Amsal 2:2

2:2 by making ¹  your ear ²  attentive to wisdom,

and ³  by turning ⁴  your heart ⁵  to understanding,

Amsal 3:29

3:29 Do not plot ⁶  evil against your neighbor

when ⁷  he dwells by you unsuspectingly.

Amsal 4:14

4:14 Do not enter the path of the wicked

or walk ⁸  in the way of those who are evil.

Amsal 5:18

5:18 May your fountain be blessed, ⁹ 

and may you rejoice ¹⁰  in your young wife ¹¹  –

Amsal 22:28

22:28 Do not move an ancient boundary stone ¹² 

which was put in place by your ancestors. ¹³ 

Amsal 23:4

23:4 Do not wear yourself out to become rich;

be wise enough to restrain yourself. ¹⁴ 

Amsal 23:25

23:25 May your father and your mother have joy;

may she who bore you rejoice. ¹⁵ 

Amsal 24:1

24:1 Do not envy evil people, ¹⁶ 

do not desire ¹⁷  to be with them;

Amsal 27:26

27:26 the lambs will be for your clothing,

and the goats will be for the price of a field. ¹⁸ 

[2:2]  ¹ tn The Hiphil infinitive construct לְהַקְשִׁיב (lÿhaqshiv, “by making attentive”) functions as an epexegetical explanation of how one will receive the instruction.

[2:2]  ² sn The word “ear” is a metonymy of cause; the word is used as the instrument of hearing. But in parallelism with “heart” it indicates one aspect of the mental process of hearing and understanding. A “hearing ear” describes an obedient or responsive person (BDB 24 s.v. אֹזֶן 2).

[2:2]  ³ tn The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

[2:2]  ⁴ tn The Hiphil imperfect (“by turning”) continues the nuance introduced by the infinitive construct in the first colon (GKC 352 §114.r). The verb נָטָה (natah) normally means “to stretch out” and only occasionally “to turn” or “to incline” one’s heart to something, as is the case here.

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Or “mind” (the center of the will, the choice).

[3:29]  ⁶ sn The verb חָרַשׁ (kharash) means “to cut in; to engrave; to plough; to devise.” The idea of plotting is metaphorical for working, practicing or fabricating (BDB 360 s.v.).

[3:29]  ⁷ tn The vav (ו) prefixed to the pronoun introduces a disjunctive circumstantial clause: “when….”

[4:14]  ⁸ tn The verb אָשַׁר (’ashar, “to walk”) is not to be confused with the identically spelled homonym אָשַׁר “to pronounce happy” as in BDB 80 s.v. אָשַׁר.

[5:18]  ⁹ sn The positive instruction is now given: Find pleasure in a fulfilling marriage. The “fountain” is another in the series of implied comparisons with the sexual pleasure that must be fulfilled at home. That it should be blessed (the passive participle of בָּרַךְ, barakh) indicates that sexual delight is God-given; having it blessed would mean that it would be endowed with fruitfulness, that it would fulfill all that God intended it to do.

[5:18]  ¹⁰ tn The form is a Qal imperative with a vav (ו) of sequence; after the jussive of the first half this colon could be given an equivalent translation or logically subordinated.

[5:18]  ¹¹ tn Or “in the wife you married when you were young” (cf. NCV, CEV); Heb “in the wife of your youth” (so NIV, NLT). The genitive functions as an attributive adjective: “young wife” or “youthful wife.” Another possibility is that it refers to the age in which a man married his wife: “the wife you married in your youth.”

[22:28]  ¹² sn Moving a boundary stone was (and still is) a major problem. The boundaries that were established by the forefathers were to be preserved, but no law would stop such violations if people lacked integrity (e.g., Deut 19:14; 27:17; 1 Kgs 21:16-19). Boundaries in Israel were sacred because God owned the land and he apportioned the property to the tribes. To extend one’s property illegally by moving a neighbor’s boundary marker was a violation of covenant and oath. Of course, disputes could arise when both sides claim their ancestors established a boundary.

[22:28]  ¹³ tn Heb “your fathers” (so NAB, NASB).

[22:28]  sn The fourth saying deals with respect for property that belongs to other people (cf. Instruction of Amenemope, chap. 6, 7:12-13 [ANET 422]).

[23:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from your understanding cease.” In the context this means that the person should have enough understanding to stop wearing himself out trying to be rich (cf. NRSV “be wise enough to desist”).

[23:25]  ¹⁵ tn The form תָגֵל (tagel) is clearly a short form and therefore a jussive (“may she…rejoice”); if this second verb is a jussive, then the parallel יִשְׂמַח (yismakh) should be a jussive also (“may your father and your mother have joy”).

[24:1]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “evil men,” although the context indicates a generic sense.

[24:1]  ¹⁷ tn The Hitpael jussive is from the verb that means “to crave; to desire.” This is more of a coveting, an intense desire.

[27:26]  ¹⁸ sn Verse 25 is the protasis and v. 26 the apodosis. The two verses say that when the harvest is taken in, then the grass will grow, and they can sell and use their livestock. The lambs will provide clothing, and the goats when sold will pay for land.