Sayings of the Wise: Practical Moral Instruction
Proverbs 22:17-24:34
Pro.22.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הט: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אזנך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- ושמע: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- דברי: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,c,sg
- חכמים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ולבך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- תשית: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- לדעתי: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,1,sg
Parallels
- Prov.1:5 (verbal): Both urge listening to the wise/teaching: 'A wise man will hear, and will increase learning' echoes 'incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise.'
- Prov.2:1-2 (verbal): Similar instruction-formula: receive my words, 'incline thine ear unto wisdom' and 'apply thy heart'—close verbal and thematic overlap about actively seeking wisdom.
- Prov.4:1-5 (structural): Parental/instructional opening ('Hear, O children') that, like 22:17, frames a sustained address urging attentive reception and retention of wisdom and knowledge.
- Prov.8:34 (thematic): Wisdom-personification promises blessing to those who 'hear' and 'wait'—resonates with 22:17's exhortation to hear and set the heart to wisdom.
- Prov.23:19 (verbal): Directly echoes the imperative to 'hear' and become wise ('Hear thou, my son, and be wise'), paralleling 22:17's call to incline the ear and apply the heart to knowledge.
Alternative generated candidates
- Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; apply your heart to my instruction.
- Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; set your heart to my instruction.
Pro.22.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- נעים: ADJ,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- תשמרם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בבטנך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2,f,sg
- יכנו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יחדו: ADV
- על: PREP
- שפתיך: NOUN,f,sg,cs+2ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 4:21 (verbal): Uses very similar vocabulary about keeping sayings 'in the midst of your heart' — emphasis on internalizing wisdom like Prov 22:18's 'keep them within you.'
- Proverbs 6:21 (verbal): Commands to 'bind' commandments on the heart and wear them continually, echoing the practical imagery of retaining and carrying wise words.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-8 (allusion): Earliest Israelite injunction to keep God's words on the heart and bind them on hand/forehead; serves as canonical background for Proverbs' stress on internalizing and vocal readiness of instruction.
- Psalm 119:11 (thematic): Speaks of hiding God's word in the heart to prevent sin — parallels the ethical purpose of keeping wisdom within so it will be present 'on your lips.'
- Joshua 1:8 (verbal): Commands the Law not to depart from your mouth and to meditate on it day and night, paralleling Prov 22:18's idea that stored sayings will be ready upon the lips.
Alternative generated candidates
- For they are pleasant if you keep them within you; they will be fitted together on your lips.
- For they are pleasant—if you keep them within you, they will be ready together on your lips.
Pro.22.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- להיות: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- ביהוה: PREP+PN,sg
- מבטחך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- הודעתיך: VERB,hiph,perf,1,sg+2ms
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אף: ADV
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 3:5 (verbal): Directly parallels the injunction to place trust in Yahweh (‘Trust in the LORD…’); both passages instruct reliance on God as the proper posture of the reader.
- Jeremiah 17:7 (verbal): Uses similar language of blessing/confidence for the one who trusts in the LORD, reinforcing the theological theme that trusting God is the source of security.
- Isaiah 26:4 (verbal): Commands trust in the LORD as enduring refuge (‘Trust in the LORD forever…’), echoing Proverbs’ call to make God the object of one’s confidence.
- Psalm 118:8 (thematic): Contrasts trusting God with trusting humans (‘It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man’), thematically aligned with Proverbs’ emphasis on confidence in Yahweh.
- Proverbs 29:25 (thematic): Another Proverbs parallel that links fear/trust dynamics: human fear leads to danger, but trusting in the LORD brings safety—reinforcing the same instructional aim as 22:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- So that your confidence may be in the LORD—I make you know this today, even you.
- So that your confidence may be in the LORD—I make them known to you today, even to you.
Pro.22.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הלא: PART
- כתבתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- שלישים: NUM,pl,m
- במועצת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.22:17 (structural): Immediate context in the same pericope: an exhortation to hear the words of the wise and apply the heart to knowledge, leading into the claim that the author has written sayings of counsel.
- Prov.22:21 (structural): Follows v.20 and gives the purpose of the written sayings — to make the reader know and trust the instruction offered.
- Prov.1:2 (thematic): Introductory summary of Proverbs emphasizing the goal 'to know wisdom and instruction'—shares the same concern for imparting counsel and knowledge.
- Exod.24:4 (verbal): Uses the same verbal action of writing down important words/commands ('Moses wrote all the words of the Lord'), paralleling the motif of committing instruction to writing.
- Jer.30:2 (allusion): Jeremiah is commanded to 'write all the words' given to him — a similar prophetic/authorial motif of recording divine counsel for instruction and preservation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have I not written for you thirty sayings, counsel and knowledge,
- Have I not written for you thirty sayings in counsel and knowledge?
Pro.22.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- להודיעך: VERB,hiph,inf,2,m,sg
- קשט: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- להשיב: VERB,qal,inf
- אמרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לשלחיך: VERB,qal,inf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 1:9 (thematic): God puts words in the prophet’s mouth so he can speak truth when sent—parallels the commissioning and provision of ‘words of truth’ to be answered to those who send you.
- Ezekiel 3:3 (thematic): Ezekiel eats the scroll and is commanded to speak its contents to Israel—an image of receiving and delivering truthful words as a messenger.
- Psalm 119:160 (verbal): “The sum of thy word is truth” echoes the emphasis on the certainty and truthfulness of divine words referenced in Proverbs.
- Malachi 2:7 (thematic): Speaks of the priest as the LORD’s messenger whose lips preserve knowledge—parallels the role of one entrusted with true words to deliver to others.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20 (thematic): Paul’s description of apostles as ambassadors (‘sent’) charged to plead Christ’s truth parallels being sent with words of truth to answer those who commission you.
Alternative generated candidates
- to make known to you the arrangement of truthful sayings, to give a reliable answer for those who send you?
- To make you know certain words of truth, to enable you to return words of truth to those who send you.
Pro.22.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תגזל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- דל: ADJ,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- דל: ADJ,m,sg
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תדכא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 14:31 (verbal): Both verses condemn mistreatment of the poor; Proverbs 14:31 states that oppressing the poor is an affront to their Maker, echoing the prohibition against harming the poor.
- Exodus 23:6 (verbal): A legal prohibition against perverting the cause of the poor in a lawsuit; parallels the Proverbs injunction not to rob or crush the poor at the gate (the public place of judgment).
- Leviticus 19:15 (structural): Commands impartial justice—'do not be partial to the poor or defer to the great'—relating to the Proverbs concern for fair treatment of the poor in public/judicial settings.
- Amos 5:11 (thematic): Condemns trampling the needy and taking bribes, reflecting the prophetic denunciation of economic and judicial oppression of the poor found in Proverbs 22:22.
- Zechariah 7:10 (thematic): Explicitly forbids oppressing the widow, fatherless, sojourner and poor—a social-ethical parallel urging protection of vulnerable groups against exploitation.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not rob the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate.
- Do not defraud the poor because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate.
Pro.22.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יריב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ריבם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3mp
- וקבע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- קבעיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,pronom,3,mp
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 10:17-18 (thematic): Both speak of God hearing and acting on behalf of the humble/oppressed so that oppressors will no longer prevail; a promise of divine vindication for the afflicted.
- Psalm 146:7-9 (thematic): Declares that the LORD executes justice for the oppressed and frustrates the plans of the wicked—closely parallel in theme to God pleading the cause of the poor and punishing their oppressors.
- Jeremiah 22:3 (verbal): Commands doing justice and rescuing the plundered from the hand of the oppressor; language and concern for deliverance of the afflicted parallel Proverbs’ assurance that the LORD will plead their cause.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (thematic): Affirms that God 'executes justice for the fatherless and the widow'—a legal/ethical background for Proverbs’ claim that the LORD defends the vulnerable.
- Zechariah 7:9-10 (thematic): Calls for true justice and not oppressing widows, orphans, foreigners and the poor; echoes the prophetic/ethical expectation that God vindicates those wronged by others.
Alternative generated candidates
- For the LORD will take up their cause and will exact vengeance for them; he will defend the life of the needy.
- For the LORD will take up their cause and plunder the life of those who plunder them.
Pro.22.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תתרע: VERB,hitpael,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- בעל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אף: ADV
- ואת: CONJ
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 29:22 (verbal): Uses the same idea/terminology about a hot-tempered/angry man ('hot-tempered man' / 'angry man') and links such temper to stirring up strife and many transgressions—explaining why one should avoid him.
- Proverbs 14:29 (thematic): Contrasts patience and quick temper: patience is wisdom/understanding, while a quick-tempered person displays folly—supporting the prudence of avoiding the wrathful.
- Proverbs 20:3 (thematic): Advises keeping aloof from strife; endorses distancing oneself from quarrelsome or contentious people, parallel to the warning not to associate with the wrathful.
- Proverbs 17:14 (thematic): Warns that the beginning of strife should be stopped before it grows—implies prudence in avoiding relationships that provoke ongoing conflict, like with an angry person.
- James 1:19-20 (allusion): New Testament echo of wisdom about anger: be slow to anger because human anger does not produce God's righteousness—reflects the same ethical concern that justifies avoiding the wrathful.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not make friends with a man given to wrath, and do not go with a hot‑tempered man,
- Do not associate with a man given to anger, nor go with a hot-tempered man.
Pro.22.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פן: CONJ
- תאלף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ארחתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ולקחת: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- מוקש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנפשך: PREP
Parallels
- Prov.6:1-5 (verbal): Explicit parallel warning against becoming surety/striking hands in pledge; uses similar language and counsel to avoid being trapped by another's obligations.
- Prov.11:15 (thematic): States the danger of acting as surety for a stranger and the adverse consequences—same theme of avoiding hazardous guarantees.
- Prov.17:18 (verbal): Describes the folly of striking hands and becoming surety for a friend—verbal parallel concerning rash financial commitments.
- Prov.20:16 (verbal): Speaks of taking a garment when someone becomes surety for a stranger—another proverb addressing suretyship and its practical/legal fallout.
- 2 Cor.6:14 (thematic): New Testament parallel warning against being unequally yoked with unbelievers; thematically akin to Proverbs' caution about entering bindings/associations that endanger oneself.
Alternative generated candidates
- lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself with a snare for your soul.
- Lest you learn his ways and be entangled in a snare for your soul.
Pro.22.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- בתקעי: PREP
- כף: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- בערבים: PREP
- משאות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 6:1-5 (verbal): Direct admonition against becoming surety/putting up security for another’s debt; same warning motif and similar wording about pledges.
- Proverbs 11:15 (verbal): Contrasts the danger of acting as a guarantor with the safety of refusing to give security; closely parallels the cautionary theme and phrasing.
- Proverbs 20:16 (verbal): Speaks of taking a garment as collateral when one becomes surety for a stranger—legal/financial imagery tied to pledges and guarantees found in 22:26.
- Proverbs 27:13 (verbal): Repeats the motif of seizing a pledge/garment when someone stands as surety for a stranger, echoing the practical consequences of giving security.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (thematic): Legal regulation about taking and returning a debtor’s pledge (cloak) provides background for the Proverbs’ concerns about pledges, surety, and debtor protection.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not be one who strikes hands, who gives surety for debts among strangers.
