Amsal 24:8-9

24:8 The one who plans to do evil

will be called a scheming person. ¹ 

24:9 A foolish scheme ²  is sin,

and the scorner is an abomination to people. ³ 

[24:8]  ¹ tn Heb “possessor of schemes”; NAB “an intriguer.” The picture of the wicked person is graphic: He devises plans to do evil and is known as a schemer. Elsewhere the “schemes” are outrageous and lewd (e.g., Lev 18:7; Judg 20:6). Here the description portrays him as a cold, calculating, active person: “the fool is capable of intense mental activity but it adds up to sin” (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 399).

[24:9]  ² tn Heb “the scheme of folly” (NIV similar). The genitive functions as an attributive genitive, meaning “foolish scheme.” But it could also be interpreted as a genitive of source, the scheme that comes from folly (or from the fool if “folly” were metonymical).

[24:9]  ³ tn Heb “to a man”; cf. CEV “Everyone hates senseless fools.”

[24:9]  sn This describes evil people who flout all morality and goodness; sooner or later the public will have had enough of them.