Proverbs 30:13

There is a generation whose eyes are so lofty, ¹  and whose eyelids are lifted up disdainfully. ² 

Ps 101:5; Ps 131:1; Pr 6:17; Pr 21:4; Isa 2:11; Isa 3:16; Eze 28:2-5,9; Da 11:36,37; Hab 2:4; 2Th 2:3,4

¹ tn Heb “how high are its eyes!” This is a use of the interrogative pronoun in exclamatory sentences (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 25, §127).

² tn Heb “its eyelids are lifted up,” a gesture indicating arrogance and contempt or disdain for others. To make this clear, the present translation supplies the adverb “disdainfully” at the end of the verse.

sn The verbs “to be high” (translated “are…lofty”) and “to be lifted up” depict arrogance and disdain for others. The emphasis on the eyes and eyelids (parasynonyms in poetry) is employed because the glance, the look, is the immediate evidence of contempt for others (e.g., also 6:17 and Ps 131:1).