- Do not be among those who put up security, among those who become guarantors for debts.
Pro.22.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- אין: PART,neg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- לשלם: INF,qal,inf
- למה: ADV
- יקח: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- משכבך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+SUFF,2,m,sg
- מתחתיך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 22:26-27 (verbal): Law forbids keeping a debtor's garment overnight because it is his covering; closely parallels the proverb's image of a creditor taking away a man's bed/covering.
- Deuteronomy 24:6 (structural): Prohibits taking essential implements or a man's cloak as security since doing so endangers his life/livelihood, echoing the moral/legal concern behind the proverb.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (verbal): Requires return of a pledged cloak by sunset because it is the debtor's only covering; parallel instruction to avoid depriving a person of his bed/covering.
- Proverbs 6:1-5 (thematic): Warns against becoming surety for another and urges freeing oneself from pledged obligations—same practical ethical counsel about dangers of guaranteeing debts.
- Nehemiah 5:5-11 (thematic): Describes nobles taking fields, vineyards and houses as pledges and stripping people of livelihood; a social-justice parallel illustrating the consequences the proverb warns about.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you have nothing to pay, why should he take your bed from under you?
- If you have nothing to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
Pro.22.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תסג: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אבותיך: NOUN,m,pl,cons,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (verbal): Direct legal prohibition: 'You shall not move your neighbor's landmark'—same instruction against altering boundary stones.
- Deuteronomy 27:17 (quotation): Covenantal curse formula: 'Cursed is anyone who moves his neighbor's landmark,' echoing the prohibition with explicit sanction.
- Proverbs 23:10 (verbal): Near-duplicate proverb: repeats the command not to remove the ancient boundary set by one's fathers (very close verbal parallel).
- Job 24:2 (verbal): Complaint that some 'remove the landmark' to seize land/flocks—uses the same image of moving boundary stones to describe social injustice.
- Isaiah 5:8 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of those who seize and consolidate land ('who join house to house, field to field')—a thematic condemnation of land-grabbing related to shifting boundaries.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not remove the ancient boundary which your fathers have set.
- Do not remove an ancient boundary stone that your fathers have set.
Pro.22.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חזית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהיר: ADJ,m,sg
- במלאכתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cs+prn,3,m,sg
- לפני: PREP
- מלכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יתיצב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בל: PART
- יתיצב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לפני: PREP
- חשכים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.12:24 (verbal): Both link diligence with rising to rule — 'the hand of the diligent will rule' parallels standing before kings as the reward of industriousness.
- Prov.10:4 (thematic): Contrasts sloth and diligence: diligent hands bring prosperity, echoing the proverb’s promise that skillful, swift work leads to prominent standing.
- Daniel 6:3 (structural): Daniel is promoted above the officials because of his excellence, illustrating the proverb’s idea that competent, distinguished service brings one before kings.
- Gen.41:39-41 (thematic): Joseph’s wisdom and ability lead Pharaoh to set him over the land, a narrative example of how exceptional skill results in elevation before a ruler.
- Matt.25:21 (allusion): The faithful steward is commended and rewarded by his master — a New Testament echo of the principle that faithful, capable service receives honor and standing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
- Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Pro.23.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תשב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ללחום: VERB,qal,inf
- את: PRT,acc
- מושל: VERB,qal,ptc,0,m,sg
- בין: PREP
- תבין: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.25:6-7 (structural): Same wisdom corpus giving practical rules for behavior at a ruler's feast—do not exalt yourself or press for the place of honor before a king.
- Dan.1:8 (thematic): Daniel's refusal of the king's food and wine exemplifies prudent restraint and moral discernment when dining in a royal household.
- Luke 14:7-11 (thematic): Jesus' teaching to take the lowest place at a banquet to avoid shame parallels the social prudence and caution advised when sitting before the powerful.
- Esther 5:1-3 (thematic): Esther's cautious and strategic approach to the king and the banquets she gives/attends illustrates the need for careful conduct and awareness in the royal presence.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you sit down to dine with a ruler, consider carefully what lies before you,
- When you sit down to dine with a ruler, note carefully what is before you.
Pro.23.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושמת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- שכין: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בלעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,prsuf,2,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- בעל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.23:1-3 (structural): Immediate context — sitting to eat with a ruler and the warning not to covet his dainties; 23:2 is part of this admonition to restrain appetite at a feast.
- Prov.23:20-21 (thematic): General Proverbs warning against gluttony and drunkenness — both passages counsel self-control over appetite and its social/ethical consequences.
- Prov.25:16 (thematic): “If you find honey, eat only as much as you need” — another proverb urging moderation in eating to avoid excess and harm.
- Prov.25:27 (thematic): “It is not good to eat much honey” — similar caution that overindulgence in pleasant food is harmful, echoing the restraint urged in 23:2.
- 1 Corinthians 9:27 (thematic): Paul’s image of disciplining the body (‘I buffet my body and bring it into subjection’) parallels the Proverbs’ hyperbolic call to stringent self-control over appetites.
Alternative generated candidates
- and put a knife to your throat if you are a man of appetite.
- Set a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.
Pro.23.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תתאו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- למטעמותיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3,m,sg
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כזבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.20:17 (verbal): Uses the same food/deception metaphor: 'Bread of deceit is sweet to a man, but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel' — echoes 'do not desire his delicacies… they are deceptive food.'
- Prov.1:10–11 (thematic): A general warning against consenting to sinners' enticements ('If sinners entice you, do not consent') — parallels the admonition not to crave another's tempting offerings.
- Prov.7:6–23 (structural): The narrative of the adulterous woman who entices a young man with flattering speech, food/offerings and sweet words — a concrete example of seductive, deceptive 'delicacies' that lead to ruin.
- Prov.21:17 (thematic): Warns that loving pleasure leads to want ('Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man') — thematically related to the counsel not to desire pleasurable but deceptive fare.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
- Do not crave his delicacies; for they are deceptive food.
Pro.23.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תיגע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- להעשיר: PREP+VERB,hiphil,inf
- מבינתך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss:2,ms
- חדל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.23.5 (verbal): Immediate continuation of the warning: riches are fleeting when pursued; complements the exhortation not to wear yourself out for wealth.
- Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (thematic): Qoheleth recounts labor and accumulation of wealth as ultimately vain and unsatisfying, echoing the proverb's warning against exhausting oneself for riches.
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 (thematic): ‘He who loves money will not be satisfied with money’—a parallel observation that seeking wealth breeds unrest rather than contentment.
- Luke 12:15-21 (thematic): Jesus' parable of the rich fool cautions against accumulating wealth for oneself and failing to be 'rich toward God,' resonating with the injunction to stop striving for riches.
- 1 Timothy 6:9-10 (thematic): Paul warns that the desire to be rich leads to temptation, ruin, and many harmful passions—reflecting the Proverbs' caution about the dangers of pursuing wealth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not weary yourself to be rich; cease from your own understanding.
- Do not weary yourself to become rich; cease from your own wisdom.
Pro.23.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התעיף: VERB,hitp,imp,2,m,sg
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואיננו: VERB,qal,pres,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעשה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- כנפים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כנשר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יעוף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- השמים: NOUN,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Proverbs 27:24 (thematic): Both verses stress the transience of wealth — riches do not last forever and cannot be relied on as permanent security.
- Psalm 49:16-17 (thematic): Warns against trusting in riches because at death a person carries nothing away, paralleling Proverbs' point that wealth 'flies away' and is ultimately futile.
- Matthew 6:19-21 (thematic): Jesus' admonition not to store up earthly treasures because they decay or are stolen echoes Proverbs' warning about the impermanence of riches.
- Isaiah 40:31 (verbal): Shares the eagle-and-wings imagery (’wings like an eagle’), providing a verbal/imagistic link though Isaiah uses it positively for divine renewal while Proverbs uses it to depict wealth's swift departure.
- Ecclesiastes 5:15 (thematic): Describes the futility of material gain at death (born naked, die naked), resonating with Proverbs' message that riches are fleeting and cannot be permanently possessed.
Alternative generated candidates
- When you set your eyes on it, it is gone; for suddenly it flies away like an eagle toward heaven.
- Set your eyes on it, and it is gone; wealth will sprout wings like an eagle and fly toward the heavens.
Pro.23.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תלחם: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רע: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תתאיו: VERB,hitpael,impf,2,m,sg
- למטעמתיו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.23:7 (structural): Immediate context — explains the reason for refusing the stingy man's food: his heart is deceitful though he invites you.
- Prov.23:8 (structural): Continues the same episode — promises of hospitality are insincere and will result in indigestion/vomiting (literal and figurative).
- Prov.20:17 (thematic): Warns that 'bread of deceit' may seem sweet but brings harm afterward — thematically parallels refusing food that is morally or practically harmful.
- Prov.25:16 (verbal): Advises moderation with delightful food ('if you find honey… lest you vomit') — echoes the warning not to crave another's delicacies which can lead to regret or sickness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, nor desire his delicacies,
- Do not eat the bread of an envious person; do not desire his delicacies.
Pro.23.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כמו: PREP
- שער: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בנפשו: PREP,3,m,sg
- כן: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ושתה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ולבו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- בל: PART
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
Parallels
- Luke 6:45 (verbal): Inner character determines speech and action — “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks,” paralleling Prov 23:7’s link between what is in the heart and what a person says (inviting you while his heart is elsewhere).
- Isaiah 29:13 (allusion): Condemns lip-service with a distant heart — “they draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,” echoing the motif of outward words not matching inner disposition in Prov 23:7.
- Matthew 15:8 (quotation): Jesus cites Isaiah 29:13 to criticize hypocritical speech — parallels Prov 23:7’s depiction of someone who says ‘eat and drink’ while his heart is not with you (external words vs inner reality).
- Proverbs 4:23 (thematic): Emphasizes guarding the heart because life flows from it — thematically linked to Prov 23:7’s stress on the heart’s determining role for a person’s true character and actions.
- Jeremiah 17:9 (thematic): Describes the deceitful, hidden nature of the heart — supports Prov 23:7’s warning that inward intent may not align with outward words or invitations.
Alternative generated candidates
- for as he thinks within himself, so is he. He says to you, "Eat and drink," but his heart is not with you.
- For as he thinks within himself, so is he. He eats and drinks and tells you—yet his heart is not with you.
Pro.23.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פתך: NOUN,f,sg,cstr,2,m,sg
- אכלת: VERB,qal,ptcp,0,f,sg
- תקיאנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ושחת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דבריך: NOUN,m,pl,abs+2ms
- הנעימים: ADJ,m,pl,def
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:19 (verbal): Both verses contrast excessive speech with wisdom—many words lead to trouble, while restraint preserves pleasant or wise speech.
- Proverbs 13:3 (thematic): Connects the idea that guarding one’s mouth preserves life and speech, implying that failing to guard words can cause loss of 'pleasant words' or good standing.
- Proverbs 17:27-28 (thematic): Emphasizes restraint and silence as marks of wisdom; like Prov 23:8, it implies that unguarded talk forfeits the advantage of gracious or pleasant speech.
- Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 (thematic): Contrasts wise, gracious words with the folly of many words; warns that excessive or foolish speech brings ruin—paralleling the loss of pleasant words in Prov 23:8.
- Psalm 12:3-4 (allusion): Condemns flattering or deceitful 'pleasant words' and looks for divine intervention to cut them off, resonating with Prov 23:8’s theme that pleasant words can be lost or exposed.
Alternative generated candidates
- You will vomit up your morsel; you will lose the pleasant words you spoke.
- You have eaten his bread—vomit it; and your pleasant words are wasted.
Pro.23.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באזני: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- כסיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תדבר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יבוז: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לשכל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מליך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.9:7-8 (thematic): Warns against reproving a scoffer/fool who will hate or despise correction, echoing the idea that a fool will reject wise speech.
- Prov.14:7 (thematic): Advises leaving the presence of a fool because there one does not find words of knowledge—similar counsel to avoid addressing a fool.
- Prov.26:4 (verbal): Direct instruction not to answer a fool according to his folly (to avoid becoming like him), closely related to the warning against speaking into a fool's ear.
- Matt.7:6 (thematic): Jesus' admonition not to cast holy things before dogs or pearls before swine reflects the same principle of withholding valuable teaching from those who will despise or trample it.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
- Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
Pro.23.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תסג: VERB,piel,impf,2,m,sg
- גבול: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובשדי: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- יתומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- תבא: VERB,qal,impf,2,f,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (verbal): Direct legal parallel forbidding removal of a neighbor's landmark set by ancestors ('You shall not move your neighbor's landmark').
- Deuteronomy 27:17 (quotation): Covenantal curse formula: 'Cursed is anyone who moves his neighbor's boundary mark' — a closely related prohibition against altering ancestral boundaries.
- Proverbs 22:28 (verbal): Near-duplicate proverb: 'Do not move the ancient landmark that your fathers set' — essentially the same admonition within Proverbs.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Condemns those who covet and seize fields and houses — thematically parallels the warning not to enter or appropriate the fields of the fatherless.
- Isaiah 10:2 (thematic): Denounces depriving the needy and making the fatherless a prey — thematically aligned with the prohibition against exploiting or entering orphans' fields.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not move the ancient boundary, and do not go into the fields of the fatherless.
- Do not remove the ancient boundary, and do not enter the field of the fatherless.
Pro.23.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- גאלם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,3,pl
- חזק: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- יריב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- ריבם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3mp
- אתך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 19:25 (verbal): Uses the same root concept of a 'redeemer' (Heb. גאל/גואל). Job's 'my redeemer lives' and Prov.23:11 both invoke a personal/divine redeemer who vindicates the sufferer.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (thematic): Speaks of God executing justice for the fatherless and the widow—parallel concern for divine vindication and protection of the vulnerable.
- Psalm 68:5 (thematic): Describes God as 'father of the fatherless' and protector of widows, echoing Prov.23:11’s assurance that the powerless have a strong defender.
- Psalm 146:9 (thematic): Affirms that the LORD watches over the stranger, sustains the fatherless and the widow—similar promise of divine care and advocacy for the oppressed.
- Malachi 3:5 (thematic): God declares he will testify against those who oppress the widow, the orphan and the hired—parallels Prov.23:11’s warning that a mighty redeemer will plead the cause of the vulnerable.
Alternative generated candidates
- For their Redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you.
- For their Redeemer is mighty; he will plead their case against you.
Pro.23.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הביאה: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,f,sg
- למוסר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ואזנך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRS,2,m,sg
- לאמרי: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,cstr
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 2:2 (verbal): Uses nearly identical instruction to 'incline your ear to wisdom' and 'apply your heart to understanding'—close verbal parallel urging attentiveness to wisdom and instruction.
- Proverbs 4:20 (verbal): Parental exhortation 'attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings' echoes the same summons to give heart and ear to teaching and knowledge.
- Proverbs 18:15 (verbal): Links heart and ear with acquisition of knowledge—'the heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge' parallels the dual appeal to heart (moral/intellectual disposition) and ear (listening).
- Proverbs 1:5 (thematic): Theme of active listening for growth: 'Let the wise hear and increase in learning' aligns thematically with applying the heart and ears to instruction and words of knowledge.
Alternative generated candidates
- Apply your heart to instruction, and your ear to words of knowledge.
- Apply your heart to instruction, and your ear to words of knowledge.
Pro.23.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תמנע: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מנער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
- כי: CONJ
- תכנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- בשבט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ימות: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 13:24 (verbal): Uses the same imagery of the rod and links sparing discipline to hatred of a son — closely parallels the exhortation not to withhold corporal discipline.
- Proverbs 22:15 (verbal): Speaks of 'the rod' removing foolishness from a child’s heart, echoing the causal claim that physical discipline corrects juvenile folly.
- Proverbs 29:15 (thematic): Asserts that 'the rod and reproof give wisdom,' reinforcing the theme that punishment and correction are necessary for a child's moral formation.
- Proverbs 19:18 (thematic): Commands discipline because there is hope for change, similar to Prov 23:13’s assumption that chastening will not kill but reform the child.
- Ephesians 6:4 (thematic): New Testament parallel on parental responsibility: calls for disciplined upbringing and instruction (though cautioning against provocation), reflecting the Old Testament concern for orderly child-rearing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with the rod he will not die.
- Do not withhold discipline from the child; for if you strike him with the rod, he will not die.
Pro.23.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- בשבט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תכנו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg+OBJ:3,m,sg
- ונפשו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- משאול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תציל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 13:24 (verbal): Uses the same 'rod' discipline motif—spare the rod vs. using the rod as loving correction to prevent harm; closely parallels 23:14's idea that corporal discipline preserves a child.
- Proverbs 22:15 (verbal): Speaks of the 'rod of discipline' driving folly away from the child—similar function to 23:14's claim that discipline saves a child's life/soul from ruin.
- Proverbs 19:18 (thematic): Commands disciplining a son 'for there is hope' and warns against desiring his death; thematically linked to 23:14's contrast between corrective discipline and ultimate ruin (Sheol).
- Hebrews 12:7-11 (thematic): Describes divine discipline as fatherly, corrective, and for the recipient's benefit—a New Testament theological parallel to the proverb's view of discipline as life-preserving.
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall strike him with the rod and save his soul from Sheol.
- Strike him with the rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
Pro.23.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- אם: CONJ
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ישמח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- גם: ADV
- אני: PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:1 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel: 'A wise son makes a glad father'—same idea of a parent's joy when a child is wise.
- Proverbs 15:20 (verbal): Similar wording and contrast motif: wisdom in a son brings happiness to his father, while folly brings sorrow to the mother.
- Proverbs 23:24 (thematic): Same chapter and theme: the father of a righteous/wise child rejoices greatly—explicitly links parental rejoicing to a child's righteousness.
- Luke 15:24 (thematic): New Testament parallel of parental joy over a son's restoration/turning (the Prodigal Son): thematic connection of a parent's great rejoicing when a child is 'right' or returns to the right way.
Alternative generated candidates
- My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad—yes, my inmost parts will rejoice,
- My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—my very own.
Pro.23.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותעלזנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- כליותי: NOUN,f,pl,poss1
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפתיך: NOUN,f,sg,cs+2ms
- מישרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 12:25 (thematic): Contrasts inner distress with the power of a 'good word' to make the heart glad—similar theme of words producing inward joy.
- Proverbs 15:23 (verbal): Speaks of joy arising from an answer of the mouth and timely words, closely paralleling rejoicing at righteous speech.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Jeremiah describes God's words as food and 'the joy and rejoicing of my heart,' a very close verbal and thematic echo of inward delight at spoken truth.
- Psalm 19:14 (thematic): Prays that the words of the mouth and meditation of the heart be acceptable—links speech and inner disposition, as Proverbs links lips' speech to the rejoicing of the inward parts.
- Proverbs 16:24 (thematic): 'Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul'—another proverb stating that gracious/true speech brings sweetness or joy to one's inner life.
Alternative generated candidates
- and my hidden parts will exult when your lips speak what is right.
- And my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
Pro.23.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- יקנא: VERB,qal,imf,3,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- בחטאים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- ביראת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,cstr
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Proverbs 24:1 (verbal): Uses the same injunction against envying the wicked (shares wording and immediate proverbial parallel).
- Proverbs 3:31 (verbal): Another Proverbs warning not to envy the violent/wicked and to reject their ways—same moral counsel against envy.
- Psalm 37:1-2 (thematic): Counsels not to fret or be envious of evildoers because their success is fleeting—echoes the admonition to avoid envying sinners.
- Psalm 73:2-3 (thematic): Asaph confesses envying the arrogant when he saw their prosperity; the psalm then moves toward trusting God—parallels the struggle and corrective attitude urged in Prov 23:17.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let not your heart envy sinners, but be always in the fear of the LORD.
- Let not your heart envy sinners; be in the fear of the LORD all day long.
Pro.23.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אחרית: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ותקותך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+2ms
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכרת: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 24:14 (verbal): Nearly identical wording; both state that finding wisdom (or heeding instruction) yields a future and that one’s hope will not be cut off.
- Proverbs 10:28 (thematic): Contrasts the destiny of the righteous and the wicked—hope and future for the righteous versus perishing expectation for the wicked, echoing Proverbs 23:18’s assurance of a preserved hope.
- Jeremiah 29:11 (thematic): God’s promise to give a hopeful future uses the same pair of concepts—future and hope—serving as a broader theological parallel about divine providence and hope for the future.
- Isaiah 40:31 (thematic): Speaks of hope in the LORD leading to renewed strength and sustained endurance; thematically parallels Proverbs’ assurance that hope/enduring future is not cut off for the faithful.
Alternative generated candidates
- For surely there is a future; your hope will not be cut off.
- For surely there is a future; your hope will not be cut off.
Pro.23.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- וחכם: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ואשר: CONJ+PRON,rel
- בדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:8 (verbal): Same parental address and imperative 'Hear, my son' — a recurring instruction formula urging children to accept parental wisdom.
- Proverbs 4:1-2 (verbal): Another fatherly exhortation beginning 'Hear, O children' that frames the transmission of wisdom and the need to follow a wise path.
- Proverbs 4:23 (thematic): Closely related theme about the heart — 'keep/guard your heart' — linking inner guidance and moral direction with life’s path.
- Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (thematic): Parental duty to internalize and teach God's words so they dwell in the heart, echoing the idea of guiding the heart in the way one should go.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear, my son, and be wise; and guide your heart in the way.
- Hear, my son, and be wise; guide your heart in the way.
Pro.23.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- בסבאי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בזללי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בשר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Prov.20:1 (verbal): Both verses single out wine/strong drink as dangerous—Prov.20:1 calls wine a ‘mocker’ and strong drink a brawler, echoing the warning against associating with drinkers.
- Prov.23:29-35 (structural): Immediate context of chap.23 expands on the harms of lingering over wine, listing the woes and effects of heavy drinking that the exhortation in v.20 seeks to avoid.
