Mazmur 34:12-17
Konteks34:12 Do you want to really live? 1
Would you love to live a long, happy life? 2
34:13 Then make sure you don’t speak evil words 3
or use deceptive speech! 4
34:14 Turn away from evil and do what is right! 5
Strive for peace and promote it! 6
34:15 The Lord pays attention to the godly
and hears their cry for help. 7
34:16 But the Lord opposes evildoers
and wipes out all memory of them from the earth. 8
34:17 The godly 9 cry out and the Lord hears;
he saves them from all their troubles. 10
Amsal 1:8-9
Konteks1:8 Listen, 11 my child, 12 to the instruction 13 from 14 your father,
and do not forsake the teaching 15 from 16 your mother.
1:9 For they will be like 17 an elegant 18 garland 19 on 20 your head,
[34:12] 1 tn Heb “Who is the man who desires life?” The rhetorical question is used to grab the audience’s attention. “Life” probably refers here to quality of life, not just physical existence or even duration of life. See the following line.
[34:12] 2 tn Heb “[Who] loves days to see good?”
[34:13] 3 tn Heb “guard your tongue from evil.”
[34:13] 4 tn Heb “and your lips from speaking deception.”
[34:14] 6 tn Heb “seek peace and pursue it.”
[34:15] 7 tn Heb “the eyes of the
[34:16] 8 tn Heb “the face of the
[34:17] 9 tn Heb “they” (i.e., the godly mentioned in v. 15).
[34:17] 10 tn The three perfect verbal forms are taken in a generalizing sense in v. 17 and translated with the present tense (note the generalizing mood of vv. 18-22).
[1:8] 11 tn The imperative שְׁמַע (shÿma’, “Listen!”) forms an urgent exhortation which expects immediate compliance with parental instruction.
[1:8] 12 tn Heb “my son.” It is likely that collections of proverbs grew up in the royal courts and were designed for the training of the youthful prince. But once the collection was included in the canon, the term “son” would be expanded to mean a disciple, for all the people were to learn wisdom when young. It would not be limited to sons alone but would include daughters – as the expression “the children of (בְּנֵי, bÿne) Israel” (including males and females) clearly shows. Several passages in the Mishnah and Talmud record instructions to teach daughters the Mosaic law so that they will be righteous and avoid sin as well. The translation “my child,” although not entirely satisfactory, will be used here.
[1:8] 13 tn Heb “training” or “discipline.” See note on 1:2.
[1:8] 14 tn Heb “of.” The noun אָבִיךָ (’avikha, “of your father”) may be classified as a genitive of source.
[1:8] 15 tn Heb “instruction.” In Proverbs the noun תּוֹרַה (torah) often means “instruction” or “moral direction” rather than “law” (BDB 435 s.v. 1.a). It is related to יָרָה (yarah, “to point [or, show] the way” in the Hiphil (BDB 435). Instruction attempts to point a person in the right direction (e.g., Gen 46:28).
[1:8] 16 tn Heb “of.” The noun אִמֶּךָ (’immekha, “of your mother”) may be classified as a genitive of source.
[1:9] 17 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:9] 18 tn Heb “a garland of grace.” The word חֵן (khen, “grace”) refers to qualities that make a person pleasant and agreeable, e.g., a gracious and charming person (BDB 336 s.v.). The metaphor compares the teachings that produce these qualities to an attractive wreath.
[1:9] 19 tn The noun לִוְיַה (livyah, “wreath; garland”) refers to a headdress and appears only twice in the OT (Prov 1:9; 4:9; BDB 531 s.v.; HALOT 524 s.v.).
[1:9] 21 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:9] 22 tn Cf. KJV, ASV “chains”; NIV “a chain”; but this English term could suggest a prisoner’s chain to the modern reader rather than adornment.
