Proverbs 1:19

Such ¹  are the ways ²  of all who gain profit unjustly; ³  it ⁴  takes away the life ⁵  of those who obtain it! ⁶ 

Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence; It takes away the life of its possessors.

Such is the fate of all who are greedy for gain. It ends up robbing them of life.

When you grab all you can get, that's what happens: the more you get, the less you are.

Such is the fate of everyone who goes in search of profit; it takes away the life of its owners.

Such is the end of all who are greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.

Such ¹  are the ways ²  of all who gain profit unjustly; ³  it ⁴  takes away the life ⁵  of those who obtain it! ⁶ 

¹ tn The exclamation כֵּן (ken, “so; thus; such”) marks a conclusion (BDB 485 s.v.). It draws a comparison between the destruction of the wicked in v. 18 and the concluding statement in v. 19.

² tc The MT reads אָרְחוֹת (’orkhot, “paths; ways” as figure for mode of life): “so are the ways [or, paths] of all who gain profit unjustly.” The BHS editors suggest emending the text to אַחֲרִית (’akharit, “end” as figure for their fate) by simple metathesis between ח (khet) and ר (resh) and by orthographic confusion between י (yod) and ו (vav), both common scribal errors: “so is the fate of all who gain profit unjustly.” The external evidence supports MT, which is also the more difficult reading. It adequately fits the context which uses “way” and “path” imagery throughout 1:10-19.

³ tn Heb “those who unjustly gain unjust gain.” The participle בֹּצֵעַ (boysea’, “those who unjustly gain”) is followed by the cognate accusative of the same root בָּצַע (batsa’, “unjust gain”) to underscore the idea that they gained their wealth through heinous criminal activity.

sn The verb followed by the cognate noun usually means seeking gain in an unjust way (1 Sam 8:3), or for selfish purposes (Gen 37:26), or gaining by violence. The word may have the sense of covetousness.

⁴ tn The subject of the verb is the noun בָּצַע (“unjust gain”), which is also the referent of the 3rd person masculine singular suffix on בְּעָלָיו (bÿ’alav, “its owners”). Greed takes away the life of those who live by greed (e.g., 15:27; 26:27). See G. R. Driver, “Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 (1951): 173-74.

⁵ tn The term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “soul”) is used as a metonymy (= soul) of association (= life). The noun נֶפֶשׁ often refers to physical “life” (Exod 21:23; Num 17:3; Judg 5:18; Prov 12:10; BDB 659 s.v. 3.c).

⁶ tn Heb “its owners.”