- Prov.21:17 (thematic): Links love of pleasure and wine to ruin and poverty; shares the broader wisdom theme warning against indulgence in drink and excess.
- Isaiah 5:11 (thematic): A prophetic woe against those who rise early to pursue intoxicating drink and revelry—paralleling the moral condemnation of habitual drinking and company of drinkers.
- Ephesians 5:18 (thematic): New Testament ethical parallel that forbids getting drunk with wine, reflecting the same concern to avoid intoxication and its associations.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not be among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat.
- Do not be among those who drink too much wine, nor among gluttons who consume meat.
Pro.23.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- סבא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וזולל: VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- יורש: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- וקרעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תלביש: VERB,hif,impf,3,f,sg
- נומה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.21:17 (thematic): Links love of pleasure, wine, and indulgence with resulting poverty—same moral cause-and-effect as drunkenness/gluttony leading to ruin.
- Prov.6:10-11 (verbal): Explicitly connects a little sleep/laziness to the coming of poverty ("so shall thy poverty come"), paralleling 23:21's "drowsiness clothes them in rags."
- Prov.19:15 (verbal): States that slothfulness casts into deep sleep and an idle soul suffers hunger—another close proverb equating sleepiness/laziness with want.
- Prov.20:1 (thematic): Warns that wine is a mocker and strong drink leads astray, thematically parallel in its condemnation of drunkenness and its harmful effects.
- Eph.5:18 (thematic): New Testament exhortation not to be drunk with wine but filled with the Spirit—reflects the same negative view of drunkenness and its moral consequences.
Alternative generated candidates
- For drunkards and gluttons become poor; drowsiness clothes them with rags.
- For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty; and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
Pro.23.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לאביך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,2,m,sg
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ילדך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תבוז: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- כי: CONJ
- זקנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אמך: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.6:20 (verbal): Nearly identical parental imperative—'Keep your father's commandment and forsake not the law of your mother,' echoing the call to heed father and mother.
- Exod.20:12 (quotation): The Decalogue's command to 'Honor your father and your mother' provides the legal/ethical basis for Proverbs' injunction to listen to and not despise parents.
- Deut.5:16 (quotation): Restates the Ten Commandments' parental honor command in the covenant context, paralleling Proverbs' appeal to respect parents.
- Lev.19:32 (thematic): Commands respect for the aged—'stand up in the presence of the aged'—sharing the theme of honoring and not despising elders, including parents.
- Eph.6:2-3 (quotation): New Testament quotation of the command to honor parents ('Honor your father and mother') and the promise attached, reflecting continuity with Proverbs' admonition to obey and not despise parents.
Alternative generated candidates
- Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
- Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Pro.23.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- קנה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תמכר: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ומוסר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובינה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 4:7 (verbal): Same imperative to acquire wisdom and understanding—’get wisdom…with all thy getting get understanding’ echoes ‘buy the truth…wisdom…and understanding.’
- Proverbs 8:10-11 (verbal): Uses exchange imagery (receive rather than silver) and values wisdom over wealth—closely parallels the ‘buy…do not sell’ language and the preference for wisdom over riches.
- Proverbs 16:16 (thematic): Explicitly compares gaining wisdom and understanding to acquiring wealth (‘better to get wisdom than gold’), reinforcing the proverb’s valuation of truth/wisdom above material gain.
- Proverbs 19:8 (thematic): Affirms the personal benefit of acquiring wisdom and instruction (‘He that gets wisdom loves his own soul’), echoing the emphasis on obtaining and keeping wisdom in 23:23.
Alternative generated candidates
- Buy the truth, and do not sell wisdom and instruction and understanding.
- Buy truth, and do not sell wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
Pro.23.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גיל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יגיל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אבי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויולד: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- ישמח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:1 (verbal): Same proverb structure and contrast: 'A wise son makes a glad father; a foolish son is the grief of his mother' — directly parallels the joy of a father over a righteous/wise child.
- Proverbs 15:20 (verbal): Closely related wording: contrasts a wise son who brings joy to his father with a foolish son who brings sorrow to his mother, reinforcing the theme of parental joy in response to a child's wisdom/righteousness.
- Proverbs 23:25 (verbal): Immediate contextual parallel: calls for father and mother to rejoice in the child — closely echoes the theme of parental rejoicing over a pleasing child.
- Proverbs 17:6 (thematic): Speaks of intergenerational honor and delight ('Children's children are a crown to the aged; and the glory of children are their fathers'), thematically linked to the joy a righteous/wise child brings to parents and grandparents.
- Psalm 127:3 (thematic): Describes children as a heritage and blessing from the LORD, connecting to the broader biblical theme that offspring who are righteous/wise are a source of parental joy and blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
- Let the father of the righteous rejoice greatly; let he who fathers a wise son be glad in him.
Pro.23.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישמח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אביך: NOUN,m,sg,suff+2ms
- ואמך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,ms
- ותגל: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- יולדתך: NOUN,ptc,f,sg,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:1 (verbal): Uses near-identical idea and language: a wise son causes his father to rejoice, paralleling the exhortation that parents be glad.
- Proverbs 17:25 (thematic): Contrasts the outcome of a foolish child with 23:25's blessing — where a child brings joy to parents, a foolish son brings grief and bitterness.
- Psalm 127:3-5 (thematic): Portrays children as a blessing and source of parental joy and honor, thematically linked to parental rejoicing in 23:25.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 (thematic): Paul speaks of his converts as his 'hope, joy, and crown' — a New Testament echo of the motif that children or spiritual offspring are a chief cause of a parent's rejoicing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let your father and your mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.
- May your father and mother be glad, and may she who bore you rejoice.
Pro.23.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- תנה: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- ועיניך: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+suff(2ms)
- דרכי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,_,sg
- תצרנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:19 (verbal): Also addresses 'my son' and exhorts inward orientation—'Guide your heart in the way'—closely parallel concern for the son's heart and conduct.
- Proverbs 4:23 (verbal): Commands vigilance over the heart ('Keep your heart with all diligence'), paralleling the moral/spiritual centrality of the heart in Prov 23:26.
- Deuteronomy 6:5 (thematic): Calls for wholehearted devotion ('love the LORD your God with all your heart'), paralleling the summons to give one's heart and attention to the teacher's ways.
- Psalm 119:10 (thematic): Speaks of seeking God with the whole heart and not straying from his commands, echoing the plea for wholehearted commitment and attentive observance of the ways addressed in Prov 23:26.
- Matthew 22:37 (thematic): Jesus' call to love God with all one's heart reflects the New Testament fulfillment of the biblical ethic of giving the heart and directing one's eyes/affection to the right way.
Alternative generated candidates
- My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes keep to my ways.
- Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes keep to my ways.
Pro.23.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שוחה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עמקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- זונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובאר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- צרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נכריה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 22:14 (verbal): Uses the same metaphor—'the mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit'—a near verbal parallel warning of falling into danger.
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Describes the 'strange woman' whose seductive speech leads to death and destruction, thematically echoing the pit/well imagery of ruin.
- Proverbs 7:24-27 (structural): Narrative account of seduction concluding that her house is 'the way to Sheol' (chambers of death), structurally parallel in its portrayal of sexual folly as a fatal pit.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (thematic): Warns that a strange woman leads the simple away and causes the innocent to lose their life—echoing the theme of sexual temptation as a deadly trap.
Alternative generated candidates
- For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a wayward woman a narrow well.
- For a harlot is a deep pit, and a foreign woman is a narrow well.
Pro.23.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אף: ADV
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- כחתף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תארב: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ובוגדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- באדם: PREP
- תוסף: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:12-23 (structural): A narrative depiction of a seductive woman who lies in wait and ambushes a young man, leading him into sin—parallel imagery of ambush and resultant transgression.
- Proverbs 5:3-6, 11-14 (thematic): Warnings about the ‘strange’/seductive woman whose flattery leads men to ruin and shame; emphasizes the destructive consequences of following her.
- Proverbs 2:16-19 (thematic): Portrays a seductive woman who turns away the faithful and leads to death and loss—echoes the theme of seduction producing moral downfall among men.
- Proverbs 6:24-26 (thematic): Advises to avoid the enticement of an immoral woman, describing how sexual temptation ensnares and brings disgrace—similar trap/ambush metaphor.
- 2 Peter 2:14 (allusion): Speaks of those with eyes full of adultery who entice unstable souls and lead others into sin—New Testament parallel to the corrupter who increases transgressors.
Alternative generated candidates
- She lies in wait like a robber, and increases the unfaithful among men.
- Likewise she lies in wait like a robber, and multiplies the faithless among men.
Pro.23.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למי: PREP,interr
- אוי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למי: PREP,interr
- אבוי: INTJ
- למי: PREP,interr
- מדינים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- למי: PREP,interr
- שיח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למי: PREP,interr
- פצעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חנם: ADV
- למי: PREP,interr
- חכללות: NOUN,f,pl,const
- עינים: NOUN,f,du,abs
Parallels
- Prov.20:1 (verbal): Both verses warn about the effects of wine/strong drink—Prov.20:1 calls wine a mocker and strong drink a brawler, paralleling Prov.23:29’s catalogue of woe, strife, and harm associated with drunkenness.
- Isa.28:7 (verbal): Isaiah describes priests and prophets reeling and seeing visions because of strong drink (staggering in judgment), echoing Prov.23:29’s images of wounds, complaints, and impaired sight (‘redness of eyes’).
- Isa.5:11-12 (thematic): Isaiah condemns those who seek strong drink from morning to night and neglect the Lord’s work; thematically aligns with Proverbs’ critique of the destructive, repetitive behavior that brings woe.
- Hab.2:15 (thematic): Habakkuk pronounces ‘woe’ on one who gives his neighbor drink to gaze on their nakedness and exposes them to shame—echoing the motif of ‘woe’ linked to intoxicating drink and its harmful social consequences.
- Eph.5:18 (structural): Paul’s injunction not to be drunk with wine but be filled with the Spirit functions as a New Testament counterpart to Proverbs’ listing of the harms of drunkenness and the ethical admonition to avoid it.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
- Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaint? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
Pro.23.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- למאחרים: PART,qal,ptcp,3,m,pl,abs
- על: PREP
- היין: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבאים: PART,qal,ptcp,3,m,pl,abs
- לחקר: VERB,qal,inf,-,-,-,abs
- ממסך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 20:1 (verbal): Directly addresses wine and strong drink, warning that wine is a mocker and strong drink a brawler—parallels the caution against lingering over/alcohol consumption.
- Isaiah 28:7 (thematic): Describes priests and prophets who stagger from wine and reel from strong drink—echoes the image of those impaired by wine in Proverbs 23:30.
- Habakkuk 2:15 (thematic): Denounces giving drink to others to make them drunk so their shame is seen—relates to the social and moral consequences of seeking out mixed wine.
- Ephesians 5:18 (structural): New Testament injunction not to get drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit—reflects the continued moral stance against intoxication found in Proverbs.
- Romans 13:13 (thematic): Calls Christians to behave decently and not in orgies or drunkenness—parallels the ethical warning against lingering over wine.
Alternative generated candidates
- Those who linger long over wine, those who go to try mixed wine.
