Proverbs 22:20

22:20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,

sayings of counsel and knowledge,


tn Older English versions and a few more recent ones render this phrase as either “excellent things” following the Qere (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NKJV), “officers,” or “heretofore” [day before yesterday], following the Kethib. However (as in most recent English versions) the Qere should be rendered “thirty,” referring to the number in the collection (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

tn The term “sayings” does not appear in the Hebrew text but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.