Questions tagged [proverbs]
The book of Proverbs, one of the wisdom books of the Tanakh (Hebrew bible). Many of the short sayings are attributed to Solomon.
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What are the imageries in Proverbs 18:4?
Proverbs 18:4
New International Version
The words of the mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a rushing stream.
How to interpret these in terms of the imageries?
Does this relate to
...
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Is it accurate to state “Humility [is] Fear of The LORD” when translating Proverbs 22:4?
Based on the Hebrew reading of Proverbs 22:4, "Fear [of] YHVH" ( יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה ) is the result of "Humility" ( עֲ֭נָוָה ).
If we speak Mishlei 22:4, then we could say : " ...
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Why does Proverb 22:20 say “thirty sayings” in some translations and “excellent things” in others?
I'm not sure if this question has a simple answer or not since I don't read any Hebrew, but when I was reading through Proverbs 22 this morning with my wife, her translation at verse 20 said
Have I ...
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Meaning of Proverbs 4:18
In Proverbs 4:18 (NASB)
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.
What's the meaning of this metaphor?
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How does God exactly make our paths straight? Is Proverbs 3:6 implicitly referring to the supernatural lead of the Holy Spirit?
Proverbs 3:5-6 invites us not to lean on our own understanding, but to trust instead in God's ability to lead us into the right paths we are to take.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean ...
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How to interpret Proverbs 23:27?
Proverbs 23:27
for an adulterous woman is a deep pit, and a wayward wife is a narrow well.
Why a deep pit? Why a narrow well? What's that has to do with a wayward wife? What are the images supposed to ...
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Is there intended a relationship between Job 40:19, Proverbs 8:22 and Revelation 3:14?
[Job 40:15-20 CSB] (15) Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He eats grass like cattle. (16) Look at the strength of his back and the power in the muscles of his belly. (17) He stiffens ...
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What does “Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil” (Proverbs 15:16) mean?
Proverbs 15:16 is
Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.
What does this mean? Is it some Biblical equivalent of minimalism? The word turmoil puzzles me as in the ...
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How should we understand the concepts of “seek” and “find” in Proverbs 8:17?
Proverbs 8:12-21 (ESV):
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and perverted ...
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Why was the Hebrew “possessed” translated into Greek as “created” in Proverbs 8:22?
Why was the Hebrew "possessed" translated into Greek as "created" in Proverbs 8:22?
Proverbs 8:22
English Standard Version
“The LORD possessed me (קָ֭נָנִי) at the beginning of ...
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What are the 7 Pillars of Wisdom's House?
In Mishlei / Proverbs 9, we are told Chakemot (חָכְמוֹת) resides in a House built on 7 Pillars.
Proverbs 9
[1] Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars. (חָכְמוֹת בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑הּ ...
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Does Proverbs 21:14 encourage bribing? [duplicate]
Proverbs 21:14
A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.
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What does Proverbs 23:10 mean regarding the prohibited entry in “Fields of Orphans”?
In the Ivri (עִבְרִי) / Hebrew (ἑβραιου) text of Proverbs 23:10, we find a strange warning.
Proverbs 23:10 [MT
"Do not remove an ancient boundary, and do not enter the fields of the orphans" ...
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Regarding Proverbs 15:3 - How many Eyes (עֵינֵ֣י) does God have?
The Hebrew Bible claims "the Eyes of YHVH" (עֵינֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה) are everywhere, in the scroll of "Mishlei" (Proverbs) - chapter 15 verse 3.
Proverbs 15:3 [MT]
"The eyes of YHVH are ...
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What is the proper understanding of the phrase מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָֽז, “works of old” in Proverbs?
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
(Proverbs 8:22 KJV)
יְֽהוָה קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכֹּו קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָֽז
It is common to understand "works of ...
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Does Proverbs 8:12-31 reveal female Understanding (בִ֜ינָ֗ה) to be the source of God's constructive power?
In Proverbs 8:12-14, we find out that Wisdom (Chokmah, חכמה) is heard in a female voice called Understanding (Vinah, בִ֜ינָ֗ה).