- Those who linger over wine, who go to seek mixed drink.
Pro.23.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תרא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- יין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יתאדם: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- בכוס: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עינו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- יתהלך: VERB,hitp,imprf,3,m,sg
- במישרים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 20:1 (verbal): Both verses warn about wine's deceptive and harmful nature; Prov 20:1 calls wine a 'mocker' and strong drink a 'brawler,' echoing 23:31's caution not to be seduced by wine's appearance.
- Proverbs 23:29-30 (structural): Immediate literary context: 23:29-35 describes the adverse effects of wine (woe, strife, blurred vision, stumbling), directly developing the warning given in 23:31.
- Proverbs 31:4-7 (thematic): Advises that rulers should avoid wine so they do not pervert judgment; thematically parallels 23:31's concern about wine impairing the senses and judgment.
- Isaiah 5:11 (thematic): Condemns those who rise early to seek intoxicating drink and thus bring ruin on themselves—parallel emphasis on alcohol leading to moral and social downfall like in Prov 23:31.
- Ephesians 5:18 (thematic): NT exhortation 'do not get drunk with wine' complements Proverbs 23:31 by warning that wine leads to loss of control and sinful behavior, reinforcing the biblical caution against intoxication.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
- Do not look at wine when it sparkles in the cup, when it glows in the glass and goes down smoothly.
Pro.23.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אחריתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כנחש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישך: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- וכצפעני: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יפרש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.23.31 (structural): Immediate context — verse 31 warns against looking at wine; verse 32 states the consequence, using the snake-aspect as the outcome of indulgence.
- Deut.32.33 (verbal): Uses the same serpent/asp imagery — 'their wine is the poison of serpents' — a close verbal parallel describing a deadly, venomous end.
- Psalm 58.4 (verbal): Describes the wicked's venom as that of a serpent ('their poison is like the poison of a serpent'), echoing the serpent-bite metaphor for harm.
- Psalm 140.3 (verbal): Speaks of tongues/sharpened speech and the venom of asps under the lips — similar language of biting/stinging and serpent-venom as a metaphor for harm.
Alternative generated candidates
- At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.
- In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.
Pro.23.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- יראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- זרות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ולבך: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ידבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תהפכות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:29-35 (structural): Immediate context of 23:33; the extended oracle on wine describes the hallucinatory sights, foolish speech, and ruin that follow intoxication—the same images and warnings continued across these verses.
- Proverbs 20:1 (thematic): ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler’—a parallel proverb that links intoxicants with impaired judgment and foolishness, echoing 23:33’s association of altered vision and perverse speech with drink.
- Isaiah 28:7 (verbal): Speaks of priests and prophets who ‘stagger in vision’ and ‘stumble in judgment’ from wine—language closely paralleling 23:33’s motif of distorted sight and warped heart/judgment due to intoxication.
- Ephesians 5:18 (thematic): New Testament moral admonition not to get drunk (which leads to debauchery) mirrors Proverbs’ concern that intoxication produces perverse thoughts and speech (heart speaking perversity) and corrupt behavior.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
- Your eyes will see strange women, and your heart will utter perverse things.
Pro.23.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כשכב: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- בלב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- וכשכב: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בראש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cstr
- חבל: NOUN,m,sg,cstr
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:29-35 (structural): Immediate context: the whole passage describes the effects of excessive drinking (woe, eyes seeing strange things, lying down), of which v.34 is a climactic image of incapacitation and disorientation.
- Proverbs 20:1 (verbal): Same theme of wine causing loss of self-control—’wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler’—connecting the proverb’s warning to the helpless, stupefied state depicted in 23:34.
- Isaiah 24:20 (thematic): Uses a similar simile of staggering/collapse (‘the earth trembles and reels like a drunkard’), paralleling the imagery of disorientation and falling associated with intoxication.
- Ephesians 5:18 (thematic): New Testament admonition not to be drunk with wine but to be filled with the Spirit; echoes the ethical concern behind Proverbs’ depiction of drinkers reduced to helpless, disgraceful states.
Alternative generated candidates
- You will be as one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or as one who lies on the top of a mast.
- You will be like one who lies down in the middle of the sea, or like one who lies on the top of a mast.
Pro.23.35 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הכוני: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בל: PART
- חליתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- הלמוני: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- בל: PART
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- מתי: ADV,int
- אקיץ: VERB,qal,impf,1,com,sg
- אוסיף: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- אבקשנו: VERB,qal,impf,1,com,sg
- עוד: ADV
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:29-34 (structural): Immediate pericope: the extended warning against wine and strong drink culminating in the numbness, confusion, and repeated seeking described in 23:35.
- Proverbs 20:1 (thematic): 'Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler'—a general proverb about the deceptive, harmful effects of intoxication that underlies the narrative picture in 23:35.
- Isaiah 28:7-8 (thematic): Describes priests and prophets reeling and staggering from wine, losing discernment—parallel imagery of drunken stupor and impaired understanding like that in Proverbs 23.
- Amos 6:1-7 (thematic): Condemns the complacent, indulgent elite who feast and drink excessively; thematically parallels the social and moral critique of overindulgence reflected in Proverbs 23.
- Ephesians 5:18 (thematic): New Testament admonition 'Do not get drunk with wine' echoes the moral concern about drunkenness and its consequences found in Proverbs 23:35.
Alternative generated candidates
- They strike you and you are not hurt; they beat you and you do not know when you will awake. You will seek it yet again, and you will desire it.
- They beat me, and I do not feel it; they strike me, and I do not perceive it. When shall I awake? I will seek another drink.
Pro.24.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תקנא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- באנשי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cs
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תתאיו: VERB,hitpael,impf,2,m,pl
- להיות: VERB,qal,inf,NA,NA,NA
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Prov.3:31 (verbal): Closely parallels the prohibition against envying a violent/evil person; similar wording and moral counsel against coveting the wicked's success.
- Prov.23:17 (verbal): Directly commands not to let the heart envy sinners, echoing the warning in 24:1 against envying or desiring association with evildoers.
- Psalm 37:1 (verbal): Begins with a similar admonition—'Fret not because of evildoers, neither be envious'—linking the themes of envy and response to the wicked.
- Psalm 73:3 (thematic): Describes the psalmist's envy of the prosperity of the wicked, a personal example of the temptation Proverbs 24:1 warns against.
- Prov.1:10 (structural): Warnings against consenting to sinners' enticements and joining their company correspond to 24:1's injunction not to desire association with wicked men.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not envy the wicked, nor desire to be with them;
- Do not envy evildoers, and do not desire to be with them.
Pro.24.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהגה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לבם: NOUN,m,sg,poss
- ועמל: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפתיהם: NOUN,f,pl,pr-3mp
- תדברנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
Parallels
- Prov.6:12-14 (verbal): Describes a wicked person whose heart devises evil and whose mouth plots mischief; closely parallels the language of inward intent and outward speech in Prov 24:2.
- Ps.64:3-6 (thematic): Speaks of adversaries who sharpen their tongues and secretly plot evil, talking of snares and mischief—similar theme of covert malicious counsel and speech.
- Isa.59:7-8 (thematic): Images of feet running to evil and thoughts being of iniquity, with paths of destruction—connects the idea of inner intent producing harmful words and actions found in Prov 24:2.
- Ps.10:7 (verbal): Describes the wicked whose mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and mischief under the tongue; echoes the pairing of corrupt heart/intention and harmful speech in Prov 24:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- for their heart devises violence and their lips talk of mischief.
- For their hearts plan violence, and their lips talk of trouble.
Pro.24.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בחכמה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יבנה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בית: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובתבונה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יתכונן: VERB,hithpael,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.9:1 (verbal): Uses the same building-house imagery—"Wisdom has built her house"—echoing the idea that wisdom is the means by which a house is established.
- Prov.14:1 (thematic): Contrasts a wise woman who builds her house with folly that destroys it; develops the same theme of household stability depending on wisdom.
- Ps.127:1 (thematic): Declares that without the LORD a house cannot be established—adds a theological dimension to the proverb's claim that wisdom/understanding are foundational to building.
- Matt.7:24-27 (structural): Jesus' parable of the wise man building his house on the rock parallels the proverb's connection between wise building and a house that stands (stability and right foundation).
Alternative generated candidates
- By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.
- By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established.
Pro.24.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובדעת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חדרים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ימלאו: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,pl
- כל: DET
- הון: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יקר: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ונעים: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.24:3 (structural): Immediate context/couplet: verse 3 speaks of building/establishing a house by wisdom and understanding, verse 4 continues that knowledge fills its chambers—two halves of the same thought.
- Prov.9:1 (verbal): Uses the same image of wisdom building a house (’Wisdom hath builded her house’), linking wisdom/knowledge with a constructed, endowed household.
- Prov.8:18 (thematic): Wisdom (personified) declares that ‘riches and honour’ are with her, paralleling the idea that knowledge fills rooms with precious and pleasant wealth.
- Prov.3:16 (thematic): Speaks of wisdom bearing ‘riches and honour’ in her hands; like Prov.24:4 it connects wisdom/knowledge with desirable material and social blessings.
Alternative generated candidates
- And by knowledge its rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
- And by knowledge its rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
Pro.24.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גבר: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- חכם: ADJ,m,sg
- בעוז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מאמץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 8:14 (verbal): Personified Wisdom lists 'counsel, sound wisdom, understanding, and strength'—a close verbal and conceptual parallel linking wisdom/understanding with strength.
- Daniel 1:17 (thematic): God gives the youths 'knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom,' showing knowledge as a source of increased capability and effectiveness.
- Exodus 31:3 (cf. Exodus 35:31) (verbal): Bezalel is filled with 'the Spirit of God... in wisdom and in understanding and in knowledge' to perform skilled work, associating knowledge/wisdom with empowered ability.
- Psalm 119:98 (thematic): The psalmist says God's commandments make him wiser than his enemies, implying wisdom/knowledge confers advantage and strength in conflict.
Alternative generated candidates
- A wise man is strong; a man of knowledge increases might.
- A wise man is mighty in power, and a man of knowledge increases strength.
Pro.24.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- בתחבלות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- תעשה: VERB,qal,imf,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- מלחמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותשועה: CONJ
- ברב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יועץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 20:18 (verbal): Closely parallels the wording and idea: plans are established by counsel and war is to be waged by wise guidance—same proverb motif linking counsel and military success.
- Proverbs 15:22 (verbal): Expresses the same principle in antithetical form: plans fail without counsel but succeed with many advisers—emphasizing counsel as the cause of success.
- Proverbs 11:14 (verbal): States that lack of guidance leads to collapse while an abundance of counselors brings safety—same link between multiple advisers and deliverance.
- Proverbs 21:22 (thematic): Speaks of a wise person bringing down a strong city—thematically related by portraying victory or success achieved through wisdom/skill (parallel to victory through counsel).
- 1 Samuel 25:32–33 (thematic): Narrative example where Abigail's prudent counsel averts bloodshed and secures David's deliverance—illustrates the practical effectiveness of wise counsel in conflict situations.
Alternative generated candidates
- For by wise guidance you wage your war, and victory is in many counselors.
