole process of planting a crop.


text: The noun means “advice, counsel”; it can have the connotation of planning or making decisions. Those with understanding can sort out plans.


text: The motives or plans of a person are “difficult to fathom”; it takes someone with understanding to discover and surface them (the verb in the last colon continues the figure with the sense of bringing the plans to the surface and sorting them out).


text: The point of the rhetorical question is that a truly faithful friend is very difficult to find.


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: The phrase with his eyes indicates that the king will closely examine or look into all the cases that come before him.


text: The verse is a rhetorical question; it is affirming that no one can say this because no one is pure and free of sin.


text: The Hebrew verb translated “I am pure” ( טָהֵר , taher ) is a Levitical term. To claim this purity would be to claim that moral and cultic perfection had been attained and therefore one was acceptable to God in the present condition. Of course, no one can claim this; even if one thought it true, it is impossible to know all that is in the heart as God knows it.


text: In the first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs the Hebrew term נַעַר ( na ’ ar ) referred to an adolescent, a young person whose character was being formed in his early life.


text: The Hebrew verb נָכַר ( nakhar ) means “to recognize” more than simply “to know.” Certain character traits can be recognized in a child by what he does (cf. NCV “by their behavior”).


text: Character is demonstrated by actions at any age. But the emphasis of the book of Proverbs would also be that if the young child begins to show such actions, then the parents must try to foster and cultivate them; if not, they must try to develop them through teaching and discipline.


text: The first half of the verse refers to two basic senses that the Lord has given to people. C. H. Toy, however, thinks that they represent all the faculties ( Proverbs [ICC], 388). But in the book of Proverbs seeing and hearing come to the fore. By usage “hearing” also means obeying ( 15:31; 25:12 ), and “seeing” also means perceiving and understanding ( Isa 6:9-10 ).


text: The verse not only credits God with making these faculties of hearing and sight and giving them to people, but it also emphasizes their spiritual use in God’s service.


text: 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.”


text: This proverb reflects standard procedure in the business world. When negotiating the transaction the buyer complains how bad the deal is for him, or how worthless the prospective purchase, but then later brags about what a good deal he got. The proverb will alert the inexperienced as to how things are done.


text: Taking a garment was the way of holding someone responsible to pay debts. In fact, the garment was the article normally taken for security ( Exod 22:24-26 ; Deut 24:10-13 ). Because this is a high risk security pledge (e.g., 6:1-5 ), the creditor is to deal more severely than when the pledge is given by the debtor for himself.


text: The image of food and eating is carried throughout the proverb. Food taken by fraud seems sweet at first, but afterward it is not. To end up with a mouth full of gravel (a mass of small particles; e.g., Job 20:14-15 ; Lam 3:16 ) implies by comparison that what has been taken by fraud will be worthless and useless and certainly in the way (like food turning into sand and dirt).


text: There have been attempts by various commentators to take “war” figuratively to mean life’s struggles, litigation, or evil inclinations. But there is no need and little justification for such interpretations. The proverb simply describes the necessity of taking counsel before going to war.


text: The word describes a slanderer (NASB), a tale-bearer (KJV, ASV), or an informer. BDB 940 s.v. רָכִיל says the Hebrew expression “goers of slander” means slanderous persons. However, W. McKane observes that these people are not necessarily malicious – they just talk too much ( Proverbs [OTL], 537).


text: To “wait” ( קַוֵּה , qavveh ) on the Lord requires faith in him, reliance on divine justice, and patience. It means that the wrongs done to a person will have to be endured for a time.


text: It would be a “snare” because it would lead people into financial difficulties; talks about foolish or rash vows.


text: The expression translated “the human spirit” is the Hebrew term נִשְׁמַת ( nishmat ), a feminine noun in construct. This is the inner spiritual part of human life that was breathed in at creation ( Gen 2:7 ) and that constitutes humans as spiritual beings with moral, intellectual, and spiritual capacities.


text: The emphasis is on the Davidic covenant ( 2 Sam 7:11-16 ; Ps 89:19-37 ). It is the Lord and his faithful love for his covenant that ultimately makes the empire secure. But the enjoyment of divine protection requires the king to show loyal love as well.


text: “Grey hair” is a metonymy of adjunct; it represents everything valuable about old age – dignity, wisdom, honor, experience, as well as worry and suffering of life. At the very least, since they survived, they must know something. At the most, they were the sages and elders of the people.


text: Physical punishment may prove spiritually valuable. Other proverbs say that some people will never learn from this kind of punishment, but in general this may be the only thing that works for some cases.