3:1 My child, 2 do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep 3 my commandments,
3:21 My child, do not let them 4 escape from your sight;
safeguard sound wisdom and discretion. 5
4:13 Hold on to instruction, 6 do not let it go;
protect it, 7 because it is your life.
4:21 Do not let them depart 8 from your sight,
guard 9 them within your heart; 10
5:17 Let them be for yourself 11 alone,
and not for strangers with you. 12
7:25 Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways –
do not wander into her pathways;
9:4 “Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
she says 13 to those 14 who lack understanding. 15
9:16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here,”
she says to those who lack understanding. 16
23:26 Give me your heart, my son, 17
and let your eyes observe my ways;
27:2 Let another 18 praise you, and not your own mouth; 19
someone else, 20 and not your own lips.
31:7 let them 21 drink and forget 22 their poverty,
and remember their misery no more.
1 sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the
2 tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).
3 tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”
4 tn The object of the verb “escape” is either (1) wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in vv. 13-20 or (2) “wisdom and discretion” in the second colon of this verse. Several English versions transpose the terms “wisdom and discretion” from the second colon into the first colon for the sake of clarity and smoothness (e.g., RSV, NRSV, NIV, TEV, CEV).
NIV takes the subject from the second colon and reverses the clauses to clarify that.
5 tn Or: “purpose,” “power of devising.”
6 tn Heb “discipline.”
7 tn The form נִצְּרֶהָ (nitsÿreha, from נָצַר, natsar) has an anomalous doubled letter (see GKC 73 §20.h).
8 tn The Hiphil form יַלִּיזוּ (yallizu) follows the Aramaic with gemination. The verb means “to turn aside; to depart” (intransitive Hiphil or inner causative).
9 tn Or “keep” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV and many others).
10 sn The words “eyes” and “heart” are metonymies of subject representing the faculties of each. Cf. CEV “think about it all.”
11 tn The ל (lamed) preposition denotes possession: “for you” = “yours.” The term לְבַדֶּךָ (lÿvadekha) is appositional, underscoring the possession as exclusive.
12 sn The point is that what is private is not to be shared with strangers; it belongs in the home and in the marriage. The water from that cistern is not to be channeled to strangers or to the public.
13 tn Heb “lacking of heart she says to him.” The pronominal suffix is a resumptive pronoun, meaning, “she says to the lacking of heart.”
14 tn Heb “him.”
15 tn Heb “heart”; cf. NIV “to those who lack judgment.”
16 tn This expression is almost identical to v. 4, with the exception of the addition of conjunctions in the second colon: “and the lacking of understanding and she says to him.” The parallel is deliberate, of course, showing the competing appeals for those passing by.
17 tn Heb “my son”; the reference to a “son” is retained in the translation here because in the following lines the advice is to avoid women who are prostitutes.
18 tn Heb “a stranger.” This does not necessarily refer to a non-Israelite, as has been demonstrated before in the book of Proverbs, but these are people outside the familiar and accepted circles. The point is that such a person would be objective in speaking about your abilities and accomplishments.
19 sn “Mouth” and “lips” are metonymies of cause; they mean “what is said.” People should try to avoid praising themselves. Self praise can easily become a form of pride, even if it begins with trivial things. It does not establish a reputation; reputation comes from what others think about you.
20 tn “a foreigner”; KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV “a stranger.”
21 tn The subjects and suffixes are singular (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB). Most other English versions render this as plural for stylistic reasons, in light of the preceding context.
22 tn The king was not to “drink and forget”; the suffering are to “drink and forget.”