e Cn: Heb from upon him
f Or inherit
g Cn Compare Gk: Heb riches
h Cn: Heb is the folly
i Gk Syr: Heb in their death
j Gk Syr: Heb lacks not
14.1a See 9.1; 24.3. Wise woman. The Hebrew reading (text note a) may refer to the important roles played by women in ancient households (see 31.10–31).
14.10, 13, 30 Astute psychological insights.
14.12 Humans are seldom omniscient (16.1–2, 25).
14.15–16 Caution is an attribute of the wise.
14.17 The sages deplore hot-tempered or hasty behavior. See 15.18; 16.32; 19.19; 21.5b; 29.22.
14.20 A simple observation.
14.21 An ethical response to v. 20. Concern for the poor is also expressed in v. 31.
14.28a Population flourishes under wise leadership. Only the occasional proverb in this section deals with matters related to royalty (also vv. 34–35), despite the attribution to Solomon.
PROVERBS 15
1A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.
2The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge,c
but the mouths of fools pour out folly.
3The eyes of the LORD are in every place,
keeping watch on the evil and the good.
4A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.
5A fool despises a parent’s instruction,
but the one who heeds admonition is prudent.
6In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.
7The lips of the wise spread knowledge;
not so the minds of fools.
8The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
9The way of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD,
but he loves the one who pursues righteousness.
10There is severe discipline for one who forsakes the way,
but one who hates a rebuke will die.
11Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD,
how much more human hearts!
12Scoffers do not like to be rebuked;
they will not go to the wise.
13A glad heart makes a cheerful countenance,
but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
14The mind of one who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
15All the days of the poor are hard,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16Better is a little with the fear of the LORD
than great treasure and trouble with it.
17Better is a dinner of vegetables where love is
than a fatted ox and hatred with it.
18Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife,
but those who are slow to anger calm contention.
19The way of the lazy is overgrown with thorns,
but the path of the upright is a level highway.
20A wise child makes a glad father,
but the foolish despise their mothers.
21Folly is a joy to one who has no sense,
but a person of understanding walks straight ahead.
22Without counsel, plans go wrong,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23To make an apt answer is a joy to anyone,
and a word in season, how good it is!
24For the wise the path of life leads upward,
in order to avoid Sheol below.
25The LORD tears down the house of the proud,
but maintains the widow’s boundaries.
26Evil plans are an abomination to the LORD,
but gracious words are pure.
27Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households,
but those who hate bribes will live.
28The mind of the righteous ponders how to answer,
but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil.
29The LORD is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
30The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
and good news refreshes the body.
31The ear that heeds wholesome admonition
will lodge among the wise.
32Those who ignore instruction despise themselves,
but those who heed admonition gain understanding.
33The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom,
and humility goes before honor.
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c Cn: Heb makes knowledge good
15.1, 4, 23 Reflections on the effects of thoughtful use of language, taught by the sages (see note on 1.6). Contrast this sensitivity with other advice to reprove with word or rod.
15.3 Watchfulness is a typical attribute of sky gods (5.21; 15.11; Ps 139.1; Zech 4.10b).
15.6 Judgment of the righteous and wicked is expected in this life.
15.8 A rare comment on worship practices, tying them to ethical behavior (cf. Am 5.21–24).
15.9 See 11.20; 12.22.
15.11 Sheol, Abaddon, the underworld, home of the dead (see also note on 1.12).
15.13, 30 More psychology based on careful observation.
15.16–17 “Better than” sayings that develop the point of v. 15, stressing times when, contrary to expected appearances, little is to be preferred to much. See 16.8; 17.1; Ps 37.16.
15.18 See 14.17.
15.19, 21 Straightness is the physical attribute associated with wisdom and righteousness.
15.20 See 10.1; 17.25; note on 1.8.
15.22 See 11.14. This proverb did not hold in the case of Absalom (2 Sam 15–18).
15.25 Widows and orphans were under God’s special protection (23.10–11; see also 22.28; Deut 19.14; Hos 5.10).
15.30 The light of the eyes, the cheerful look of the messenger; refreshes the body, lit. “makes fat the bones” (see Ps 63.5).
