Amsal 6:34

6:34 for jealousy kindles ¹  a husband’s ²  rage,

and he will not show mercy ³  when he takes revenge.

Amsal 12:4

12:4 A noble wife ⁴  is the crown ⁵  of her husband,

but the wife ⁶  who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones. ⁷ 

Amsal 20:14

20:14 “It’s worthless! It’s worthless!” ⁸  says the buyer, ⁹ 

but when he goes on his way, he boasts. ¹⁰ 

[6:34]  ¹ tn The word “kindles” was supplied in the translation; both “rage” and “jealousy” have meanings connected to heat.

[6:34]  ² tn Heb “a man’s.”

[6:34]  ³ tn The verb חָמַל (khamal) means “to show mercy; to show compassion; to show pity,” usually with the outcome of sparing or delivering someone. The idea here is that the husband will not spare the guilty man any of the punishment (cf. NRSV “he shows no restraint”).

[12:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ’shet-khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mÿvishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.

[12:4]  ⁵ sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.

[12:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:4]  ⁷ sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.

[20:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “[It is] bad, [it is] bad.” Since “bad” can be understood in some modern contexts as a descriptive adjective meaning “good,” the translation uses “worthless” instead – the real point of the prospective buyer’s exclamation.

[20:14]  ⁹ sn This proverb reflects standard procedure in the business world. When negotiating the transaction the buyer complains how bad the deal is for him, or how worthless the prospective purchase, but then later brags about what a good deal he got. The proverb will alert the inexperienced as to how things are done.

[20:14]  ¹⁰ tn The Hitpael imperfect of הָלַל (halal) means “to praise” – to talk in glowing terms, excitedly. In this stem it means “to praise oneself; to boast.”