translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: PRO

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 3, 20 ).


text: The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.


text: Heb “struck your hands”; NIV “have struck hands in pledge”; NASB “have given a pledge.” The guarantee of a pledge was signaled by a handshake (e.g., 11:15; 17:18; 22:26 ).


text: Heb “stranger.” The term זוּר ( zur , “stranger”) probably refers to a neighbor who was not well-known. Alternatively, it could describe a person who is living outside the norms of convention, a moral misfit in the community. In any case, this “stranger” is a high risk in any financial arrangement.


text: The term “if” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism. It is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.


text: The verb יָקַשׁ ( yaqash ) means “to lay a bait; to lure; to lay snares.” In the Niphal it means “to be caught by bait; to be ensnared” – here in a business entanglement.


text: Heb “by the words of your mouth.” The same expression occurs at the end of the following line (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Many English versions vary the wording slightly, presumably for stylistic reasons, to avoid redundancy (e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).


text: The syntactical construction of imperative followed by an imperative + vav consecutive denotes purpose: “in order to be delivered.” The verb means “to deliver oneself, be delivered” in the Niphal. The image is one of being snatched or plucked quickly out of some danger or trouble, in the sense of a rescue, as in a “brand snatched [Hophal stem] from the fire” ( Zech 3:2 ).


text: Heb “have come into the hand of your neighbor” (so NASB; cf. KJV, ASV). The idiom using the “hand” means that the individual has come under the control or the power of someone else. This particular word for hand is used to play ironically on its first occurrence in v. 1 .


text: In the Hitpael the verb רָפַס ( rafas ) means “to stamp oneself down” or “to humble oneself” (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV). BDB 952 s.v. Hithp suggests “become a suppliant.” G. R. Driver related it to the Akkadian cognate rapasu , “trample,” and interpreted as trampling oneself, swallowing pride, being unremitting in effort (“Some Hebrew Verbs, Nouns, and Pronouns,” JTS 30 [1929]: 374).


text: Heb “be bold.” The verb רָהַב ( rahav ) means “to act stormily; to act boisterously; to act arrogantly.” The idea here is a strong one: storm against (beset, importune) your neighbor. The meaning is that he should be bold and not take no for an answer. Cf. NIV “press your plea”; TEV “beg him to release you.”


text: Heb “do not give sleep to your eyes.” The point is to go to the neighbor and seek release from the agreement immediately (cf. NLT “Don’t rest until you do”).


text: Heb “from the hand.” Most translations supply “of the hunter.” The word “hand” can signify power, control; so the meaning is that of a gazelle freeing itself from a snare or a trap that a hunter set.


label: NET textual note

text: Heb “hand” (so KJV, NAB, NRSV). Some mss and versions have it as “trap,” which may very well represent an interpretation too.


text: The conjunction vav ( ו ) here has the classification of alternative, “or” (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , 71, §433).


text: The LXX adds a lengthy section at the end of the verse on the lesson from the bee: “Or, go to the bee and learn how diligent she is and how seriously she does her work – her products kings and private persons use for health – she is desired and respected by all – though feeble in body, by honoring wisdom she obtains distinction.” The Greek translator thought the other insect should be mentioned (see C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 124). tn Heb “its food.”


text: Heb “like a wayfarer” or “like a traveler” (cf. KJV). The LXX has “swiftness like a traveler.” It has also been interpreted as a “highwayman” (cf. NAB) or a “dangerous assailant.” W. McKane suggests “vagrant” ( Proverbs [OTL], 324); cf. NASB “vagabond.” Someone traveling swiftly would likely be a robber.


text: The Hebrew word for “armed” is probably connected to the word for “shield” and “deliver” (s.v. גָּנַן ). G. R. Driver connects it to the Arabic word for “bold; insolent,” interpreting its use here as referring to a beggar or an insolent man (“Studies in the Vocabulary of the Old Testament, IV,” JTS 33 [1933]: 38-47).