- For with guidance you wage war, and victory is in many counselors.
Pro.24.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ראמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לאויל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חכמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בשער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יפתח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- פיהו: NOUN,m,sg,pr3ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 23:9 (verbal): Both verses warn against communicating wisdom to a fool: Prov.24:7 says wisdom will not open its mouth before a fool, Prov.23:9 explicitly advises not to speak wisdom in the hearing of a fool.
- Proverbs 14:7 (thematic): Expresses the same theme that the presence of a fool is barren of wise words; one should withdraw because wisdom is not found where fools are.
- Proverbs 1:22 (thematic): Characterizes fools as rejecting wisdom and instruction, paralleling Prov.24:7’s idea that wisdom has no place with the foolish.
- Proverbs 26:4-5 (thematic): These verses give pragmatic, paradoxical advice about answering fools, underscoring the futility and danger of trying to reason wisdom to the foolish—an idea implicit in Prov.24:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- Wisdom is too high for a fool; he opens not his mouth in the gate.
- For wisdom is despised by the fool; he does not open his mouth at the gate.
Pro.24.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מחשב: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- להרע: VERB,qal,inf
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- בעל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מזמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יקראו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Prov.6:14 (verbal): Uses similar language of one who continually devises mischief/evil—parallel wording and theme of a person plotting wrongdoing.
- Micah 2:1 (verbal): “They devise iniquity…and work evil upon their beds” closely echoes the imagery of secretly plotting evil found in Prov.24:8.
- Isaiah 32:7 (verbal): Speaks of devising wicked devices to harm the poor—phrasing and idea of crafting evil schemes aligns with Prov.24:8.
- Psalm 7:14 (thematic): Describes the wicked as conceiving and bringing forth mischief/falsehood—similar motif of inward plotting that issues in evil deeds.
Alternative generated candidates
- He who plans to do evil is called a schemer.
- One who devises to do evil is called a schemer.
Pro.24.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- זמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- אולת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חטאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותועבת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.14:9 (verbal): Both verses link folly/fools with sin and contempt: Prov.14:9 ('Fools make a mock at sin') parallels the condemnation of folly as sin and the negative assessment of the mocker in Prov.24:9.
- Prov.21:24 (verbal): Uses the same concept/term of the 'scorner' (לֵץ); Prov.21:24 depicts the scorner's proud, insolent character, echoing Prov.24:9's demeaning verdict on the mocker.
- Prov.15:12 (thematic): Discusses the scorner's resistance to reproof ('A scorner loveth not one that reproveth him'), thematically related to Prov.24:9's judgment of the mocker as an abomination to people.
- Psalm 1:1 (structural): Contrasts the righteous and the scornful: Psalm 1 places 'the scornful' among those excluded from the blessed way, paralleling Prov.24:9's negative social/spiritual evaluation of the mocker.
Alternative generated candidates
- Folly is a shame to a man; a scoffer is an abomination to men.
- Folly is a disgrace to a man; a scoffer is an abomination to people.
Pro.24.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- התרפית: VERB,hithpael,perf,2,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- צרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כחכה: NOUN,m,sg,poss-2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 37:39-40 (thematic): The LORD is described as a stronghold in the time of trouble who helps and delivers the righteous—contrast to one who 'faints' when adversity comes.
- Psalm 46:1 (thematic): God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble; offers the divine aid implied as lacking when a person’s strength fails in a day of adversity.
- Isaiah 40:29-31 (allusion): God gives power to the faint and increases strength; those who wait on the LORD renew their strength—direct counterpoint to fainting in the day of trouble.
- Matthew 26:41 (thematic): 'The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak'—a New Testament observation of human weakness under trial that echoes Proverbs’ diagnosis of insufficient strength in adversity.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
- If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
Pro.24.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הצל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לקחים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- למות: VERB,qal,inf
- ומטים: CONJ+PART,qal,ptc,NA,m,pl
- להרג: VERB,qal,infc
- אם: CONJ
- תחשוך: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 82:4 (verbal): Both verses use near-identical language of rescuing/delivering the weak and needy from the hand of the wicked—an imperative to save those in mortal danger.
- Ezekiel 33:6-9 (allusion): Ezekiel frames a prophetic/watchman duty to warn the wicked to avert death; if the watchman withholds warning, the blood is on his hands—paralleling the moral responsibility not to 'withhold' aid.
- James 5:19-20 (thematic): James teaches that turning a sinner from error 'will save his soul from death,' echoing the idea that intervening can rescue someone from spiritual or actual death.
- Luke 10:30-37 (thematic): The Good Samaritan story models practical rescue of one left 'half dead' by attackers, illustrating the obligation to deliver those in danger rather than pass by.
- Proverbs 31:8-9 (thematic): A neighboring proverb commanding defense of the poor and voiceless; it shares the ethical theme of advocacy and intervention on behalf of those unable to help themselves.
Alternative generated candidates
- Deliver those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
- Rescue those taken away to death; deliver those stumbling toward the slaughter.
Pro.24.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- הן: PART
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידענו: VERB,qal,perf,1,pl
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- ה: PART
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכן: VERB,qal,perf,3,ms
- לבות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- יבין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונצר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפשך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- והשיב: VERB,hip,impf,3,m,sg
- לאדם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כפעלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,ms
Parallels
- Jeremiah 17:10 (verbal): God declares, 'I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, to give every man according to his ways' — closely parallels Prov 24:12's themes that God knows the heart and will repay according to deeds.
- Romans 2:6 (verbal): Paul states that God 'will render to each one according to his works,' echoing Prov 24:12's promise that God 'will repay a man according to his work.'
- Psalm 139:1-4 (verbal): The psalmist affirms that the LORD has 'searched' and 'known' him and understands his thoughts — a direct parallel to the idea that God understands the heart and inner knowledge in Prov 24:12.
- Hebrews 4:12-13 (thematic): The writer emphasizes that nothing is hidden from God's sight and that 'all things are naked and open' before him, reflecting Prov 24:12's conviction that God perceives the heart and will judge accordingly.
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (allusion): Samuel is reminded that God 'looks on the heart,' contrasting human ignorance with divine insight — an allusive complement to Prov 24:12's assertion that God discerns inner motives.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you say, "Behold, we did not know this," does not he who weighs the heart consider it? He who keeps your soul, will he not repay man according to his work?
- For if you say, 'Behold, we did not know this'—does not he who weighs hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul knows, and will repay man according to his work.
Pro.24.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- דבש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ונפת: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מתוק: ADJ,m,sg
- על: PREP
- חכך: NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss-2ms
Parallels
- Prov.16:24 (verbal): Uses the honey/honeycomb simile for pleasant or wise speech—'pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul' parallels the sensory metaphor in Prov 24:13.
- Ps.119:103 (verbal): Speaks of God's words as 'sweeter also than honey'—a direct verbal parallel using taste/sweetness to describe moral/spiritual good.
- Ps.19:10 (verbal): Describes God's commandments as more desirable and 'sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb,' echoing the honey-as-goodness motif in Prov 24:13.
- Prov.20:17 (thematic): Contrasts apparent sweetness with hidden harm—'bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel,' thematically related to the sensory metaphor of sweetness and its moral applications.
Alternative generated candidates
- My son, eat honey, for it is good; and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste.
- My son, eat honey, for it is good; and the comb's sweetness is pleasant to your palate.
Pro.24.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כן: ADV
- דעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לנפשך: PREP
- אם: CONJ
- מצאת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- ויש: CONJ+VERB,qal,pres,3,_,sg
- אחרית: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ותקותך: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- לא: PART_NEG
- תכרת: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Prov.8:35 (verbal): Wisdom personified: 'Whoever finds me finds life...'—directly parallels the idea that finding wisdom secures life/future and preserves hope.
- Prov.3:13-18 (thematic): Finding wisdom brings blessing and long life ('length of days'/'her ways are pleasantness'), echoing Prov 24:14's promise of a future and sustained hope.
- Jer.29:11 (verbal): God's promise 'plans to give you a future and a hope' uses nearly identical language and theme—assurance of a preserved future/hope.
- Prov.2:21-22 (thematic): Contrast between the fate of the righteous and the wicked—those guided by wisdom 'dwell in the land' while the wicked are 'cut off,' reflecting Prov 24:14's assurance that hope will not be cut off for one who finds wisdom.
Alternative generated candidates
- So knowledge is pleasant to your soul when you have found it; and there will be an end, and your hope will not be cut off.
- So knowledge is a delight to your soul: if you find it, there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Pro.24.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תארב: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- תשדד: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- רבצו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:11-16 (verbal): Both passages warn against joining those who 'lie in wait' to ambush and plunder the innocent; shares vocabulary and imagery of lurking/robbery.
- Proverbs 24:17-18 (structural): Immediate context that complements v.15—both verses instruct proper stance toward enemies/righteous persons (avoid predatory action and rejoicing in another's fall).
- Psalm 37:12-15 (thematic): Describes the wicked plotting against the righteous and God’s judgment on their schemes—addresses the same theme of hostile designs against the righteous.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Condemns those who devise evil to seize fields and houses and who covet and plunder others’ homes—parallels the condemnation of predatory seizure of a neighbor’s dwelling.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder his resting place.
- Do not set a snare for the righteous, and do not assail his resting place.
Pro.24.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- שבע: NUM,card
- יפול: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וקם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ורשעים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יכשלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ברעה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Ps. 37:23-24 (verbal): Speaks of the righteous falling but not being cast down—closely parallels the language and idea that the righteous may fall yet are upheld and rise again.
- Ps. 145:14 (verbal): Declares that the LORD upholds those who are falling and raises up the bowed down, echoing the motif of the righteous being raised after a fall.
- Ps. 34:19 (thematic): Affirms that the righteous face many troubles yet are delivered from them, contrasting the endurance/deliverance of the righteous with the calamity of the wicked.
- 2 Cor. 4:8-9 (thematic): Paul’s language—‘struck down but not destroyed’—reflects the resilient perseverance of the righteous in adversity expressed in Proverbs 24:16.
- Rom. 5:3-5 (thematic): Connects suffering to endurance and hope; thematically aligns with the proverb’s emphasis that the righteous persist and recover despite repeated falls.
Alternative generated candidates
- For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked stumble into calamity.
- For though a righteous man falls seven times, he will rise; but the wicked stumble in calamity.
Pro.24.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בנפל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אויבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2,ms
- אל: NEG
- תשמח: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ובכשלו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
- אל: NEG
- יגל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Prov.24:18 (structural): Immediate continuation of the same admonition — warns against gloating over an enemy's fall and gives the reason (lest the LORD see and be displeased), forming a unit with 24:17.
- Prov.20:22 (verbal): Closely related wording and instruction: do not repay evil yourself but wait on the LORD — both prohibit taking satisfaction or vengeance when an adversary stumbles.
- Deut.32:35 (thematic): Declares 'Vengeance is mine' — similar theme of leaving judgment or recompense to God rather than rejoicing in or executing personal revenge.
