Proverbs 14:11

14:11 The household of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

Proverbs 29:1

29:1 The one who stiffens his neck after numerous rebukes

will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.


tn Heb “house.” The term “house” is a metonymy of subject, referring to their contents: families and family life.

sn Personal integrity ensures domestic stability and prosperity, while lack of such integrity (= wickedness) will lead to the opposite.

tn The term “tent” is a metonymy here referring to the contents of the tent: families.

tn The idiom “to harden the neck” (מַקְשֶׁה־עֹרֶף, maqsheh-oref) is the idea of resisting the rebukes and persisting in obstinacy (e.g., Exod 32:9). The opposite of a “stiff neck” would be the bending back, i.e., submission.

tn The Hebrew construction is אִישׁ תּוֹכָחוֹת (’ish tokhakhot, “a man of rebukes”), meaning “a man who has (or receives) many rebukes.” This describes a person who is deserving of punishment and who has been given many warnings. The text says, then, “a man of rebukes hardening himself.”

sn The stubborn person refuses to listen; he will suddenly be destroyed when the calamity strikes (e.g., Prov 6:15; 13:18; 15:10).

tn Or “healing” (NRSV).