text: Heb “crooked” or “twisted.” This term can refer to something that is physically twisted or crooked, or something morally perverse. Cf. NAB “crooked talk”; NRSV “crooked speech.”


text: Heb “walks around with a perverse mouth.” The term “mouth” is a metonymy of cause, an organ of speech put for what is said. This is an individual who says perverted or twisted things.


text: The noun is an adverbial accusative of manner, explaining the circumstances that inform his evil plans.


text: The word “contention” is from the root דִּין ( din ); the noun means “strife, contention, quarrel.” The normal plural form is represented by the Qere , and the contracted form by the Kethib.


text: This word is a substantive that is used here as an adverbial accusative – with suddenness, at an instant.


text: The conjunction has the explicative use here (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax , 71, §434).


text: Heb “his soul.”


text: 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 ).


text: 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 ).


text: 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.


text: 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 (). 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”).


text: The verbal form is the Hitpael infinitive construct with a preposition and a suffixed subjective genitive to form a temporal clause. The term הָלַךְ ( halakh ) in this verbal stem means “to go about; to go to and fro.” The use of these terms in v. 22 also alludes to Deut 6:7 .


text: Heb “it will guide you.” The verb is singular and the instruction is the subject.


text: In both of the preceding cola an infinitive construct was used for the temporal clauses; now the construction uses a perfect tense with vav ( ו ) consecutive. The verb would then be equivalent to an imperfect tense, but subordinated as a temporal clause here.


text: Heb “the commandment” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).


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: Heb “the way of life” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “the way to life.” The noun “life” is a genitive following the construct “way.” It could be an attributive genitive modifying the kind of way/course of life that instruction provides, but it could also be objective in that the course of life followed would produce and lead to life.


text: The infinitive construct is epexegetical here, explaining how these teachings function as lights: “by keeping you.” This verse is the transition from the general admonition about heeding the teachings to the practical application.


text: The word translated “woman” is modified by רַע ( ra ’, “evil”) in the sense of violating the codes of the community and inflicting harm on others. The BHS editors propose changing it to read “strange woman” as before, but there is not support for that. Some commentaries follow the LXX and read רַע as “wife of a neighbor” (cf. NAB; also NRSV “the wife of another”; CEV “someone else’s wife”) but that seems to be only a clarification.


text: The word “tongue” is not in construct; the word “foreign woman” is in apposition to “smooth of tongue,” specifying whose it is. The word “smooth” then is the object of the preposition, “tongue” is the genitive of specification, and “foreign woman” in apposition.


text: The negated jussive gives the young person an immediate warning. The verb חָמַד ( khamad ) means “to desire,” and here in the sense of lust. The word is used in the Decalogue of Deut 5:21 for the warning against coveting. sn Lusting after someone in the heart, according to Jesus, is a sin of the same kind as the act, not just the first step toward it ( Matt 5:28 ). Playing with temptation in the heart – the seat of the will and the emotions – is only the heart reaching out after the sin.


text: Heb “her eyelids” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “eyelashes”; TEV “flirting eyes”). This term is a synecdoche of part (eyelids) for the whole (eyes) or a metonymy of association for painted eyes and the luring glances that are the symptoms of seduction (e.g., 2 Kgs 9:30 ). The term “alluring” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarification.


text: The word בְעַד ( bÿ ’ ad ) may be taken either as “on account of” (= by means of a) prostitute (cf. ASV, NASB), or “for the price of” a prostitute (cf. NAB). Most expositors take the first reading, though that use of the preposition is unattested, and then must supply “one is brought to.” The verse would then say that going to a prostitute can bring a man to poverty, but going to another man’s wife can lead to death. If the second view were taken, it would mean that one had a smaller price than the other. It is not indicating that one is preferable to the other; both are to be avoided.


text: Heb “the wife of a man.”


