Proverbs 27:14

If someone blesses ¹  his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning, ²  it will be counted as a curse to him. ³ 

2Sa 15:2-7; 2Sa 16:16-19; 2Sa 17:7-13; 1Ki 22:6,13; Jer 28:2-4; Ac 12:22,23

¹ tn The verse begins with the Piel participle from בָּרַךְ (barach). It could be taken as the subject, with the resulting translation: “Blessing…will be counted as a curse.” However, that would be rather awkward. So it is preferable to take the first line as the condition (“if someone blesses”) and the second as the consequence (“[then] it will be counted”).

² tn Heb “rising early in the morning” (so KJV, ASV). The infinitive explains the verb “bless,” giving the circumstances of its action. The individual rises early to give his blessing.

³ sn The point of the proverb is that loud and untimely greetings are not appreciated. What was given as a “blessing” will be considered a “curse” – the two words being antonyms. The proverb makes the point that how, when, and why they say what they say is important too (D. Kidner, Proverbs [TOTC], 166).