Proverbs 8:22 [MT] "YHVH acquired me at the beginning of His way, ...
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Why are the translations of Proverbs 13:8 by NIV and Aramaic Bible in Plain English so different?
Proverbs 13:8 New International Version
A person's riches may ransom their life, but the poor cannot respond to threatening rebukes.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The salvation of a man's soul is ...
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In light of Proverbs 24:17 , how would we go about justifying or reasoning Psalm 54:5-7 claim of being satisfied with enemies' destruction?
Proverbs 24:17 (NASB) Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not
let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Proverbs 24:17 (KJV) Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not
thine heart be ...
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The relationship between wisdom and light
I am trying to understand the relationship between wisdom and light better (as well as logos and "the way"). I am mostly focused around exegesis of the Gospel of John. Jesus is the logos, ...
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What is the literal translation of Proverbs 14:20?
φίλοι μισήσουσιν φίλους πτωχούς φίλοι δὲ πλουσίων πολλοί
phíloi misḗsousin phílous ptōkhoús phíloi dè plousíōn polloí.
people hate people poor people not rich many
"The poor is disliked ...
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Does the LXX translate חוללתי as γεννάω to create an allusion to Genesis 4?
In various places Proverbs personifies Wisdom as a woman. In one she deviates from teaching to speak about herself. She starts by announcing her "קָנָה" at the beginning:
22 “The Lord possessed me ...
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Is the beginning of creation at Revelation 3:14 the same as at Proverbs 8:22?
Is the beginning of creation at Revelation 3:14 the same as at Proverbs 8:22?
What is the 'beginning of creation?'
Is it when :
God first spoke and created the heavens and the earth
God breathed life ...
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Since the LXX says Wisdom was created at Proverbs 8:22 but begotten at 8:25, does this disprove “begotten not made?”
At Proverbs 8:22 in the LXX the speaker is created with the Greek κτίζω but in verse 25 he is begotten with γεννά με. This speaks of the same event. According to advanced Hebrew lexicons like BDB ...
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He who troubles his own house will inherit wind,Proverbs 11:29
Proverbs 11:29 (NASB)
29 He who troubles his own house will inherit wind, And the foolish
will be servant to the wisehearted.
What do the two expressions mean?
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In Proverbs 17:19, what does “makes his door high” mean?
Proverbs 17:19
Whoever loves transgression loves strife;
he who makes his door high seeks destruction.
What does it mean to make your door high? Keep people out?
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Answer not a fool, or answer a fool?
Proverbs 26:4 (KJV) says,
Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.
The very next verse, verse 5, says,
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise ...
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Why does the LXX occcassionally have “fear God” instead of “fear the Lord” in Proverbs?
The fear of the LORD is a phrase used throughout Proverbs. The phrase commonly uses the noun יראת, but twice is the verb יָרֵא and twice the adjective יָרֵא. The Septuagint (LXX) is fairly consistent ...
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Where does the second part of the proverb 2 Peter 2:22 come from?
"But it happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." 2 Peter 2:22 (KJV)
The part about the ...
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In Proverbs 14:34, is sin a disgrace to a people, or is mercy a sin-offering?
The standard translation of Proverbs 14:34 is along the lines of (ESV, for example) the following:
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
But Young's Literal ...
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Is John 17:22 an allusion to Genesis 2:24?
[John 17:21-23 KJV]
(21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (22) And the glory ...
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“Get out of the trap like a bird or a deer escaping from a hunter.”
Proverbs 6:1-5 speaks to a son that has become responsible for the debt of another person. It tells him (in verse 3) to hurry up to the debtor and beg him for release. But then in verse 5 it says (GNT)...
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Proverbs 1:9 What is a 'torque'?
In Proverbs 1:8-9, it is stated:
[8] Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and reject not your mother's teaching; [9] A graceful diadem will they be for your head; a torque for your neck.
But ...
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What are the 7 abominations in Proverbs 26:25?
Proverbs 26:25
do not trust such a person's pretty speeches, since in the heart lurk
seven abominations.
What are these 7 abominations?
