8:16 by me princes rule,
as well as nobles and 1 all righteous judges. 2
29:14 If a king judges the poor in truth, 3
his throne 4 will be established forever.
1 tn The term “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness and readability.
2 tc Many of the MT
3 tn The king must judge “in truth” (בֶּאֱמֶת, be’emet). Some have interpreted this to mean “faithfully” (KJV, ASV) but that is somewhat unclear. The idea is that the poor must be treated fairly and justly (cf. NIV “with fairness”; NRSV “with equity”); “truth” is that which corresponds to the standard of the law revealed by God. There must be no miscarriage of justice for these people simply because they are poor.
4 sn The term “throne” is a metonymy of subject; it represents the dynasty, the reign of this particular king and his descendants. The qualification of the enduring administration is its moral character. The language of this proverb reflects the promise of the Davidic Covenant (e.g., Prov 16:12; 20:28; 25:5; 31:5).