10.1 The proverbs of Solomon. This subtitle to the book’s second collection (omitted in the Septuagint) reveals its independent origin (cf. 22.17; 24.23; 25.1; 30.1; 31.1). Mothers bore the responsibility for teaching the young (see note on 1.8; also 31.1). Foolish, the same word used for the woman in 9.13, helping to link this new section to the preceding one.
10.3 The righteous, probably equivalent to “the wise.”
10.4–5 Diligence brings rewards (also in 12.11, 24).
10.7 Concern for a good reputation was common with the sages (Job 18.17; Eccl 7.1; see note on 3.4).
10.8, 11, 13–14, 18–21, 31–32 See note on 1.6 on the importance of true and effective speech.
10.10 Winking the eye may be a reference to malevolent (e.g., “evil eye”?) or sorcerous behavior (see 6.13; Ps 35.19). The Septuagint reading opts for an antithetic statement.
10.15 A purely observational saying.
10.22 See text note b: God’s blessing is sufficient.
10.25a Unlooked-for death was considered a punishment for sin.
PROVERBS 11
1A false balance is an abomination to the LORD,
but an accurate weight is his delight.
2When pride comes, then comes disgrace;
but wisdom is with the humble.
3The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
4Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
5The righteousness of the blameless keeps their ways straight,
but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
6The righteousness of the upright saves them,
but the treacherous are taken captive by their schemes.
7When the wicked die, their hope perishes,
and the expectation of the godless comes to nothing.
8The righteous are delivered from trouble,
and the wicked get into it instead.
9With their mouths the godless would destroy their neighbors,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.
10When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices;
and when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.
11By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
12Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.
13A gossip goes about telling secrets,
but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence.
14Where there is no guidance, a nationa falls,
but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.
15To guarantee loans for a stranger brings trouble,
but there is safety in refusing to do so.
16A gracious woman gets honor,
but she who hates virtue is covered with shame.b
The timid become destitute,c
but the aggressive gain riches.
17Those who are kind reward themselves,
but the cruel do themselves harm.
18The wicked earn no real gain,
but those who sow righteousness get a true reward.
19Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live,
but whoever pursues evil will die.
20Crooked minds are an abomination to the LORD,
but those of blameless ways are his delight.
21Be assured, the wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will escape.
22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout
is a beautiful woman without good sense.
23The desire of the righteous ends only in good;
the expectation of the wicked in wrath.
24Some give freely, yet grow all the richer;
others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.
25A generous person will be enriched,
and one who gives water will get water.
26The people curse those who hold back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it.
27Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,
but evil comes to the one who searches for it.
28Those who trust in their riches will wither,d
but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.
29Those who trouble their households will inherit wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
but violencee takes lives away.
31If the righteous are repaid on earth,
how much more the wicked and the sinner!
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a Or an army
b Compare Gk Syr: Heb lacks but she…shame
c Gk: Heb lacks The timid…destitute
d Cn: Heb fall
e Cn Compare Gk Syr: Heb a wise man
11.1–31 Contrasts between the righteous, upright, and gracious and the wicked, crooked, greedy, and godless bind the proverbs of this section together, as the theory of retribution is acted out in daily life.
11.1 A false balance is used to cheat the poor (16.11; 20.10, 23; Deut 25.13–16; Am 8.5–6; Hos 12.8; Mic 6.10–11). Abomination here and in v. 20 recalls the numerical saying of 6.16–19.
11.3 Crookedness is the physical attribute that consistently characterizes moral perversity.
11.7 A departure from contrastive statements.
11.18–19, 21 For the sage, faith in retribution outweighs any temporary discrepancies in the good fortune gained by wickedness.
11.22 A vivid comparative statement. See also 31.30.
11.24–25 The mysteries of generosity.
11.26 Hold back grain, waiting for higher prices.
11.28, 30 Tree of life imagery recalls Woman Wisdom (3.18; Pss 1.3; 52.7–8).
PROVERBS 12
1Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but those who hate to be rebuked are stupid.
2The good obtain favor from the LORD,
but those who devise evil he condemns.
3No one finds security by wickedness,
but the root of the righteous will never be moved.
4A good wife is the crown of her husband,
but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.
5The thoughts of the righteous are just;
the advice of the wicked is treacherous.
6The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush,
but the speech of the upright delivers them.
7The wicked are overthrown and are no more,
but the house of the righteous will stand.
8One is commended for good sense,
but a perverse mind is despised.
9Better to be despised and have a servant,
than to be self-important and lack food.
10The righteous know the needs of their animals,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
11Those who till their land will have plenty of food,
but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.
12The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness,a
but the root of the righteous bears fruit.
13The evil are ensnared by the transgression of their lips,
but the righteous escape from trouble.
14From the fruit of the mouth one is filled with good things,
and manual labor has its reward.
15Fools think their own way is right,
but the wise listen to advice.
16Fools show their anger at once,
but the prudent ignore an insult.
17Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,
but a false witness speaks deceitfully.
18Rash words are like sword thrusts,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
19Truthful lips endure forever,
&n
bsp; but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.
20Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil,
but those who counsel peace have joy.
21No harm happens to the righteous,
but the wicked are filled with trouble.
22Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.
23One who is clever conceals knowledge,
but the mind of a foolb broadcasts folly.
24The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the lazy will be put to forced labor.
25Anxiety weighs down the human heart,
but a good word cheers it up.
26The righteous gives good advice to friends,c
but the way of the wicked leads astray.
27The lazy do not roastd their game,
but the diligent obtain precious wealth.e
28In the path of righteousness there is life,
in walking its path there is no death.
