Proverbs

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:2

Text (BHS):

שְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתַי וֶחְיֵה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

keep my commandments and live

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

שְׁמֹר () : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of שָׁמַר () : keep.
מִצְוֹתַי (miṣwōṯay) : plural of מִצְוָה (miṣwāh) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my commands/commandments.
וֶחְיֵה () : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + Qal imperative 2 m.s. of חָיָה (ḥāyāh) : and live.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:3

]Text (BHS):

קָשְׁרֵם עַל־אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

bind them on your fingers

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

קָשְׁרֵם () : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of קָשַׁר () + pronominal 3 m.p. suffix : bind them.
עַל (ʿal) : on.
אֶצְבְּעֹתֶיךָ () : plural of אֶצְבַּע (ʾeṣḇaʿ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your fingers.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:3b

Text (BHS):

כָּתְבֵם עַל־לוּחַ לִבֶּךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כָּתְבֵם (koṯḇēm) : Qal imperative 3 m.s. of כָּתַב (ḵāṯaḇ) + pronominal 3 m.p. suffix : write them.
עַל (ʿal) : on.
לוּחַ () : construct : the tablet of.
לִבֶּךָ (libbeḵā) : noun לֵב (lēḇ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your heart.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:4a

Text (BHS):

אֱמֹר לַחָכְמָה אֲחֹתִי אָתְּ

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾᵉmōr laḥoḵmāh ʾᵃḥōṯı̂ ʾāt

Translation (NRSV):
Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֱמֹר (ʾᵉmōr) : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of אָמַר (ʾāmar) : say.
לַחָכְמָה (laḥoḵmāh) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + noun חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmāh) : to wisdom.
אֲחֹתִי (ʾᵃḥōṯı̂) : noun אָחוֹת (ʾāḥōṯ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my sister.
אָתְּ (ʾāt) : personal pronoun 2 f.s. pausal vocalization of אַתְּ (ʾaṯ) : you [are].

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:4b

Text (BHS):

וּמֹדָע לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):
Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּמֹדָע () : conjunction וּ () + noun מֹדָע (mōḏāʿ) : and "my relative" [the pronominal suffix is gapped in the B verset (M. Dahood, Anchor Bible)].
לַבִּינָה (labbı̂nāh) : preposition לְ (lᵉ) + definite article + noun בִּינָה (bı̂nāh) : to [personified] insight.
תִקְרָא (ṯiqrāʾ) : Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of קָרָא (qārāʾ) : say.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:5a

Text (BHS):

לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

to keep you from the unfaithful wife

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

לִשְׁמָרְךָ () : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + Qal infinitive construct of שָׁמַר () + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : to keep you.
מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה () : prep. מִן (min) + noun אִשָּׁה () + Qal f.s. participle of זוּר () : from an unfaithful wife.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:5b

Text (BHS):

מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

from the unchaste wife who causes her words to be smooth.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

מִנָּכְרִיָּה (minnāḵᵉrı̂ā) : prep. מִן (min) + feminine of נָכְרִי (noḵrı̂) : from a harlot/unchaste wife.
אֲמָרֶיהָ () : plural of אֵמֶר (ʾēmer) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : her/whose words.
הֶחֱלִיקָה (heḥᵉlı̂qāh) : Hiphil perfect 3 f.s. of חָלַק (ḥālaq) : deal smoothly/flatter.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:6a

Text (BHS):

כִּי בְּחַלּוֹן בֵּיתִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

For standing at* the window of my** house

*The preposition calls for an elided verb (IBHS
**Via Accordance, color added:In sum, there is no good argument for preferring the LXX or, if followed, for dogmatically identifying the woman looking out of the window as a cultic figure."

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כִּי (kı̂) : for.
בְּחַלּוֹן () : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + construct חַלּוֹן () : [standing*↑] at the window of.
בֵּיתִי () : noun בַּיִת (ḇayiṯ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my house.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:6b

]Text (BHS):

בְּעַד אֶשְׁנַבִּי נִשְׁקָפְתִּי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

I looked out through my lattice

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בְּעַד (bᵉʿaḏ) : through.
אֶשְׁנַבִּי () : noun אֶשְׁנָב () + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my window-lattice.
נִשְׁקָפְתִּי () : Niphal perfect 1 c.s. of שָׁקַף () : looked out.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:7a

Text (BHS):

וָאֵרֶא בַפְּתָאיִם

Transliteration (Accordance):

wāʾēreʾ ḇappᵉṯāʾyim

Translation (NRSV):

and I saw among the simple ones

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וָאֵרֶא (wāʾēreʾ) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + Qal imperfect 1 c.s. of רָאָה (rāʾāh) : and I saw.
בַפְּתָאיִם (ḇappᵉṯāʾyim) : preposition בְּ (bᵉ) + definite article + plural of פֶּתִי (peṯı̂) : among the simple-minded ones.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:7b

Text (BHS):

אָבִינָה בַבָּנִים

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾāḇı̂nāh ḇabbānı̂m

Translation (NRSV):

I observed among the youths

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אָבִינָה (ʾāḇı̂nāh) : Qal imperfect 1 c.s. of בִין (ḇı̂n) : I observed.
בַבָּנִים (ḇabbānı̂m) : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + definite article + plural of בֵּן (bēn) : among the young men (BDB).

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:7c

Text (BHS):

נַעַר חֲסַר־לֵב

Transliteration (Accordance):

naʿar ḥᵃsar-lēḇ

Translation (NRSV):

a young man without sense

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

נַעַר (naʿar) : a young man.
חֲסַר־לֵב (ḥᵃsar-lēḇ) : construct of חָסֵר (ḥāsēr) + noun לֵב (lēḇ) : in want of/who has no sense.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:8a

Text (BHS):

עֹבֵר בַּשּׁוּק אֵצֶל פִּנָּהּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

He was going down the street near her corner,

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

עֹבֵר (ʿōḇēr) : Qal participle of עָבַר (ʿāḇar) : [he was] going.
בַּשּׁוּק () : prep. + definite article + noun שׁוּק () : down the street.
אֵצֶל (ʾēṣel) : near.
פִּנָּהּ (pinnāh) : noun פָּנֶה (p̱āneh) + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : her corner.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:8b

Text (BHS):

וְדֶרֶךְ בֵּיתָהּ יִצְעָד

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

walking along in the direction of her house.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְדֶרֶךְ (wᵉḏereḵ) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + construct דֶּרֶךְ (dereḵ) : and the way of/to.
בֵּיתָהּ () : noun בַּיִת (ḇayiṯ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : her house.
יִצְעָד (yiṣʿāḏ) : Qal imperfect 3 f.s. of צָעַד (ṣāʿaḏ) : he walks along.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 7:9a

Text (BHS):

בְּנֶשֶׁף־בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

at twilight, as the day was fading,

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בְּנֶשֶׁף () : prep. + noun נֶשֶׁף () : in the twilight.
בְּעֶרֶב (bᵉʿereḇ) : prep. + noun עֶרֶב : in the evening.
יוֹם () : [of the] day.