- Rom.12:19 (allusion): New Testament echo of the same principle: believers are told not to avenge themselves but to leave room for God's wrath, reflecting the wisdom tradition's restraint before an enemy's downfall.
- Luke 6:27-28 (thematic): Jesus' teaching to love enemies and do good to those who hate you contrasts with gloating over an enemy's misfortune and promotes compassionate response instead of rejoicing at their fall.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
- Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
Pro.24.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- פן: CONJ
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ורע: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- בעיניו: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3ms
- והשיב: VERB,hip,impf,3,m,sg
- מעליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
Parallels
- Prov.24:17 (structural): Immediate parallel in the same saying: 'Do not rejoice when your enemy falls'—verse 18 completes the warning by giving the reason (lest the LORD see and be displeased).
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): Moses intercedes and 'the LORD relented' (turned away the disaster), echoing the idea that God can see and turn away his anger.
- Jonah 3:10 (thematic): When God 'saw their deeds' and relented, he 'turned from the disaster'—parallels the motif of God seeing events and altering his wrath/fate.
- Obadiah 1:12 (thematic): A prophetic admonition not to gloat over a brother's downfall—the moral teaching (do not rejoice at another's fall) parallels Proverbs' warning and rationale.
- Romans 12:19 (thematic): Paul's injunction to leave vengeance to God ('Vengeance is mine; I will repay') resonates with Proverbs' counsel not to gloat or take joy in an enemy's ruin because God judges and may act.
Alternative generated candidates
- lest the LORD see it and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his fierce anger from him.
- Lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and withdraw his wrath from him.
Pro.24.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תתחר: VERB,hith,impf,2,m,sg
- במרעים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- תקנא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ברשעים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 24:1 (verbal): Same chapter and similar wording: warns against being envious of or associating with evildoers (close verbal parallel in Proverbs tradition).
- Proverbs 23:17 (verbal): Directly echoes the command not to let the heart envy sinners; both verses counsel against envy of the wicked in favor of fearing the LORD.
- Psalm 37:1 (verbal): Nearly identical opening admonition—'Fret not because of evildoers'—providing a Psalter parallel that repeats the same counsel.
- Psalm 37:7 (thematic): Extends the idea by urging patience and trust in God rather than fretting over those who prosper in wickedness—same pastoral response to the prosperity of the wicked.
- Psalm 73:3,16–17 (thematic): Expresses the psalmist's envy of the prosperous wicked and then a corrective perspective gained in God's sanctuary; thematically parallels the warning and the remedy for envying the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked.
- Do not fret because of evildoers, and do not envy the wicked.
Pro.24.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- אחרית: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- לרע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ידעך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg,obj2,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 13:9 (verbal): Uses the same light/lamp metaphor: 'The light of the righteous rejoices, but the lamp of the wicked will be put out,' a near verbal parallel to Prov 24:20's image.
- Job 18:5 (verbal): Bildad declares similarly that 'the light of the wicked shall be put out,' echoing the exact image of the wicked's lamp being extinguished.
- Psalm 37:20 (thematic): Speaks of the fate of the wicked—'the wicked shall perish'—and contrasts their end with the destiny of the righteous, reflecting Prov 24:20's theme that the wicked have no lasting future.
- Proverbs 2:22 (thematic): Contrasts the abiding of the upright with the cutting off of the wicked ('the blameless will remain... the wicked will be cut off'), paralleling the idea that the wicked lack a lasting future.
- Proverbs 11:7 (thematic): States that when the wicked die their expectation perishes, a related proverb stressing the end of the wicked's hope and continuation.
Alternative generated candidates
- For there is no future for the evil; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
- For there is no lasting future for the evil; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Pro.24.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- ומלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עם: PREP
- שונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- תתערב: VERB,hitpael,imf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Peter 2:17 (verbal): Presents the same triad—'Honor everyone... Fear God. Honor the king'—a near verbal parallel to 'Fear the LORD... and the king.'
- Romans 13:1-2 (thematic): Enjoins submission to governing authorities as instituted by God, echoing the proverb's call to respect the king and not oppose authority.
- Psalm 2:10-11 (verbal): Addresses rulers directly—'Now therefore, O kings, be wise... Serve the LORD with fear'—linking reverence for God with the proper stance toward kings.
- Exodus 22:28 (thematic): Prohibits reviling/cursing a ruler of the people, reflecting the injunction not to meddle with or oppose the king.
- Ecclesiastes 8:2 (thematic): Advises keeping the king's command and cautious behavior before him, comparable to the proverb's warning against entanglement with those who promote change.
Alternative generated candidates
- My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with those given to change;
- Fear the LORD, my son, and the king; do not associate with those given to change.
Pro.24.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- פתאם: ADV
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אידם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
- ופיד: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שניהם: PRON,3,m,pl
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 24:20 (structural): Immediate context in the same proverb: warns that the wicked will receive no lasting reward and their 'lamp' will be put out, supporting the idea of sudden ruin mentioned in 24:22.
- Proverbs 24:21 (structural): Direct neighboring verse that frames the warning—admonishes fear of the LORD and the king and not to associate with those given to change, reinforcing the moral and social consequences implied by sudden calamity.
- Proverbs 10:25 (thematic): Speaks of the whirlwind that removes the wicked suddenly ('the wicked is no more'), echoing the motif of sudden destruction found in 24:22.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (thematic): Describes witnessing the wicked in power and then their sudden disappearance—'they are not; I sought them, but they could not be found'—paralleling the unpredictable collapse noted in Proverbs 24:22.
- Ecclesiastes 9:12 (thematic): Emphasizes the unpredictability of calamity—'time and chance happen to them all'—which resonates with the rhetorical 'who knows?' and the suddenness of disaster in 24:22.
Alternative generated candidates
- for their calamity may rise suddenly, and who knows the ruin of both of them?
- For suddenly their calamity may rise, and who knows the ruin of both of them?
Pro.24.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- אלה: DEM,pl,abs
- לחכמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הכר: VERB,hiphil,impv,2,m,sg
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במשפט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בל: PART
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 16:19 (verbal): Commands against perverting justice and showing partiality in judgment—language and legal concern parallel the proverb's denunciation of partiality.
- Leviticus 19:15 (verbal): Direct injunction not to show partiality in judging the poor or the great; echoes the moral principle about impartial justice.
- Deuteronomy 1:17 (verbal): Moses' charge to judges: 'You shall not be partial'—a close verbal and thematic parallel on fair adjudication.
- Proverbs 18:5 (thematic): Another proverb condemning partiality in judgment—'It is not good to be partial to the wicked,' reinforcing the same wisdom tradition.
- James 2:1 (thematic): New Testament admonition against showing favoritism in the community of faith, reflecting the ethical principle of impartial treatment in judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- These also belong to the wise: to show partiality in judgment is not good.
- These also are sayings of the wise: to show partiality in judgment is not good.
Pro.24.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לרשע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צדיק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- יקבהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
- יזעמוהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- לאמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.24.25 (structural): Immediate paired contrast: those who rebuke the wicked receive a blessing, whereas 24:24 depicts disgrace for those who praise the wicked.
- Prov.17:15 (verbal): Uses similar language condemning those who ‘justify’ or declare the wicked righteous; portrays such approval as morally reprehensible.
- Prov.28:4 (thematic): Links praise/defense of the wicked with abandoning the law; contrasts approbation of evil with the stance of those who uphold justice.
- Rom.1:32 (thematic): New Testament parallel: condemns not only evil deeds but also those who approve or commend evildoers, implying communal culpability for endorsing wickedness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Whoever says to the wicked, "You are righteous," peoples will curse him, nations will abhor him.
- Whoever says to the wicked, 'You are righteous,' nations will curse him, and peoples will abhor him.
Pro.24.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולמוכיחים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ינעם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ועליהם: CONJ+PREP+PRON,3,pl
- תבוא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ברכת: NOUN,f,sg,const
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.28:23 (verbal): Expresses almost the same idea: one who rebukes receives favor afterward—parallels the promise of good/blessing for rebukers.
- Prov.27:5-6 (thematic): Values open rebuke over hidden affection and portrays frank rebuke as beneficial, echoing the positive outcome promised to those who rebuke.
- Prov.9:8-9 (thematic): Says reproof of the wise leads to love and increased wisdom—similar theme that proper rebuke brings good results to both rebuker and rebuked.
- Prov.15:31-32 (thematic): Promises life and dwelling among the wise to one who listens to reproof, linking listening/rebuking to blessing and well-being.
Alternative generated candidates
- But to those who rebuke will come a good blessing, and a noble blessing will rest on them.
- But to those who rebuke, it will be well; a good blessing will come upon them.
Pro.24.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שפתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ישק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- משיב: VERB,hif,ptc,2,m,sg
- דברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- נכחים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Prov.25.11 (verbal): Both verses praise speech that is apt and pleasing; Prov.25:11 compares a fitting word to 'apples of gold'—a parallel metaphor for well‑timed, appropriate speech like the 'kiss' of Prov.24:26.
- Prov.15.23 (verbal): Explicitly links joy and benefit to an answer and to a word spoken in due season, echoing Prov.24:26’s commendation of a right/apt reply.
- Prov.16.24 (thematic): Describes pleasant/wholesome words as sweet and health‑giving (honeycomb), thematically allied to the positive, intimate image of a truthful/fit answer as a 'kiss'.
- Prov.10.32 (verbal): Speaks of the lips of the righteous knowing what is acceptable, paralleling the idea that truthful/upright speech (a 'right answer') is marked by fitting, honorable words.
- Song of Solomon 1.2 (allusion): Uses the language of kissing and the mouth to express delight in speech/intimacy; Prov.24:26’s 'kiss of the lips' evokes similar imagery linking mouth/kiss with pleasure and approval.
Alternative generated candidates
- He who gives a right answer kisses the lips.
- He who gives a pleasant reply is like a kiss on the lips.
Pro.24.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הכן: VERB,hiph,imp,2,m,sg
- בחוץ: ADV
- מלאכתך: NOUN,f,sg,cons+2ms
- ועתדה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs+3fs
- בשדה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אחר: PREP
- ובנית: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
- ביתך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 6:6-8 (thematic): Urges preparation and foresight (like the ant gathering in summer) — parallels the proverb's call to prepare work/field before building a house.
- Proverbs 21:5 (thematic): Contrasts diligent planning that yields abundance with hasty pursuit that brings poverty — echoes the priority of orderly preparation in 24:27.
- Luke 14:28-30 (structural): Jesus' example of counting the cost before building a tower parallels the idea of preparing one’s work/field before constructing a house.
- Proverbs 24:30-34 (thematic): Nearby vignette about a neglected field and the consequences of laziness — provides the negative contrast to the injunction in 24:27 to prepare and work first.
Alternative generated candidates
- Prepare your work outside, and make it ready in the field; afterward build your house.
- Prepare your work outside, and make it ready in the field; then build your house.
Pro.24.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,f,sg
- עד: PREP
- חנם: ADV
- ברעך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,poss,2,m,sg
- והפתית: CONJ+VERB,hiphil,perf,2,m,sg
- בשפתיך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Exod.20:16 (quotation): The Decalogue prohibition 'You shall not bear false witness' parallels the Proverbs injunction not to be a witness without cause against your neighbor.