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a Or covet the catch of the wicked
b Heb the heart of fools
c Syr: Meaning of Heb uncertain
d Meaning of Heb uncertain
e Meaning of Heb uncertain
12.1 The wise learn from correction.
12.3 Root, that which holds the tree of life secure (Ps 1).
12.4 A wife either enhances or threatens a man’s life; the negative possibility departs from the good wives in chs. 1–9 and 31.
12.6a An echo of the instruction of 1.8–19.
12.9 “Better than” sayings are popular with the sages (15.16–17; 16.8; Eccl 9.4b; Sir 10.27).
12.13–14, 17–19, 22, 25 The sages emphasize the importance of using language properly (see also note on 1.6).
12.23a Discretion is a virtue in civil servants and others.
12.25 A psychological insight.
12.27 Parallelism is forced due to uncertainties in translation.
PROVERBS 13
1A wise child loves discipline,a
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.
2From the fruit of their words good persons eat good things,
but the desire of the treacherous is for wrongdoing.
3Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives;
those who open wide their lips come to ruin.
4The appetite of the lazy craves, and gets nothing,
while the appetite of the diligent is richly supplied.
5The righteous hate falsehood,
but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully.
6Righteousness guards one whose way is upright,
but sin overthrows the wicked.
7Some pretend to be rich, yet have nothing;
others pretend to be poor, yet have great wealth.
8Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life,
but the poor get no threats.
9The light of the righteous rejoices,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
10By insolence the heedless make strife,
but wisdom is with those who take advice.
11Wealth hastily gottenb will dwindle,
but those who gather little by little will increase it.
12Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.
13Those who despise the word bring destruction on themselves,
but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.
14The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
15Good sense wins favor,
but the way of the faithless is their ruin.c
16The clever do all things intelligently,
but the fool displays folly.
17A bad messenger brings trouble,
but a faithful envoy, healing.
18Poverty and disgrace are for the one who ignores instruction,
but one who heeds reproof is honored.
19A desire realized is sweet to the soul,
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
20Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools suffers harm.
21Misfortune pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children,
but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.
23The field of the poor may yield much food,
but it is swept away through injustice.
24Those who spare the rod hate their children,
but those who love them are diligent to discipline them.
25The righteous have enough to satisfy their appetite,
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a Cn: Heb A wise child the discipline of his father
b Gk Vg: Heb from vanity
c Cn Compare Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb is enduring
13.1–25 Throughout this chapter the sages stress the importance of listening to wise counsel and using language well (vv. 1–3, 13–14, 17–18; see also note on 1.6).
13.2, 4 Eating has both literal and metaphorical meanings.
13.7 “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
13.8 An observational saying.
13.9 Light, lamp, metaphors for life.
13.11 Hastily gotten. The Hebrew text from vanity (see text note e) stresses impermanence or worthless pursuits.
13.12 Tree of life. See 3.18; 11.30; 15.4.
13.14 Formal (synthetic) parallelism (see Introduction).
13.17 Bad, “lazy” or “dishonest.”
13.23 Poverty is sometimes the result of injustice rather than laziness or wickedness (cf. 13.25; 14.23; 19.15).
13.24 The sages, who condemn violence between people, recommend it to control households (see 19.18, 25; 20.30; 29.15, 17, 19, 21; see also Deut 21.18–22).
PROVERBS 14
1The wise womana builds her house,
but the foolish tears it down with her own hands.
2Those who walk uprightly fear the LORD,
but one who is devious in conduct despises him.
3The talk of fools is a rod for their backs,b
but the lips of the wise preserve them.
4Where there are no oxen, there is no grain;
abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
5A faithful witness does not lie,
but a false witness breathes out lies.
6A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,
but knowledge is easy for one who understands.
7Leave the presence of a fool,
for there you do not find words of knowledge.
8It is the wisdom of the clever to understand where they go,
but the folly of fools misleads.
9Fools mock at the guilt offering,c
but the upright enjoy God’s favor.
10The heart knows its own bitterness,
and no stranger shares its joy.
11The house of the wicked is destroyed,
but the tent of the upright flourishes.
12There is a way that seems right to a person,
but its end is the way to death.d
13Even in laughter the heart is sad,
and the end of joy is grief.
14The perverse get what their ways deserve,
and the good, what their deeds deserve.e
15The simple believe everything,
but the clever consider their steps.
16The wise are cautious and turn away from evil,
but the fool throws off restraint and is careless.
17One who is quick-tempered acts foolishly,
and the schemer is hated.
18The simple are adorned withf folly,
but the clever are crowned with knowledge.
19The evil bow down before the good,
the wicked at the gates of the righteous.
20The poor are disliked even by their neighbors,
but the rich have many friends.
21Those who despise their neighbors are sinners,
but happy are those who are kind to the poor.
22Do they not err that plan evil?
Those who plan good find loyalty and faithfulness.
23In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
24The crown of the wise is their wisdom,g
but folly is the garlandh of fools.
25A truthful witness saves lives,
but one who utters lies is a betrayer.
26In the fear of the LORD one has strong confidence,
and one’s children will have a refuge.
27The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,
so that one may avoid the snares of death.
28The glory of a king is a multitude of people;
without people a prince is ruined.
29Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but one who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
30A tranquil mind gives life to the flesh,
but passion makes the bones rot.
31Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,
but those who are kind to the needy honor him.
32The wicked are overthrown by their evildoing,
but the righteous find a refuge in their integrity.i
33Wisdom is at home in the mind of one who has understanding,
but it is notj known in the heart of fools.
34Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin is a reproach to any people.
35A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,
but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.
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a Heb Wisdom of women
b Cn: Heb a rod of pride
c Meaning of Heb uncertain
d Heb ways of death
HarperCollins Study Bible Page 238