Proverbs 21:24

A proud ¹  and arrogant ²  person, whose name is “Scoffer,” ³  acts ⁴  with overbearing pride. ⁵ 

Es 3:5,6; Pr 6:17; Pr 16:18; Pr 18:12; Pr 19:29; Ec 7:8,9; Mt 2:16

¹ tn The word זֵד (zed, “proud”) comes from the verb זִיד (zid, “to boil up; to seethe; to act proudly [or, presumptuously].” Just as water boiling up in a pot will boil over, so the presumptuous person “oversteps” the boundaries.

² tn The word יָהִיר (yahir) means “haughty,” that is, to be or show oneself to be presumptuous or arrogant.

³ tn Heb “proud haughty scorner his name” (KJV similar). There are several ways that the line could be translated: (1) “Proud, arrogant – his name is scoffer” or (2) “A proud person, an arrogant person – ‘Scoffer’ is his name.” BDB 267 s.v. זֵד suggests, “A presumptuous man, [who is] haughty, scoffer is his name.”

⁴ tn Heb “does.” The Qal active participle “does” serves as the main verb, and the subject is “proud person” in the first line.

⁵ tn The expression בְּעֶבְרַת זָדוֹן (be’evrat zadon) means “in the overflow of insolence.” The genitive specifies what the overflow is; the proud deal in an overflow of pride. Cf. NIV “overweening pride”; NLT “boundless arrogance.”

sn The portrait in this proverb is not merely of one who is self-sufficient, but one who is insolent, scornful, and arrogant.