8:27 When he established the heavens, I was there;
when he marked out the horizon 1 over the face of the deep,
21:29 A wicked person 2 shows boldness with his face, 3
but as for the upright, 4 he discerns 5 his ways.
29:26 Many people seek the face 6 of a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one receives justice. 7
1 sn The infinitive construct בְּחוּקוֹ (bÿkhuqo, “to cut; to engrave; to mark”) and the noun חוּג (khug, “horizon; circle”) form a paronomasia in the line.
2 tn Heb “a wicked man.”
3 tn Heb “he hardens his face.” To make the face firm or hard means to show boldness (BDB 738 s.v. עָזַז Hiph); cf. NRSV “put on a bold face.”
4 tn The “upright” is an independent nominative absolute; the pronoun becomes the formal (emphatic) subject of the verb.
5 tc The Kethib is the imperfect of כּוּן (kun), “he establishes.” This reading has the support of the Syriac, Latin, and Tg. Prov 21:29, and is followed by ASV. The Qere is the imperfect tense of בִּין (bin), “he understands; he discerns.” It has the support of the LXX and is followed by NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT. The difficulty is that both make good sense in the passage and both have support. The contrast is between the wicked who shows a bold face (reflecting a hardened heart) and the upright who either gives thought to his ways (or solidifies his ways). The sense of the Qere may form a slightly better contrast, one between the outer appearance of boldness and the inner discernment of action.
6 sn The idiom seek the face means to try to obtain favor from someone. According to the proverb, many people assume that true justice depends on the disposition of some earthly ruler.
7 tn Heb “but from the