16:20 The one who deals wisely 1 in a matter 2 will find success, 3
and blessed 4 is the one who trusts in the Lord. 5
17:2 A servant who acts wisely 6 will rule
over 7 an heir 8 who behaves shamefully, 9
and will share the inheritance along with the relatives. 10
1 tn Heb “he who is prudent” or “he who deals wisely” (cf. KJV). The proverb seems to be referring to wise business concerns and the reward for the righteous. One who deals wisely in a matter will find good results. R. N. Whybray sees a contrast here: “The shrewd man of business will succeed well, but the happy man is he who trusts the
2 tn Or “he who gives heed to a word,” that is, “who listens to instruction” (cf. NIV, NLT).
3 tn Heb “good” (so KJV, ASV).
4 tn Although traditionally this word is translated “happy” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NRSV, NLT), such a translation can be misleading because the word means far more than that. It describes the heavenly bliss that comes from knowing one is right with God and following God’s precepts. The “blessed” could be at odds with the world (Ps 1:1-3).
5 tn Heb “and the one who trusts in the
6 sn The setting is in the ancient world where a servant rarely advanced beyond his or her station in life. But there are notable exceptions (e.g., Gen 15:3 where the possibility is mentioned, 1 Chr 2:35 where it changed through marriage, and 2 Sam 16:1-4; 19:24-30, with the story of Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth). This proverb focuses on a servant who is wise, one who uses all his abilities effectively – a Joseph figure.
7 sn The parallelism indicates that “ruling over” and “sharing in the inheritance” means that the disgraceful son will be disinherited.
8 tn Heb “son.”
9 tn The form מֵבִישׁ (mevish) is a Hiphil participle, modifying בֵן (ben). This original heir would then be one who caused shame or disgrace to the family, probably by showing a complete lack of wisdom in the choices he made.
10 tn Heb “in the midst of the brothers”; NIV “as one of the brothers.”