Proverbs 29:10

Bloodthirsty people ¹  hate someone with integrity; ²  as for the upright, they seek his life. ³ 

Ge 4:5-8; 1Sa 15:11; 1Sa 20:31-33; 1Sa 22:11-23; 1Ki 21:20; 1Ki 22:8; 2Ch 18:7; Jer 13:15-17; Jer 18:20; Jer 40:14-16; Mr 6:18,19,24-27; Lu 23:34; Joh 5:34; Joh 15:18,19; Ac 7:60; Ro 10:1; 1Jo 3:12,13

¹ tn Heb “men of bloods.” The Hebrew word for “blood” is written in the plural to reflect the shedding of blood. So the expression “men of bloods” means people who shed blood – murderers, bloodthirsty men, or those who would not hesitate to commit murder in order to get what they want.

² sn The Hebrew word describes the “blameless” or “innocent” who maintain integrity. The bloodthirsty despise people who insist on decency and integrity.

³ tn Heb “and the upright seek his life.” There are two ways this second line can be taken. (1) One can see it as a continuation of the first line, meaning that the bloodthirsty men also “seek the life of the upright” (cf. NIV, NRSV). The difficulty is that the suffix is singular but the apparent referent is plural. (2) One can take it is as a contrast: “but as for the upright, they seek his life” – a fairly straightforward rendering (cf. ASV). The difficulty here is that “seeking a life” is normally a hostile act, but it would here be positive: “seeking” a life to preserve it. The verse would then say that the bloodthirsty hate the innocent, but the righteous protect them (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 637; cf. NAB, NASB, TEV).