text: These two lines might be an example of synthetic parallelism, that is, “A, what’s more B.” The A-line describes the detrimental moral effect of a man going to a professional prostitute; the B-line heightens this and describes the far worse effect – moral and mortal! – of a man committing adultery with another man’s wife. When a man goes to a prostitute, he lowers himself to become nothing more than a “meal ticket” to sustain the life of that woman; however, when a man commits adultery, he places his very life in jeopardy – the rage of the husband could very well kill him.


text: The Qal imperfect (with the interrogative) here has a potential nuance – “Is it possible to do this?” The sentence is obviously a rhetorical question making an affirmation that it is not possible.


text: Heb “snatch up fire into his bosom.”


text: The second colon begins with the vav ( ו ) disjunctive on the noun, indicating a disjunctive clause; here it is a circumstantial clause.


text: The particle indicates that this is another rhetorical question like that in v. 27 .


text: Heb “thus is the one.”


text: Heb “who goes in to” (so NAB, NASB). The Hebrew verb בּוֹא ( bo ’, “to go in; to enter”) is used throughout scripture as a euphemism for the act of sexual intercourse. Cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “who sleeps with”; NCV “have sexual relations with.”


text: Heb “anyone who touches her will not.”


text: Heb “will be exempt from”; NASB, NLT “will not go unpunished.”


text: The verb is יִנָּקֶה ( yinnaqeh ), the Niphal imperfect from נָקָה ( naqah , “to be empty; to be clean”). From it we get the adjectives “clean,” “free from guilt,” “innocent.” The Niphal has the meanings (1) “to be cleaned out” (of a plundered city; e.g., Isa 3:26 ), (2) “to be clean; to be free from guilt; to be innocent” ( Ps 19:14 ), (3) “to be free; to be exempt from punishment” [here], and (4) “to be free; to be exempt from obligation” ( Gen 24:8 ).


text: Heb “they do not despise.”


text: Heb “himself” or “his life.” Since the word נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh , traditionally “soul”) refers to the whole person, body and soul, and since it has a basic idea of the bundle of appetites that make up a person, the use here for satisfying his hunger is appropriate.


text: The term “yet” is supplied in the translation.


text: Heb “is found out.” The perfect tense with the vav ( ו ) consecutive is equivalent to the imperfect nuances. Here it introduces either a conditional or a temporal clause before the imperfect.


text: The imperfect tense has an obligatory nuance. The verb in the Piel means “to repay; to make restitution; to recompense”; cf. NCV, TEV, CEV “must pay back.”


text: This final clause in the section is somewhat cryptic. The guilty thief must pay back sevenfold what he stole, even if it means he must use the substance of his whole house. The verb functions as an imperfect of possibility: “he might even give.”


text: Heb “heart.” The term “heart” is used as a metonymy of association for discernment, wisdom, good sense. Cf. NAB “is a fool”; NIV “lacks judgment”; NCV, NRSV “has no sense.”


text: Heb “soul.” The noun נֶפֶשׁ ( nefesh , “soul”) functions as a metonymy of association for “life” (BDB 659 s.v. 3 .c).


text: Heb “He will receive a wound and contempt.”


text: The word “kindles” was supplied in the translation; both “rage” and “jealousy” have meanings connected to heat.


text: Heb “a man’s.”


text: The verb חָמַל ( khamal ) means “to show mercy; to show compassion; to show pity,” usually with the outcome of sparing or delivering someone. The idea here is that the husband will not spare the guilty man any of the punishment (cf. NRSV “he shows no restraint”).


text: Heb “lift up the face of,” meaning “regard.”


text: The word rendered “compensation” is כֹּפֶר ( cofer ); it is essentially a ransom price, a sum to be paid to deliver another from debt, bondage, or crime. The husband cannot accept payment as a ransom for a life, since what has happened cannot be undone so easily.


text: BDB 1005 s.v. שֹׁחַד suggests that this term means “hush money” or “bribe” (cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT). C. H. Toy takes it as legal compensation ( Proverbs [ICC], 142).