- Deut.19:16-19 (verbal): Law concerning a 'false/malicious witness' and procedures for dealing with false testimony echoes the same concern and language as 'do not be a false witness'.
- Lev.19:11 (thematic): Prohibits stealing and falsehood—'you shall not lie'—reinforcing the theme against deceitful speech found in Proverbs 24:28's warning not to deceive with lips.
- Prov.12:17 (thematic): Contrasts the righteous truthful speaker with the false witness who speaks lies, reflecting the same moral contrast as Prov 24:28.
- Prov.6:19 (verbal): Lists 'a false witness who breathes out lies' among things detested, using nearly the same vocabulary and condemning false testimony like Prov 24:28.
Alternative generated candidates
- Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips.
- Do not be a witness without cause against your neighbor, and do not deceive with your lips.
Pro.24.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אל: NEG
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כאשר: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
- כן: ADV
- אעשה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- אשיב: VERB,hiphil,impf,1,sg
- לאיש: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כפעלו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 20:22 (verbal): Uses closely similar language advising against taking personal revenge—'Do not say, I will repay evil'—and urges trust in the LORD.
- Leviticus 19:18 (thematic): Commands not to take vengeance or bear a grudge and to 'love your neighbor as yourself,' expressing the same ethic against personal retaliation.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (quotation): Declares 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay,' providing the theological basis for leaving retribution to God rather than pursuing personal repayment.
- Romans 12:17 (verbal): Explicit New Testament parallel: 'Repay no one evil for evil,' directly echoing the Proverbs injunction against returning wrong for wrong.
- Matthew 5:39 (thematic): Jesus' teaching to 'turn the other cheek' expresses the same principle of non-retaliation and refusal to return personal wrongs in kind.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do not say, "I will do so to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."
- Do not say, 'As he has done to me, so will I do to him; I will repay the man for his deeds.'
Pro.24.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- שדה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עצל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עברתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כרם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חסר: ADJ,m,sg
- לב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 6:6-11 (verbal): Both passages address the sluggard and use concrete examples (ant, neglected field) to warn against laziness and its consequences (poverty/neglect).
- Proverbs 26:13-16 (verbal): A catalogue of the sluggard's excuses and behavior; parallels the depiction of inactivity and self-justification implied by the neglected field and vineyard.
- Proverbs 20:4 (thematic): Speaks of the sluggard's failure to plow and prepare for winter—themewise similar to a field left uncared for in Prov 24:30.
- Proverbs 13:4 (thematic): Contrasts the desires and outcomes of the lazy versus the diligent, echoing the moral point behind the image of the unworked field and unkept vineyard.
- Ecclesiastes 10:18 (thematic): Links sloth with physical decay (house/rafters sag), providing a wider biblical motif of neglect producing deterioration akin to an overgrown field or ruined vineyard.
Alternative generated candidates
- I passed by the field of a sluggard and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense;
- I passed by the field of a sluggard and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense.
Pro.24.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והנה: ADV
- עלה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- קמשנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כסו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פניו: NOUN,m,pl,cons+3,m,sg
- חרלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וגדר: CONJ
- אבניו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
- נהרסה: VERB,niphal,perf,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Prov.24.30-34 (structural): Immediate context: vv.30–34 form the illustrative unit about the sluggard's neglected field—vv.30–31 describe the overgrown field and broken wall that provoke the lesson in v.32.
- Prov.6.6-11 (thematic): Both passages warn against sloth by pointing to observable consequences of neglect (consider the ant; sluggard's work undone leads to want), using concrete imagery to teach prudence.
- Prov.10.5 (thematic): Contrasts prudent harvesting with sleeping through harvest; thematically parallels the idea that neglecting timely work produces ruin and shame, like an overgrown field and broken wall.
- Prov.20.4 (thematic): States that the sluggard who does not plow in season will have nothing at harvest—same moral cause-and-effect as the ruined, bramble-covered field of Prov 24:31.
- Eccles.10.18 (verbal): Uses physical decay imagery ('through laziness rafters sag') to illustrate how neglect leads to structural ruin, echoing Prov 24:31's broken stone wall and overgrown surface.
Alternative generated candidates
- and behold, it was all grown over with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
- And behold, it was all overgrown with thistles; its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.
Pro.24.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואחזה: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- אשית: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ראיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לקחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- מוסר: NOUN,m,sg,const
Parallels
- Proverbs 6:6-11 (thematic): Both passages urge learning from observation of the world (’go to the ant, consider her ways’) and draw a moral lesson by seeing and taking instruction against sloth.
- Proverbs 2:1-6 (verbal): Both exhortations stress actively applying the heart/ear to gain wisdom and understanding — language and intent parallel the speaker’s claim to ‘apply my heart’ and receive instruction.
- Psalm 119:59 (thematic): ’I considered my ways’ parallels the introspective verb in Prov 24:32 — both describe reflection on what one has seen or done that leads to turning toward God’s instruction.
- Matthew 7:24-27 (structural): Jesus’ saying about the wise person who hears and puts words into practice echoes the pattern of perception followed by appropriate moral response found in Prov 24:32 (observe → learn → act).
Alternative generated candidates
- Then I saw and considered it well; I looked and received instruction.
- Then I saw and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction.
Pro.24.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שנות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תנומות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חבק: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- ידים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לשכב: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Proverbs 6:10-11 (verbal): Nearly identical wording — 'A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep' appears here, with the same warning that poverty will follow.
- Proverbs 20:13 (thematic): Carries the same injunction against excessive sleep: 'Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty,' linking sleep/laziness to want.
- Proverbs 19:15 (thematic): Associates slothful sleep with privation: 'Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.'
- Proverbs 26:14 (structural): Uses similar sluggard imagery (bed/idle posture) — 'As the door turns upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed' — paralleling the portrait of inactivity.
- Proverbs 10:4 (thematic): Links a 'slack hand' (idleness) to poverty — 'He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand' — reinforcing the causal moral lesson of Prov. 24:33.
Alternative generated candidates
- A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,
- A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest.
Pro.24.34 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מתהלך: VERB,hitpael,ptc,3,m,sg
- רישך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- ומחסריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- כאיש: PREP
- מגן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Prov.6:11 (verbal): Uses nearly identical imagery: 'poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want as an armed man'—a direct verbal parallel to sudden need/poverty arriving like an armed attacker.
- Prov.20:4 (thematic): Speaks of the sluggard who does not plow and in harvest seeks and has nothing—connects the verse's consequence (want/poverty) with laziness and neglect.
- Prov.10:4 (thematic): Contrasts diligence and laziness: 'He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich'—echoes the moral cause-and-effect behind poverty coming upon the idle.
- 1 Thess.5:2 (allusion): Describes sudden arrival ('the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night'); parallels the sudden, striking imagery of want or disaster coming unexpectedly like an armed man.
Alternative generated candidates
- and your poverty will come in like a robber, and your want like an armed man.
- Then your poverty will come like a robber, and your need like an armed man.
Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise; set your heart to my knowledge.
For they are pleasant; if you keep them within you, they will be fitted upon your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD—I make them known to you today, even to you.
Behold, I have written for you thirty sayings, in counsel and knowledge.
To make known to you the arrangement of words of truth, that you may give truthful answers to those who send you.
Do not rob the poor, because he is poor; and do not oppress the afflicted at the gate.
For the LORD will plead their cause and will take up their case on behalf of their lives.
Make no friendship with a hot-tempered man, and do not go with an angry man.
Lest you learn his ways and lay a snare for your soul.
Do not be one who gives your hand in pledge, among those who become sureties for debts.
If you have nothing to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?
Do not move the ancient boundary that your fathers set.
Have you seen a man diligent in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
When you sit to eat with a ruler, note well what is before you.
Set a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.
Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; desist from your own understanding.
Set your eyes on it, and it is not; for suddenly it will sprout wings like an eagle and fly to the heavens.
Do not eat the bread of one who has an evil eye; do not crave his delicacies.
For as he thinks within himself, so he is. He will say to you, 'Eat and drink,' but his heart is not with you.
You have eaten his bread—regurgitate it; and your pleasant words will be wasted.
Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will disdain the wisdom of your speech.
Do not remove the ancient boundary, and do not enter the fields of the fatherless.
For their Redeemer is mighty; he will plead their cause against you.
Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.
Do not withhold discipline from the child; if you strike him with the rod he will not die.
Strike him with the rod and deliver his soul from Sheol.
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will rejoice—yes, mine.
My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
Let not your heart envy sinners; but be in the fear of the LORD all day long.
For surely there is an end, and your hope will not be cut off.
Hear, my son, and be wise; and set your heart on the right way.
Do not be among those who feast on wine, or among those who gorge on meat.
For drunkards and gluttons come to poverty; drowsiness will clothe them in rags.
Listen to your father who begot you, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Buy truth, and do not sell wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
May your father and mother be glad; may she who bore you rejoice.
Give me your heart, my son, and let your eyes keep to my ways.
For a prostitute is a deep pit, and a foreign woman is a narrow well.
She also lies in wait like a robber and multiplies the faithless among men.
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
Those who tarry long over wine, who go to seek mixed wine.
Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
Its end is like a serpent; it bites like a viper.
Your eyes will behold strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things.
You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies upon the top of a mast.
They strike me, and I am not hurt; they beat me, and I do not know; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Do not envy the wicked, and do not desire to be with them.
For their heart devises violence, and their lips speak mischief.
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established. And by knowledge its rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
A wise man is strong; a man of understanding increases power.
For with counsel you wage your war; victory is in many advisers.
Wisdom is too high for a fool; he will not open his mouth in the assembly.
He who devises evil will be called a schemer.
Folly is a disgrace to a man; a scoffer is an abomination to men.
If you faint in the day of distress, your strength is small.
Deliver those who are being led away to death; hold back those who are staggering toward the slaughter.
For if you say, 'Behold, we did not know this,' does not he who weighs hearts consider? He who keeps your soul knows, and will repay a man according to his deeds.
My son, eat honey, for it is good; the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. So is knowledge for your soul: if you find it, there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Do not lie in wait, O wicked, for the dwelling of the righteous; do not plunder his resting place.
For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked stumble into disaster.
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
Lest the LORD see it and it be displeasing in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.
Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the wicked.
For the evil have no lasting future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.
Fear the LORD, my son, and the king; do not associate with those given to change.
For suddenly their calamity may arise—who can tell the ruin of both?
These also are for the wise: to show partiality in judgment is not good.
Whoever says to the wicked, 'You are righteous'—peoples will curse him, and nations will abhor him. But those who rebuke will find favor; a good blessing will come upon them.
A man who gives a fitting answer is like one who kisses with the lips.
Prepare your work in the field, and afterward build your house.
Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause; do not deceive with your lips.
Do not say, 'As he has done to me, so I will do to him; I will repay the man according to his work.'
I passed by the field of a sluggard and by the vineyard of a man lacking sense. And behold, it was all overgrown with nettles; its surface was covered with thorns; the stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and took it to heart; I perceived and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest. And your poverty will come like a robber, and your need like an armed man.