14
votes
Answer not a fool, or answer a fool?
I think the thing which is causing you to see a contradiction is the use of the imperative. Rephrase using conditionals:
If you answer a fool according to his folly, you risk becoming like him.
...
- 458
13
votes
What is the meaning behind Proverbs 27:14 Loudly blessing a neighbor early in the morning, will be taken as a curse
Blessings crown the head of the righteous (Proverbs 10:6) and are gifts from God. God blesses those who obey Him and curses those who disobey Him (Deuteronomy 11:27-28).
In the Bible there are many ...
- 7,881
12
votes
What is the meaning behind Proverbs 27:14 Loudly blessing a neighbor early in the morning, will be taken as a curse
Some Christian friends of mine had a house next door to some retired Christians. The retired Christians would go in their backgarden early every morning to loudly sing God's praises. This included ...
- 6,272
10
votes
Accepted
Is Proverbs 17:8 condoning bribery?
TL;DR: Bribes that pervert justice are condemned, but gifts which curry favour are allowed and sometimes even a sign of wisdom.
שׁחד
The Hebrew word for 'bribe' in these verses is the root שׁחד (...
- 2,880
10
votes
Answer not a fool, or answer a fool?
The contradiction is intended, and rhetorical—and present in the Hebrew. However, there may be a slight play on the use of the preposition כ which means "according to, like" as in "according to his ...
- 8,529
8
votes
Accepted
Proverbs: differences between the LXX and the MT
The books of the Septuagint (= LXX, here not the Septuagint "proper", which is limited to the Pentateuch, but the whole of the Jewish scriptures in Greek) were produced by different translators; the ...
- 24.5k
7
votes
Accepted
In Proverbs 30:20 what is so evil about a woman wiping her mouth after she eats?
The idea of the verses 18-20 speaks about things that won't leave any "tracks" after they act: the eagle in the sky, the snake on the rocks, the ship in the water and relations between man and woman ( ...
- 519
7
votes
Accepted
What does "Better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil" (Proverbs 15:16) mean?
Better to be:
monetarily poor and have the peace of mind which comes from fearing the Lord
than to:
have great monetary wealth but be in emotional turmoil trying to manage life on your own because ...
- 222
6
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between a "lying tongue" and a "false witness" in Proverbs 6?
Shift of Emphasis and Focus
The same Hebrew word (שֶׁ֫קֶר; shěqěr)1 is used for both "lying" and "false" in those verses from the ESV, so there is a definite relationship between them, but also a ...
- 19.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Proverbs 26:10 - Are modern translations right to involve an 'archer'?
This has been called "The Most Obscure Verse in Proverbs". Textual and/or translational uncertainties involve nearly every word in the verse1 and they are to some extent inseparable if we want to end ...
- 25.7k
6
votes
Accepted
Does Proverbs 8:22 say that God's wisdom was the first person/thing that God created?
From "The Songs of the Witnesses" :
From everlasting was I poured, from when all did begin,
or ever earth was. When there were no depths to be within -
Then was I brought forth, when no ...
- 26.3k
6
votes
Does Proverbs 8:22 say that God's wisdom was the first person/thing that God created?
The Pauline dictum about the "killing letter" and "vivifying Spirit" is appropriate to first think about the principles of exegesis, for a theologian should not be enslaved by the letter of any text, ...
- 8,301
6
votes
Accepted
Regarding Proverbs 15:3 - How many Eyes (עֵינֵ֣י) does God have?
The phrase "eyes of the LORD" in the OT is frequent and denotes several things including:
God's omniscience; Prov 22:12, 2 Chron 16:9
God's righteous judgement of actions; Amos 9:8, 1 Kings ...
- 69.9k
6
votes
What is the meaning behind Proverbs 27:14 Loudly blessing a neighbor early in the morning, will be taken as a curse
"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" (Sigmund Freud) while all the answers are biblically insightful, doing anything loudly in the morning is generally frowned upon. If I really needed to mow ...
5
votes
Accepted
What is the proper translation of Proverbs 22:6?
The Idea in Brief
The Masoretic Text for this passage contains marginalia written in Palestinian Aramaic which will cue the reader to understand the verse according to how the Masoretic scholars ...
- 16.1k
4
votes
Accepted
Do Proverbs 6:16 and Proverbs 30:18 contain a figure of speech?
With above sentences the writer (not sure if this is Agur or the son of Jakeh) is talking about the 7th and 4th item. For example: 3 things amazes him and there is even a 4th thing that amazes him ...
- 164
4
votes
What is the purpose of listing two different birds in the curse of Proverbs 30:17?
I am seeing parallelism here. There is a two-fold disobedience; one in disobeying the father by mocking and the other in disobeying the mother by disregarding her direction. I lean towards your ...
- 41
4
votes
What are the "security" and "pledge" of Proverbs 27:13?
The phrases "put up security" and to "hold it in pledge" both have to due with the system of credit in ancient Israel. Their system was similar to the modern one with one major difference. Today we go ...
- 188
4
votes
Does Proverbs 8:22 say that God's wisdom was the first person/thing that God created?
Is "possessed me" the proper translation... Or is "made me" the correct translation... ?
Believe it or not, there is little difference between (ancient) Greek (the language of the Septuagint) and (...
4
votes
Accepted
What does Proverbs 23:10 mean regarding the prohibited entry in "Fields of Orphans"?
To understand this important instruction it is necessary to recall how ancient Israelite land and property was delineated.
Each family/clan had an allocated piece of land to work and from which to ...
- 69.9k
4
votes
Accepted
Meaning of Proverbs 4:18
Prov 4:18 should not be separated from the previous and subsequent verse which forms a literary contrast. The thought begins in V14 as follows:
14 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk ...
- 69.9k
3
votes
What does "an apple of gold in a picture of silver" represent in Proverbs of Solomon?
The parallelism is clearer in the original than in the translation you quoted. A literal, wooden translation would be something like this:
Apples of gold in carvings of silver - A word spoken in ...
- 2,140
3
votes
Proverbs: differences between the LXX and the MT
Yes, the Septuagint reflects an earlier version of the Hebrew Bible than the Masoretic text. Fragments of a pre-Masoritic version of the consonantal text of the Hebrew Old Testament have been ...
- 5,170
3
votes
Translation of Proverbs 14:14
This is indeed a difficult verse.
מדרכיו
From his ways
ישבע
he will be filled*
סוג לב
[the one of] backslidden heart
ומעליו
but from on it/him
[will be filled]
איש ...
- 25.7k
3
votes
Accepted
In Proverbs 18:21 what is the control that the tongue has over life and death?
The verse is suggesting that we have a choice as to how the power of the tongue is used. It can be used for either good or evil. The fruit will follow its usage.
Verse 20 can help understand verse ...
- 2,740
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