PROVERBS 16
1The plans of the mind belong to mortals,
but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.
2All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the spirit.
3Commit your work to the LORD,
and your plans will be established.
4The LORD has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
5All those who are arrogant are an abomination to the LORD;
be assured, they will not go unpunished.
6By loyalty and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the LORD one avoids evil.
7When the ways of people please the LORD,
he causes even their enemies to be at peace with them.
8Better is a little with righteousness
than large income with injustice.
9The human mind plans the way,
but the LORD directs the steps.
10Inspired decisions are on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
11Honest balances and scales are the LORD’s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
12It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for the throne is established by righteousness.
13Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves those who speak what is right.
14A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
and whoever is wise will appease it.
15In the light of a king’s face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
16How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
17The highway of the upright avoids evil;
those who guard their way preserve their lives.
1
8Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
19It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
20Those who are attentive to a matter will prosper,
and happy are those who trust in the LORD.
21The wise of heart is called perceptive,
and pleasant speech increases persuasiveness.
22Wisdom is a fountain of life to one who has it,
but folly is the punishment of fools.
23The mind of the wise makes their speech judicious,
and adds persuasiveness to their lips.
24Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.
25Sometimes there is a way that seems to be right,
but in the end it is the way to death.
26The appetite of workers works for them;
their hunger urges them on.
27Scoundrels concoct evil,
and their speech is like a scorching fire.
28A perverse person spreads strife,
and a whisperer separates close friends.
29The violent entice their neighbors,
and lead them in a way that is not good.
30One who winks the eyes plansa perverse things;
one who compresses the lips brings evil to pass.
31Gray hair is a crown of glory;
it is gained in a righteous life.
32One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city.
33The lot is cast into the lap,
but the decision is the LORD’s alone.
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a Gk Syr Vg Tg: Heb to plan
16.1–22.16 The “royal” collection. In the second half of the wise sayings of Solomon, the sages depart from the mostly antithetic style of the earlier section in favor of synonymous parallelism (second line restates the first). This group of sayings also shows a greater attempt at thematic arrangement, as well as strong emphasis on court values and settings.
16.1–7, 9, 11, 20, 33 LORD. A series of Yahweh (“the LORD”) sayings forms a bridge between this collection and the previous chapters (see 14.2, 26–27; 15.3, 8–9, 11, 16, 25–26, 29, 33).
16.1, 9 Ultimately, God is the source of all things, even though humans do have a measure of freedom in their acts.
16.2 The LORD weighs the spirit, an image possibly drawn from the Egyptian belief that the scribal god weighs the heart of the deceased in an underworld hall of judgment. See 21.2.
16.4 The sages here suggest that perhaps negative things are also part of the divine plan; cf. Eccl 3.1–8; 7.13; Rom 9.22.
16.8 See 15.16–17.
16.10, 12–15 Placement of sayings about the ideal king after those stressing the Lord’s ways enhances the idea of the king as God’s worthy representative. See also note on 1.1.
16.11 Balances and scales. See note on 11.1.
16.12 In Egypt, wisdom, or “Maat,” was the foundation of the pharaoh’s throne conceptually and perhaps literally, for one of the Egyptian hieroglyphs for Maat represents a side view of the dais upon which the pharaoh’s throne was placed.
16.14 Cf. Joab’s counsel to the messenger he sends to David (2 Sam 11.18–24).
16.15 Rain, always a positive image in the arid Near East.
16.16 See 3.14; 4.5.
16.18 See 11.2; 15.33.
16.22 Fountain of life. See 10.11; 13.14; 14.27.
16.24 Language can be a sensual pleasure.
16.25 See 14.12.
16.26 Bodily appetites are not always bad.
16.30 One who winks. See note on 10.10.
16.31 One of the benefits of wisdom and righteousness is long life (3.16; 20.29).
16.32. The sages deplore hot-tempered or hasty behavior. See 15.18; 19.2; 21.5b.
16.33 Lot. Urim and Thummim were sacred dice used in oracles. Does the sage challenge the authority of priestly knowledge?
