Discovery BoxProverbs 4:17 
Context4:17 For they eat bread 1 gained from wickedness 2
and drink wine obtained from violence. 3
Proverbs 10:2
Context10:2 Treasures gained by wickedness 4 do not profit,
but righteousness 5 delivers from mortal danger. 6
Proverbs 12:3
Context12:3 No one 7 can be established 8 through wickedness,
but a righteous root 9 cannot be moved.
Proverbs 13:6
Context13:6 Righteousness 10 guards the one who lives with integrity, 11
but wickedness 12 overthrows the sinner.
Proverbs 16:12
Context16:12 Doing wickedness 13 is an abomination to kings,
because a throne 14 is established in righteousness.
1 tn The noun is a cognate accusative stressing that they consume wickedness.
2 tn Heb “the bread of wickedness” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). There are two ways to take the genitives: (1) genitives of apposition: wickedness and violence are their food and drink (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT), or (2) genitives of source: they derive their livelihood from the evil they do (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 93).
3 tn Heb “the wine of violence” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV). This is a genitive of source, meaning that the wine they drink was plundered from their violent crime. The Hebrew is structured in an AB:BA chiasm: “For they eat the bread of wickedness, and the wine of violence they drink.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.
4 tn Heb “treasures of wickedness” (so KJV, ASV); NASB “Ill-gotten gains”; TEV “Wealth that you get by dishonesty.”
5 sn The term “righteousness” here means honesty (cf. TEV). Wealth has limited value even if gained honestly; but honesty delivers from mortal danger.
6 tn Heb “death.” This could refer to literal death, but it is probably figurative here for mortal danger or ruin.
7 tn Heb “a man cannot be.”
8 tn The Niphal imperfect of כּוּן (cun, “to be established”) refers to finding permanent “security” (so NRSV, TEV, CEV) before God. Only righteousness can do that.
9 tn Heb “a root of righteousness.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsadiqim, “righteousness”) functions as an attributive adjective. The figure “root” (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoresh) stresses the security of the righteous; they are firmly planted and cannot be uprooted (cf. NLT “the godly have deep roots”). The righteous are often compared to a tree (e.g., 11:30; Ps 1:3; 92:13).
10 sn Righteousness refers to that which conforms to law and order. One who behaves with integrity will be safe from consequences of sin.
11 tn Heb “blameless of way.” The term דָּרֶךְ (darekh) is a genitive of specification: “blameless in respect to his way.” This means living above reproach in their course of life. Cf. NASB “whose way is blameless”; NAB “who walks honestly.”
12 sn Righteousness and wickedness are personified in this proverb to make the point of security and insecurity for the two courses of life.
13 sn The “wickedness” mentioned here (רֶשַׁע, resha’) might better be understood as a criminal act, for the related word “wicked” can also mean the guilty criminal. If a king is trying to have a righteous administration, he will detest any criminal acts.
14 tn The “throne” represents the administration, or the decisions made from the throne by the king, and so the word is a metonymy of adjunct (cf. NLT “his rule”).
