translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PRO

label: NET translator note

text: The phrase “a dry piece of bread” is like bread without butter, a morsel of bread not dipped in vinegar mix (e.g., Ruth 2:14 ). It represents here a simple, humble meal.


text: Heb “and quietness in it”; the construction functions as a circumstantial clause: “in which there is quietness” or “with quietness.” sn The Hebrew word means “quietness” or “ease.” It represents a place where there can be carefree ease because of the sense of peace and security. The Greek rendering suggests that those translators read it as “peace.” Even if the fare is poor, this kind of setting is to be preferred.


text: The house is described as being full of “sacrifices of strife” ( זִבְחֵי־רִיב , zivkhi-riv ). The use of “sacrifices” suggests a connection with the temple (as in 7:14 ) in which the people may have made their sacrifices and had a large amount meat left over. It is also possible that the reference is simply to a sumptuous meal ( Deut 12:15 ; Isa 34:6 ; Ezek 39:17 ). It would be rare for Israelites to eat meat apart from festivals, however. In the construction the genitive could be classified as a genitive of effect, the feast in general “bringing about strife,” or it could simply be an attributive genitive, “a feast characterized by strife.” Abundance often brings deterioration of moral and ethical standards as well as an increase in envy and strife.


text: Heb “son.”


text: The form מֵבִישׁ ( mevish ) is a Hiphil participle, modifying בֵן ( 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.


text: Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”


text: The term “refining” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.


text: Heb “and.” Most English versions treat this as an adversative (“but”).


text: The Hiphil participle מֵרַע ( mera ’) indicates one who is a doer of evil. The line affirms that a person of this nature will eagerly listen to evil talk – it is part of his nature.


text: Heb “to the lip of evil”; ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV “wicked lips.” The term “lip” is a metonymy of cause for speech (what is said); the term “evil” is an attributive genitive. The same will be true in the parallel line where the expression “to the tongue of destruction” (NASB “a destructive tongue”) means things that are said that destroy others.


label: NET textual note

text: The verb מֵזִין ( mezin ) is from זִין ( zir , “to feed”); therefore, the suggested emendation is to take it from אֹזֶן (’ ozen , “ear”) as a denominative verb, “to give ear; to listen to.” Two Hebrew mss have this variant.


text: Heb “children of children [sons of sons].”


text: 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.


text: The noun תִּפְאָרָת ( tif ’ arat ) means “beauty; glory” (BDB 802 s.v.). In this passage “glory” seems to be identified with “glorying; boasting”; so a rendering that children are proud of their parents would be in order. Thus, “glory of children” would be a subjective genitive, the glorying that children do.”


text: The LXX has inserted: “To the faithful belongs the whole world of wealth, but to the unfaithful not an obulus.” It was apparently some popular sentiment at the time. tn Heb “their fathers.”


text: The word יֶתֶר ( yeter ) could be rendered either “arrogant” (cf. NIV) or “excellent” (cf. KJV, NASB; NLT “eloquent”) because the basic idea of the word is “remainder; excess,” from the verb “be left over.” It describes “lofty” speech (arrogant or excellent) that is not suited for the fool. The Greek version, using pista , seems to support the idea of “excellent,” and makes a contrast: “words that are excellent do not fit a fool.” The idea of arrogance (NIV) fits if it is taken in the sense of lofty, heightened, or excessive language.


text: “a lip of excess.” The term “lip” is a metonymy for what is said.


text: Heb “speech of falsehood”; NRSV “false speech.”


text: The phrase “works like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.


text: Heb “a stone of favors”; NAB, NRSV “a magic stone.” The term שֹׁחַד ( shokhad , “bribe”) could be simply translated as “a gift”; but the second half of the verse says that the one who offers it is successful. At best it could be a gift that opens doors; at worst it is a bribe. The word שֹׁחַד is never used of a disinterested gift, so there is always something of the bribe in it (e.g., Ps 15:5 ; Isa 1:23 ). Here it is “a stone that brings favor,” the genitive being the effect or the result of the gift. In other words, it has magical properties and “works like a charm.”


text: Heb “in the eyes of its owner.”


text: Heb “in all that he turns”; NASB, NIV “wherever he turns.”


