12:6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable. 1
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined. 2
18:26 You prove to be reliable 3 to one who is blameless,
but you prove to be deceptive 4 to one who is perverse. 5
18:30 The one true God acts in a faithful manner; 6
the Lord’s promise 7 is reliable; 8
he is a shield to all who take shelter 9 in him.
19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and preserves one’s life. 10
The rules set down by the Lord 11 are reliable 12
and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. 13
132:11 The Lord made a reliable promise to David; 14
he will not go back on his word. 15
He said, 16 “I will place one of your descendants 17 on your throne.
1 tn Heb “the words of the
2 tn Heb “[like] silver purified in a furnace of [i.e., “on”] the ground, refined seven times.” The singular participle מְזֻקָּק (mÿzuqqaq, “refined”) modifies “silver.” The number seven is used rhetorically to express the thorough nature of the action. For other rhetorical/figurative uses of שִׁבְעָתָיִם (shiv’atayim, “seven times”), see Gen 4:15, 24; Ps 79:12; Prov 6:31; Isa 30:26.
3 tn Or “blameless.”
4 tn The Hebrew verb פָתַל (patal) is used in only three other texts. In Gen 30:8 it means literally “to wrestle,” or “to twist.” In Job 5:13 it refers to devious individuals, and in Prov 8:8 to deceptive words.
5 tn The adjective עִקֵּשׁ (’iqqesh) has the basic nuance “twisted, crooked,” and by extension refers to someone or something that is morally perverse. It appears frequently in Proverbs, where it is used of evil people (22:5), speech (8:8; 19:1), thoughts (11:20; 17:20), and life styles (2:15; 28:6). A righteous king opposes such people (Ps 101:4).
sn Verses 25-26 affirm God’s justice. He responds to people in accordance with their moral character. His response mirrors their actions. The faithful and blameless find God to be loyal and reliable in his dealings with them. But deceivers discover he is able and willing to use deceit to destroy them. For a more extensive discussion of the theme of divine deception in the OT, see R. B. Chisholm, “Does God Deceive?” BSac 155 (1998): 11-28.
6 tn Heb “[As for] the God, his way is blameless.” The term הָאֵל (ha’el, “the God”) stands as a nominative (or genitive) absolute in apposition to the resumptive pronominal suffix on “way.” The prefixed article emphasizes his distinctiveness as the one true God (cf. Deut 33:26). God’s “way” in this context refers to his protective and salvific acts in fulfillment of his promise (see also Deut 32:4; Pss 67:2; 77:13 [note vv. 11-12, 14]; 103:7; 138:5; 145:17).
7 sn The
8 tn Heb “the word of the
9 sn Take shelter. See the note on the word “shelter” in v. 2.
10 tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.
11 tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the
12 tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.
13 tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.
14 tn Heb “the
15 tn Heb “he will not turn back from it.”
16 tn The words “he said” are supplied in the translation to clarify that what follows are the
17 tn Heb “the fruit of your body.”