29:23 A person’s pride 1 will bring him low, 2
but one who has a lowly spirit 3 will gain honor.
29:25 The fear of people 4 becomes 5 a snare, 6
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be set on high. 7
1 tn Heb “pride of a man,” with “man” functioning as a possessive. There is no indication in the immediate context that this is restricted only to males.
2 tn There is a wordplay here due to the repetition of the root שָׁפֵל (shafel). In the first line the verb תִּשְׁפִּילֶנּוּ (tishpilennu) is the Hiphil imperfect of the root, rendered “will bring him low.” In the second line the word is used in the description of the “lowly of spirit,” שְׁפַל־רוּחַ (shÿfal-ruakh). The contrast works well: The proud will be brought “low,” but the one who is “lowly” will be honored. In this instance the wordplay can be preserved in the translation.
3 tn Heb “low in spirit”; KJV “humble in spirit.” This refers to an attitude of humility.
sn The Hebrew word translated “lowly” forms an implied comparison: To be humble is like being low, base, earthbound; whereas pride is often compared to being high, lofty – at least in one’s own eyes.
4 tn Heb “the fear of man.” This uses an objective genitive to describe a situation where fearing what people might do or think controls one’s life. There is no indication in the immediate context that this should be limited only to males, so the translation uses the more generic “people” here.
5 tn Heb “gives [or yields, or produces]”; NIV “will prove to be.”
6 sn “Snare” is an implied comparison; fearing people is like being in a trap – there is no freedom of movement or sense of security.
7 sn The image of being set on high comes from the military experience of finding a defensible position, a place of safety and security, such as a high wall or a mountain. Trusting in the