Proverbs 10:3

The Lord satisfies ¹  the appetite ²  of the righteous, but he thwarts ³  the craving ⁴  of the wicked.

The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

The LORD will not allow the righteous to hunger, But He will reject the craving of the wicked.

The LORD will not let the godly starve to death, but he refuses to satisfy the craving of the wicked.

GOD won't starve an honest soul, but he frustrates the appetites of the wicked.

The Lord will not let the upright be in need of food, but he puts far from him the desire of the evil-doers.

The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish, But He casts away the desire of the wicked.

The Lord satisfies ¹  the appetite ²  of the righteous, but he thwarts ³  the craving ⁴  of the wicked.

¹ tn Heb “does not allow…to go hungry.” The expression “The Lord does not allow the appetite of the righteous to go hungry” is an example of tapeinosis – a figurative expression stated in the negative to emphasize the positive: The Lord satisfies the appetite of the righteous.

² tn The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) means “soul” but its root meaning is “throat” and it has a broad range of meanings; here it denotes “appetite” (BDB 660 s.v. 5.a; see, e.g., Pss 63:6; 107:9; Prov 27:7; Isa 56:11; 58:10; Jer 50:19; Ezek 7:19). The term could denote “desire” (BDB 660 s.v. 6.a) which would include the inner urge for success. By contrast, the wicked live unfulfilled lives – as far as spiritual values are concerned.

³ tn Heb “thrusts away” (cf. ASV, NASB); NLT “refuses to satisfy.” The verb הָדַף (hadaf) means “to thrust away; to push; to drive,” either to depose or reject (BDB 213 s.v.).

⁴ tn This verse contrasts the “appetite” of the righteous with the “craving” of the wicked. This word הַוַּה (havvah, “craving”) means “desire” often in a bad sense, as ‘the desire of the wicked,” which could not be wholesome (Ps 52:9).