Discovery BoxProverbs 14:28 
Context14:28 A king’s glory is 1 the abundance of people,
but the lack of subjects 2 is the ruin 3 of a ruler.
Proverbs 16:15
Context16:15 In the light of the king’s face 4 there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds 5 of the spring rain. 6
Proverbs 19:12
Context19:12 A king’s wrath is like 7 the roar of a lion, 8
but his favor is like dew on the grass. 9
Proverbs 21:1
Context21:1 The king’s heart 10 is in the hand 11 of the Lord like channels of water; 12
he turns it wherever he wants.
Proverbs 22:29
Context22:29 Do you see a person skilled 13 in his work?
He will take his position before kings;
1 tn The preposition serves as the beth essentiae – the glory is the abundant population, not in it.
2 tn Heb “people.” Cf. NLT “a dwindling nation.”
3 sn The word means “ruin; destruction,” but in this context it could be a metonymy of effect, the cause being an attack by more numerous people that will bring ruin to the ruler. The proverb is purely a practical and secular saying, unlike some of the faith teachings in salvation history passages.
4 tn Heb “the light of the face of the king.” This expression is a way of describing the king’s brightened face, his delight in what is taking place. This would mean life for those around him.
sn The proverb is the antithesis of 16:14.
5 tn Heb “cloud.”
6 tn Heb “latter rain” (so KJV, ASV). The favor that this expression represents is now compared to the cloud of rain that comes with the “latter” rain or harvest rain. The point is that the rain cloud was necessary for the successful harvest; likewise the king’s pleasure will ensure the success and the productivity of the people under him. E.g., also Psalm 72:15-17; the prosperity of the land is portrayed as a blessing on account of the ideal king.
7 sn The verse contrasts the “rage” of the king with his “favor” by using two similes. The first simile presents the king at his most dangerous – his anger (e.g., 20:2; Amos 3:4). The second simile presents his favor as beneficial for life (e.g., 16:14-15; 28:15).
8 tn Heb “is a roaring like a lion.”
9 sn The proverb makes an observation about a king’s power to terrify or to refresh. It advises people to use tact with a king.
10 sn “Heart” is a metonymy of subject; it signifies the ability to make decisions, if not the decisions themselves.
11 sn “Hand” in this passage is a personification; the word is frequently used idiomatically for “power,” and that is the sense intended here.
12 tn “Channels of water” (פַּלְגֵי, palge) is an adverbial accusative, functioning as a figure of comparison – “like channels of water.” Cf. NAB “Like a stream”; NIV “watercourse”; NRSV, NLT “a stream of water.”
sn The farmer channels irrigation ditches where he wants them, where they will do the most good; so does the
13 sn The word translated “skilled” is general enough to apply to any crafts; but it may refer to a scribe or an official (R. N. Whybray, Proverbs [CBC], 134).
14 tn The verb form used twice here is יִתְיַצֵּב (yityatsev), the Hitpael imperfect of יָצַב (yatsav), which means “to set or station oneself; to take one’s stand” in this stem. With the form לִפְנֵי (life) it means “to present oneself before” someone; so here it has the idea of serving as a courtier in the presence of a king.
15 sn The fifth saying affirms that true skill earns recognition and advancement (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 30, 27:16-17 [ANET 424]).