text: Heb “covers” (so NASB); NIV “covers over.” How people respond to the faults of others reveals whether or not they have love. The contrast is between one who “covers” (forgives, cf. NCV, NRSV) the fault of a friend and one who repeats news about it. The former promotes love because he cares about the person; the latter divides friends.


text: Heb “goes in deeper” (cf. NASB, NRSV). The verb נָחֵת ( nakhet ) “to go down; to descend” with the preposition בְּ ( bet ) means “to descend into; to make an impression on” someone.


text: The form is the Hiphil infinitive of נָכָה ( nakhah ) with the comparative מִן , min . The word “fool” then would be an objective genitive – more than blows to/on a fool.


text: The parallelism seems to be formal, with the idea simply continuing to the second line; the conjunction is therefore translated to reflect this. However, the proverb could be interpreted as antithetical just as easily.


text: Heb “Let a man meet” (so NASB); NLT “It is safer to meet.” The infinitive absolute פָּגוֹשׁ ( pagosh , “to meet”) functions as a jussive of advice. The bear meeting a man is less dangerous than a fool in his folly. It could be worded as a “better” saying, but that formula is not found here.


text: The second colon begins with וְאַל ( vÿ ’ al ), “and not.” This negative usually appears with volitives, so the fuller expression of the parallel line would be “and let not a fool in his folly [meet someone].”


text: The words “to meet” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied by the parallelism and are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: The sentence begins with the participle מֵשִׁיב ( meshiv , “the one who repays”). The whole first colon may be taken as an independent nominative absolute, with the formal sentence to follow. Some English versions have made the first colon a condition by supplying “if” (NAB, NIV, TEV, NLT).


text: The verb מוּשׁ ( mush ) means “to depart; to remove.” The Kethib is a Hiphil, which would yield a meaning of “to take away”; so the Qere , which is the Qal, makes more sense in the line.


text: Heb “the beginning of a quarrel”; TEV, CEV “The start of an argument.”


text: The verse simply begins with “letting out water.” This phrase is a metaphor, but most English versions have made it a simile (supplying “like” or “as”). R. N. Whybray takes it literally and makes it the subject of the clause: “stealing water starts a quarrel” ( Proverbs [CBC], 100). However, the verb more likely means “to let out, set free” and not “to steal,” for which there are clearer words. sn The image involves a small leak in a container or cistern that starts to spurt out water. The problem will get worse if it is not stopped. Strife is like that. tc The LXX has “The outpouring of words is the beginning of strife.” This would make it a warning against thoughtless talk.


text: The temporal clause is formed with the prepositional “before,” the infinitive construct, and the following subjective genitive. The verb גָּלַע ( gala ’) means “to expose; to lay bare,” and in the Hitpael “to disclose oneself; to break out.”


text: Heb “he who justifies the wicked and and he who condemns the righteous” (so NASB). The first colon uses two Hiphil participles, מַצְדִּיק ( matsdiq ) and מַרְשִׁיעַ ( marshia ’). The first means “to declare righteous” (a declarative Hiphil), and the second means “to make wicked [or, guilty]” or “to condemn” (i.e., “to declare guilty”). To declare someone righteous who is a guilty criminal, or to condemn someone who is innocent, are both abominations for the Righteous Judge of the whole earth.


text: Heb “an abomination of the Lord .”


text: Heb “why this?” The term זֶּה ( zeh ) is an enclitic use of the demonstrative pronoun for emphasis: “why ever ” would this happen?


text: Heb “there is no heart”; NASB “he has no (+ common TEV) sense”; NLT “has no heart for wisdom.”


text: Heb “a brother.”


text: Heb “is born for adversity.” This is not referring to sibling rivalry but to the loyalty a brother shows during times of calamity. This is not to say that a brother only shows loyalty when there is trouble, nor that he always does in these times (e.g., 18:19, 24; 19:7; 27:10 ). The true friend is the same as a brotherly relation – in times of greatest need the loyal love is displayed.


text: Heb “heart”; KJV, ASV “a man void of understanding”; NIV “a man lacking in judgment.”


text: The phrase “in pledge” is supplied for the sake of clarification.


text: The line uses the participle עֹרֵב (’ orev ) with its cognate accusative עֲרֻבָּה (’ arubah ), “who pledges a pledge.”


text: Heb “the one who loves transgression the one who loves a quarrel.” There is some ambiguity in the first line. The meaning would not differ greatly if either were taken as the subject; but the parallelism suggests that the proverb is about a quarrelsome and arrogant person who loves sin and invites destruction.


