Discovery Box| (0.06) | (Pro 16:5) | 4 tn The B-line continues the A-line, stating the eventual outcome of the Lord’s abhorrence of arrogance—he will punish them. “Will not go unpunished” is an understatement (tapeinosis) to stress first that they will certainly be punished; whereas those who humble themselves before God in faith will not be punished. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 15:25) | 1 sn The “proud” have to be understood here in contrast to the widow, and their “house” has to be interpreted in contrast to the widow’s territory. The implication may be that the “proud” make their gain from the needy, and so God will set the balance right. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 15:8) | 3 sn J. H. Greenstone notes that if God will accept the prayers of the upright, he will accept their sacrifices; for sacrifice is an outer ritual and easily performed even by the wicked, but prayer is a private and inward act and not usually fabricated by unbelievers (Proverbs, 162). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 15:8) | 2 sn The sacrifices of the wicked are hated by the Lord because the worshipers are insincere and blasphemous (e.g., Prov 15:29; 21:3; 28:9; Ps 40:6-8; Isa 1:10-17). In other words, the spiritual condition of the worshiper determines whether or not the worship is acceptable to God. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 14:31) | 3 sn The phrase “shows favor” is contrasted with the term “oppresses.” To “show favor” means to be gracious to (or treat kindly) those who do not deserve it or cannot repay it. It is treatment that is gratis. This honors God because he commanded it to be done (Prov 14:21; 17:5; 19:17). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 14:26) | 3 sn The fear of the Lord will not only provide security for the parent but will also be a refuge for children. The line recalls Exod 20:5-6 where children will reap the benefits of the righteous parents. The line could also be read as “he [= God] will be a refuge for the children.” |
| (0.06) | (Pro 12:21) | 2 tn The pual imperfect verb יְאֻנֶּה (yeʾunneh) is from a rare root occurring only 4 times in the Bible. In the only piel case, Exod 21:13, God makes something happen for someone. This implies that the pual is not simply “to happen to” but “made to happen to.” Some propose “be allowed to happen to.” |
| (0.06) | (Pro 12:14) | 3 tc The Kethib has the Qal imperfect, “will return” to him (cf. NASB); the Qere preserves a Hiphil imperfect, “he/one will restore/render” to him (cf. KJV, ASV). The Qere seems to suggest that someone (God or people) will reward him in kind. Since there is no expressed subject, it may be translated as a passive voice. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 12:7) | 3 tn Heb “the house of the righteous.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsaddiqim) functions as an attributive adjective: “righteous house.” The noun בֵּית (bet, “house”) functions as a synecdoche of container (= house) for the contents (= family, household; perhaps household possessions). Cf. NCV “a good person’s family”; NLT “the children of the godly.” |
| (0.06) | (Pro 12:3) | 3 tn Heb “a root of righteousness.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsaddiqim, “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; Pss 1:3; 92:13). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 11:27) | 1 tn Two separate words are used here for “seek.” The first is שָׁחַר (shakhar, “to seek diligently”) and the second is בָּקַשׁ (baqash, “to seek after; to look for”). Whoever is seeking good is in effect seeking favor—from either God or man (e.g., Ps 5:12; Isa 49:8). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 11:20) | 4 sn The noun means “goodwill, favor, acceptance, will”; it is related to the verb רָצַה (ratsah) which means “to be pleased with; to accept favorably.” These words are used frequently in scripture to describe what pleases the Lord, meaning, what he accepts. In particular, sacrifices offered properly find acceptance with God (Ps 51:19). Here the lifestyle that is blameless pleases him. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 11:11) | 1 tn Heb “the blessing of the upright.” This expression features either an objective or subjective genitive. It may refer to the blessing God gives the upright (which will benefit society) or the blessing that the upright are to the city. The latter fits the parallelism best: The blessings are the beneficent words and deeds that the righteous perform. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 11:1) | 2 tn Heb “scales of deception.” The genitive is attributive: “deceptive scales.” This refers to dishonesty in the market where silver was weighed in the scales. God condemns dishonest business practices (Deut 25:13-16; Lev 19:35-36), as did the ancient Near East (ANET 388, 423). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 10:27) | 4 sn This general saying has to be qualified with the problem of the righteous suffering and dying young, a problem that perplexed the sages of the entire ancient world. But this is the general principle: The righteous live longer because their life is the natural one and because God blesses them. |
| (0.06) | (Pro 10:6) | 1 sn The word “blessings” has the sense of gifts, enrichments, that is, the rewards or the results of being righteous. The blessings come either from the people the righteous deal with, or from God. CEV understands the blessings as praise for good behavior (“Everyone praises good people”). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 3:20) | 1 sn The word תְּהוֹמוֹת (tehomot, “primordial sea”) alludes to the chaotic “deep” in Gen 1:2 (BDB 1063 s.v. תְּהוֹם 3). This was viewed in the ancient world as a force to be reckoned with. However, God not only formed it but controls it (see J. Emerton, “Spring and Torrent in Ps 74:15, ” VT 15 [1965]: 125). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 3:20) | 3 sn The two colons form a merism: The wisdom of God is behind all forces of nature, whether the violent breaking forth of its watery forces at creation or the provision of the gentle rain and dew throughout history (T. T. Perowne, Proverbs, 55). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 3:10) | 4 sn Most of the economy of ancient Israel was agricultural. The Lord commanded that Israel give the firstfruits of the land (e.g. Deut 26:1-3) and promised to bless Israel with the produce of the land when she would obey God (e.g. Deut 28:1-13). |
| (0.06) | (Pro 3:10) | 2 sn This pictures the process of pressing grapes in which the upper receptacle is filled with grapes and the lower one catches the juice. The harvest of grapes will be so plentiful that the lower vat will overflow with grape juice. The pictures in v. 10 are metonymies of effect for cause (= the great harvest that God will provide when they honor him). |
