be shrewd
a.ram describes being shrewd in counsel or becoming shrewd through instruction, and can mark hostile scheming.
The dominant attested use concerns being or becoming shrewd: 1 Samuel 23:22 describes a man as notably shrewd, while Proverbs 15:5 and Proverbs 19:25 connect becoming shrewd with receiving correction. A separate Hiphil occurrence in Psalm 83:4 occurs within a hostile proposal to destroy a people, indicating shrewd action in a plot.
Senses in use
-
Being or becoming shrewd · dominant
In 1 Samuel 23:22, the Qal infinitive absolute occurs in the report that a man is especially shrewd; the APB renders the clause, "He is shrewd, shrewd indeed." In Proverbs 15:5 and Proverbs 19:25, Qal imperfect forms occur where keeping an argument or witnessing punishment leads someone to become shrewd.
-
Acting shrewdly in a hostile plan · occasional
In Psalm 83:4, the Hiphil imperfect plural occurs in a collective hostile speech calling for the destruction of a nation so that Israel's name will no longer be remembered. The APB renders the proposed destruction but does not isolate this term with a distinct English equivalent.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB explicitly uses "shrewd" in 1 Samuel 23:22, Proverbs 15:5, and Proverbs 19:25. In Psalm 83:4 it presents the hostile plan as a whole without a clearly isolable rendering for the term.