Are these same as,
Proverbs 6:16
There are six things ...
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Who is he and what is the name of his son? Proverbs 30:4
“Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what ...
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How to understand Proverbs 6:16-19 in light of Psalm 51:5 and 58:3
In Proverbs 6, the writer lists 7 things that God hates.
There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent ...
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What are the 30 chapters in Proverbs 22:20?
Proverbs 22:20
Have I not written for you thirty chapters of advice and knowledge...
What are these 30 chapters?
Who wrote these to whom?
Have these chapters ever found?
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What is the difference between 'way' and 'path' in Proverbs 3:6?
Proverbs 3:6 (NASB)
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
What is the difference between a "way" and a "path"?
More specifically, what is the ...
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Is John 1:1-3 an allusion to Proverbs 8:22-31 LXX?
The idea of the LOGOS being with God and active in creation always seemed to me to be alluding to Genesis 1 where God creates the world by speaking, "Let there be..." and I think that's ...
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How does sin trap someone and hold them captive (Proverbs 5:22-23)?
How does sin entrap someone and hold them captive? See Proverbs 5:21-23:
[Pro 5:22-23 CSB] 22 A wicked man's iniquities will trap him; he will become tangled in the ropes of his own sin. 23 He ...
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Is it good to “turn a slave into a son” in Proverbs 29:21?
"He who pampers his slave from childhood will in the end find him to be a son." Proverbs 29:21, NASB
I want to contrast this with a prior verse:
"A slave will not be instructed by words alone; for ...
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Is Proverbs 25:20 about singing songs to an “evil” heart or to a “sad” one?
Proverbs 25: 20 (NASB, literal translation in bold)
"Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on natron,
Is he who sings songs to an evil heart."
I didn't understand this when ...
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Who is King Lemuel in Proverbs 31?
Who is King Lemuel in Proverbs 31? I did a search for King Lemuel in my entire library of encyclopedias, commentaries, Bible dictionaries, etc. and there is very limited information on him. Some see ...
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In Proverbs 31:1 what is meant by “oracle” (מַשָּׂא, χρηματισμός)?
NET Bible Proverbs 31:1 The words of King Lemuel,
an oracle (מַשָּׂא) that his mother taught him:
LXX οἱ ἐμοὶ λόγοι εἴρηνται ὑπὸ θεοῦ βασιλέως χρηματισμός ὃν ἐπαίδευσεν ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ
BHS ...
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Pupil/eye, or light/ lamp, or “time of darkness” in Proverbs 20 verse 20?
Pr 20:20b, NASB says "His lamp will go out in time of darkness." I am given a variant for 'time of darkness' as 'pupil,' and
THAT makes no sense to me.
I know in other places (cf Matthew 6:22-23; ...
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In Proverbs 18:21 what is the control that the tongue has over life and death?
NET Bible Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the
tongue, and those who love its use will eat its fruit.
LXX Proverbs 18:21 θάνατος καὶ ζωὴ ἐν χειρὶ γλώσσης οἱ δὲ κρατοῦντες
...
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Is the point of Proverbs 27:23-27 to maintain your farm in case your business fails? Or to choose farming over commerce?
KJV Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and
look well to thy herds. Pro 27:24 For riches are not for ever: and
doth the crown endure to every generation? Pro 27:25 The ...
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Proverbs 12:10, is it really talking about animal welfare?
Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,
but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.
Prov. 12:10, ESV
The standard interpretation seems to relate to animal welfare, but this website ...
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In Proverbs 30:20 what is so evil about a woman wiping her mouth after she eats?
KJV Pro 30:20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth, and
wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness.
http://biblehub.com/proverbs/30-20.htm
If so, is this intended to ...
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What is the meaning of “excellent things” in Proverbs 22:20?
Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth...
-- Proverbs 22:20 (KJV)
In the KJV, the Hebrew word ...
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Possible English understandings of “ba’al nefesh” in Proverbs 23:2?
I'm wondering about how "ba’al nefesh" could resonably be understood in modern English (USA)? I note the renderings from various translations (https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Proverbs%2023:2) ...
