4:5 The fool folds his hands and does no work, 1
so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh. 2
8:4 Surely the king’s authority 3 is absolute; 4
no one can say 5 to him, “What are you doing?”
1 tn Heb “the fool folds his hands.” The Hebrew idiom means that he does not work (e.g., Prov 6:10; 24:33). In the translation the words “and does no work” (which do not appear in the Hebrew text) have been supplied following the idiom to clarify what is meant.
2 tn Heb “and eats his own flesh.” Most English versions render the idiom literally: “and eats/consumes his flesh” (KJV, AS, NASB, NAB, RSV, NRSV, NJPS). However, a few versions attempt to explain the idiom: “and lets life go to ruin” (Moffatt), “and wastes away” (NEB), “and ruins himself” (NIV).
3 tn Heb “word.”
4 tn Heb “supreme.”
5 tn Heb “Who can say…?”