Amsal 9:3

9:3 She has sent out her female servants;

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

Amsal 15:25

15:25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud, ² 

but he maintains the boundaries of the widow. ³ 

Amsal 29:3

29:3 The man ⁴  who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, ⁵ 

but whoever associates ⁶  with prostitutes wastes ⁷  his wealth. ⁸ 

Amsal 31:24

31:24 She makes linen garments ⁹  and sells them,

and supplies the merchants ¹⁰  with sashes.

Amsal 31:29

31:29 “Many ¹¹  daughters ¹²  have done valiantly, ¹³ 

but you surpass them all!”

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

[15:25]  ² sn The “proud” have to be understood here in contrast to the widow, and their “house” has to be interpreted in contrast to the widow’s territory. The implication may be that the “proud” make their gain from the needy, and so God will set the balance right.

[15:25]  ³ sn The Lord administers justice in his time. The Lord champions the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the needy. These people were often the prey of the proud, who would take and devour their houses and lands (e.g., 1 Kgs 21; Prov 16:19; Isa 5:8-10).

[29:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “a man.” Here “man” is retained in the translation because the second colon mentions prostitutes.

[29:3]  ⁵ tn Or “causes his father to rejoice”; NAB “makes his father glad.”

[29:3]  ⁶ tn The active participle רֹעֶה (ro’eh) is from the second root רָעָה (ra’ah), meaning “to associate with.” The verb occurs only a few times, and mostly in the book of Proverbs. It is related to רֵעֶה (re’eh, “friend; companion; fellow”). To describe someone as a “companion” or “friend” of prostitutes is somewhat euphemistic; it surely means someone who is frequently engaging the services of prostitutes.

[29:3]  ⁷ tn The Hebrew verb יְאַבֶּד (yÿ’abbed) means “destroys”; it is the Piel imperfect of the verb that means “to perish.”

[29:3]  ⁸ sn Wealth was seen as a sign of success and of God’s blessings, pretty much as it always has been. To be seen as honorable in the community meant one had acquired some substance and kept his reputation. It would be a disgrace to the family to have a son who squandered his money on prostitutes (e.g., Prov 5:10; 6:31).

[31:24]  ⁹ tn The first word of the fifteenth line begins with ס (samek), the fifteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:24]  sn The poet did not think it strange or unworthy for a woman of this stature to be a businesswoman engaged in an honest trade. In fact, weaving of fine linens was a common trade for women in the ancient world.

[31:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “to the Canaanites.” These are the Phoenician traders that survived the wars and continued to do business down to the exile.

[31:29]  ¹¹ tn The first word of the twentieth line begins with ר (resh), the twentieth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

[31:29]  ¹² tn Or “women” (NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[31:29]  ¹³ tn The word is the same as in v. 10, “noble, valiant.”