text: Some have taken this second line literally and interpreted it to mean he has built a pretentious house. Probably it is meant to be figurative: The gate is the mouth (the figure would be hypocatastasis) and so to make it high is to say lofty things – he brags too much (e.g., 1 Sam 2:3 ; Prov 18:12; 29:23 ); cf. NCV, TEV, NLT. C. H. Toy ( Proverbs [ICC], 348) wishes to emend פִּתְחוֹ ( pitkho , “his gate”) to פִּיו ( piv , “his mouth”), but that is unnecessary since the idea can be obtained by interpretation.


text: The verse parallels two descriptions of the wicked person: “crooked/perverse of heart” (genitive of specification), and “turned away in his tongue” (deceitful). The first phrase describes twisted intentions. The second, using the Niphal participle (“one turned away”) with “tongue,” the metonymy of cause, describes one who has turned away from speaking truth. Cf. NLT “the twisted tongue tumbles into trouble.”


text: The phrase “does not find good” is a figure (tapeinosis) meaning, “will experience calamity.” The wicked person can expect trouble ahead.


text: Heb “tongue”; NIV “whose tongue is deceitful.”


text: The form simply means “bears” or “gives birth to,” but since it is masculine it could be rendered “fathers” (cf. NASB “he who begets a fool”; NIV “To have a fool for a son”). The form for “fool” is masculine, but the proverb is not limited only to male children (cf. NCV “It is sad to have a foolish child”).


text: The phrase “does so” is supplied for the sake of clarification.


text: The word “healing” is a hapax legomenon ; some have suggested changes, such as to Arabic jihatu (“face”) or to גְּוִיָּה ( gÿviah , “body”) as in the Syriac and Tg . Prov 17:22 , but the MT makes sense as it is and should be retained. tn Heb “it causes good a healing.” This means it promotes healing.


text: The form לְהַטּוֹת ( lÿhattot ) is the Hiphil infinitive construct of נָטָה ( natah ), meaning “to thrust away,” i.e., to “pervert.” This purpose clause clarifies that the receiving of the “gift” is for evil intent.


text: The verse begins with אֶת־פְּנֵי מֵבִין (’ et-pÿni mevin ), “before the discerning” or “the face of the discerning.” The particle אֶת here is simply drawing emphasis to the predicate ( IBHS 182-83 §10.3.2b). Cf. NIV “A discerning man keeps wisdom in view.”


text: The term “run” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied for the sake of clarification.


text: Heb “to the one who bore him.” Because the participle is feminine singular in Hebrew, this has been translated as “the mother who bore him.” sn The proverb is similar to v. 21, 10:1, and 15:20 .


text: Heb “not good.” This is an example of tapeinosis – an understatement that implies the worst-case scenario: “it is terrible.”


text: The verb עָנַשׁ , here a Qal infinitive construct, properly means “to fine” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT) but is taken here to mean “to punish” in general. The infinitive functions as the subject of the clause.


text: The form is the Hiphil infinitive construct from נָכָה ( nakhah , “to strike; to smite”). It may well refer to public beatings, so “flog” is used in the translation, since “strike” could refer to an individual’s action and “beat” could be taken to refer to competition.


text: Heb “[is] against uprightness.” The expression may be rendered “contrary to what is right.” sn The two lines could be synonymous parallelism; but the second part is being used to show how wrong the first act would be – punishing the righteous makes about as much sense as beating an official of the court for doing what is just.


text: Heb “the one knowing knowledge.” The cognate accusative underscores the meaning of the participle – this is a truly knowledgeable person.


text: Heb “cool of spirit.” This genitive of specification describes one who is “calm” (so NCV, TEV, CEV) or “even-tempered” (so NIV, NLT); he is composed.


text: The imperfect tense here denotes possibility: One who holds his tongue [may be considered] discerning.


text: The Niphal participle is used in the declarative/estimative sense with stative verbs: “to be discerning” (Qal) becomes “to be declared discerning” (Niphal). The proverb is teaching that silence is one evidence of wisdom, and that even a fool can thereby appear wise. D. Kidner says that a fool who takes this advice is no longer a complete fool ( Proverbs [TOTC], 127). He does not, of course, become wise – he just hides his folly.