Amsal 9:3

9:3 She has sent out her female servants;

she calls out on the highest places ¹  of the city.

Amsal 14:19

14:19 Those who are evil will bow ²  before those who are good,

and the wicked will bow ³  at the gates ⁴  of the righteous.

Amsal 23:34

23:34 And you will be like one who lies down in the midst ⁵  of the sea,

and like one who lies down on the top of the rigging. ⁶ 

[9:3]  ¹ tn The text uses two synonymous terms in construct to express the superlative degree.

[14:19]  ² tn Many versions nuance the perfect tense verb שָׁחַח (shakhakh) as a characteristic perfect. But the proverb suggests that the reality lies in the future. So the verb is best classified as a prophetic perfect (cf. NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT): Ultimately the wicked will acknowledge and serve the righteous – a point the prophets make.

[14:19]  ³ tn The phrase “will bow” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

[14:19]  ⁴ sn J. H. Greenstone suggests that this means that they are begging for favors (Proverbs, 154).

[23:34]  ⁵ tn Heb “heart.” The idiom here means “middle”; KJV “in the midst.”

[23:34]  ⁶ sn The point of these similes is to compare being drunk with being seasick. One who tries to sleep when at sea, or even worse, when up on the ropes of the mast, will be tossed back and forth.