PROVERBS 17
1Better is a dry morsel with quiet
than a house full of feasting with strife.
2A slave who deals wisely will rule over a child who acts shamefully,
and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
3The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
but the LORD tests the heart.
4An evildoer listens to wicked lips;
and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue.
5Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished.
6Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
and the glory of children is their parents.
7Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a ruler.a
8A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of those who give it;
wherever they turn they prosper.
9One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
10A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
than a hundred blows into a fool.
11Evil people seek only rebellion,
but a cruel messenger will be sent against them.
12Better to meet a she-bear robbed of its cubs
than to confront a fool immersed in folly.
13Evil will not depart from the house
of one who returns evil for good.
14The beginning of strife is like letting out water;
so stop before the quarrel breaks out.
15One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous
are both alike an abomination to the LORD.
16Why should fools have a price in hand
to buy wisdom, when they have no mind to learn?
17A friend loves at all times,
and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.
18It is senseless to give a pledge,
to become surety for a neighbor.
19One who loves transgression loves strife;
one who builds a high threshold invites broken bones.
20The crooked of mind do not prosper,
and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity.
21The one who begets a fool gets trouble;
the parent of a fool has no joy.
22A cheerful heart is a good medicine,
but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.
23The wicked accept a concealed bribe
to pervert the ways of justice.
24The discerning person looks to wisdom,
but the eyes of a fool to the ends of the earth.
25Foolish children are a grief to their father
and bitterness to her who bore them.
26To impose a fine on the innocent is not right,
or to flog the noble for their integrity.
27One who spares words is knowledgeable;
one who is cool in spirit has understanding.
28Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;
when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.
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a Or a noble person
17.1 See 15.16–17.
17.2 See Eccl 4.13–14. Reflections on role reversals of this type are also common in the Egyptian wisdom tradition.
17.3 See 16.2; 27.21; Jer 11.20. Silver/gold is a common proverbial word pair (22.1; 25.11; see note on 10.1–15.33).
17.5a See 14.31.
17.8 An ethically neutral comment on the success of bribery (so too 18.16; 21.14); for condemnations, see v. 23; Ex 23.8; Deut 16.19.
17.10 See 12.1. An example of formal (synthetic) parallelism (second line advances the thought of the first). Some are harder to teach than others, and some may be impossible (v. 16).
17.11 Perhaps a politica
l reference. On messengers, see 13.17; 16.14.
17.12 A common proverbial image (2 Sam 17.8; Hos 13.8).
17.13 Retribution theory in action.
17.14 Like letting out water, a poignant image (cf. 2 Sam 14.14a).
17.15 See Deut 16.18–20.
17.18 See 6.1–2; 11.15. Guaranteeing others’ loans was apparently a common social problem.
17.22 See 14.30.
17.25 See 10.1.
17.27a Sound counsel in the world of court intrigue; see also 10.19; 12.23.
PROVERBS 18
1The one who lives alone is self-indulgent,
showing contempt for all who have sound judgment.a
2A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing personal opinion.
3When wickedness comes, contempt comes also;
and with dishonor comes disgrace.
4The words of the mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.
5It is not right to be partial to the guilty,
or to subvert the innocent in judgment.
6A fool’s lips bring strife,
and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging.
7The mouths of fools are their ruin,
and their lips a snare to themselves.
8The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
9One who is slack in work
is close kin to a vandal.
10The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run into it and are safe.
11The wealth of the rich is their strong city;
in their imagination it is like a high wall.
12Before destruction one’s heart is haughty,
but humility goes before honor.
13If one gives answer before hearing,
it is folly and shame.
14The human spirit will endure sickness;
but a broken spirit—who can bear?
15An intelligent mind acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
16A gift opens doors;
it gives access to the great.
17The one who first states a case seems right,
until the other comes and cross-examines.
18Casting the lot puts an end to disputes
and decides between powerful contenders.
19An ally offended is stronger than a city;b
such quarreling is like the bars of a castle.
HarperCollins Study Bible Page 239