Proverbs

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:1a

Text (BHS):

שִׁמְעוּ בָנִים מוּסַר אָב

Transliteration (Accordance):

šimʿû ḇānı̂m mûsar ʾāḇ

Translation (ESV):

Hear, O sons, a father's instruction

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

שִׁמְעוּ (šimʿû) : Qal imperative 2 m.p. of שָׁמַע (šāmaʿ) : hear.
בָנִים (ḇānı̂m) : plural of בֵּן (bēn) : sons.
מוּסַר אָב (mûsar ʾāḇ) : construct מוּסַר (mûsar) + noun אָב (ʾāḇ) : a father's instruction.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:1b

Text (BHS):

וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ לָדַעַת בִּינָה

Transliteration (Accordance):

wᵉhaqšı̂ḇû lāḏaʿaṯ bı̂nāh

Translation (Waltke):

and pay attention to knowledge that gives insight.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְהַקְשִׁיבוּ (wᵉhaqšı̂ḇû) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + Hiphil imperative 2 m.p. of קָשַׁב (qāšaḇ) : and pay attention.
לָדַעַת בִּינָה (lāḏaʿaṯ bı̂nāh) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + noun דַּעַת (daʿaṯ) + noun בִּינָה (bı̂nāh) : to knowledge that gives insight.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:2a

Text (BHS):

כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם

Transliteration (Accordance):

kı̂ leqaḥ ṭôḇ nāṯattı̂ lāḵem

Translation (Waltke):

Because I give* to you a good education

*The instantaneous perfective represents the situation occurring at the very moment the expression is being uttered (IBHS p. 488, §30.5.1d).

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כִּי לֶקַח טוֹב (kı̂ leqaḥ ṭôḇ) : conjunction כִּי (kı̂) + noun לֶקַח (leqaḥ) + adjective m.s. טוֹב (ṭôḇ) : because a good education.
נָתַתִּי לָכֶם (nāṯattı̂ lāḵem) : Qal perfect 1 c.s. of נָתַן (nāṯan) : I give.*↑
לָכֶם (lāḵem) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + pronominal 2nd person masculine plural suffix : to you.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:2b

Text (BHS):

תּוֹרָתִי אַל־תַּעֲזֹב

Transliteration (Accordance):

tôrāṯı̂ ʾal-taʿᵃzōḇû

Translation (Waltke):

do not leave my teaching.*

*The versification suggests that verset A is the protasis and verset B is the apodosis.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

תּוֹרָתִי (tôrāṯı̂) : noun תּוֹרָה (tôrāh) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my teaching.
אַל־תַּעֲזֹב (ʾal-taʿᵃzōḇû) : negation אַל (ʾal) + Qal imperfect 2 masculine plural of עָזַב (ʿāzaḇ) : do not leave.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:3a

Text (BHS):

כִּי־בֵן הָיִיתִי לְאָבִי

Transliteration (Accordance):

kı̂-ḇēn hāyı̂ṯı̂ lᵉʾāḇı̂

Translation (Waltke):

When I was a son* to my father

*Meinhold (Sprüche, 1:91) invests hāya with its active sense (= "became"), but the gapped verb in the parallel demands the active sense.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כִּי־בֵן (kı̂-ḇēn) : conjunction כִּי (kı̂) + noun בֵן (ḇēn) : when a son.
הָיִיתִי (hāyı̂ṯı̂) : Qal perfect 1 c.s. of הָיָה (hāya) : I was.
לְאָבִי (lᵉʾāḇı̂) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + singular noun אָב (ʾāḇ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : to my father.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:3b

Text (BHS):

רַךְ וְיָחִיד לִפְנֵי אִמִּי

Transliteration (Accordance):

raḵ wᵉyāḥı̂ḏ lip̱nê ʾimmı̂

Translation (Waltke):

still tender and cherished* by my mother

*Yāḥı̂ḏ lip̱nê means literally "an only one before." More than 20 manuscripts have the facilitating reading yāḥı̂ḏ libnê "of the sons of."

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

רַךְ וְיָחִיד (raḵ wᵉyāḥı̂ḏ) : adjective רַךְ (raḵ) tender + conjunction וְ (wᵉ) and + adjective יָחִיד (yāḥı̂ḏ) only one (especially of an only son -BDB).
לִפְנֵי אִמִּי (lip̱nê ʾimmı̂) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + plural construct of פָּנֶה (pāneh) + feminine singular noun אֵם (ʾēm) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : before my mother.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:4a

Text (BHS):

וַיֹּרֵנִי וַיֹּאמֶר לִי

Transliteration (Accordance):

wayyōrēnı̂ wayyōʾmer lı̂

Translation (Waltke):

then he* taught me and said to me

*The LXX reads "those who were speaking and teaching" and changes "my words" to "our words" probably to harmonize the text with the mention of both parents in verse 3. The narrative waw-consecutive is best not translated after the temporal indicators in verse 3 (IBHS, p. 553, §33.2.4).

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וַיֹּרֵנִי (wayyōrēnı̂) : consecutive ו (waw) + Hiphil imperfect 3 m.s. of יָרָה (yārāh) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : then he taught me.
וַיֹּאמֶר (wayyōʾmer) : consecutive ו (waw) + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of אָמַר (ʾāmar) : and said.
לִי (lı̂) : preposition לְ (lᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : to me.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:4b

Text (BHS):

יִתְמָךְ־דְּבָרַי לִבֶּךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):

yiṯmāḵ-dᵉḇāray libbeḵā

Translation (Waltke):

"Let you heart take hold of my words

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

יִתְמָךְ (yiṯmāḵ) : Qal imperfect 3 m.s of תָּמַךְ (tāmaḵ) let [your heart] take hold of.
דְּבָרַי (dᵉḇāray) : plural of דָּבָר (dāḇār) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my words.
לִבֶּךָ (libbeḵā) : noun לֵב (lēḇ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your heart.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:4c

Text (BHS):

שְׁמֹר מִצְוֹתַי וֶחְיֵה

Transliteration (Accordance):

šᵉmōr miṣwōṯay weḥyēh

Translation (Waltke):

keep my commands and live*.

*The LXX omits "and live." This could be an MT gloss from 7:2, but the LXX also deletes verses 5a and 7.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

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

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:5a

Text (BHS):

קְנֵה חָכְמָה קְנֵה בִינָה

Transliteration (Accordance):

qᵉnêh ḥoḵmâ qᵉnêh ḇı̂nāh

Translation (Waltke):

Get wisdom! Get insight!*

*LXX^Bis minus verses 5a and 7, thereby presenting a more simple text to heed the parental teaching. Other Greek traditions added the MT in various ways. "Do not forsake her" requires an antecedent reference to wisdom.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

קְנֵה (qᵉnêh) : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of קָנָה (qānāh) : get, acquire.
חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ) : wisdom.
בִּינָה (bı̂nāh) : understanding.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:5b

Text (BHS):

אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח וְאַל־תֵּט

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾal-tiškaḥ wᵉʾal-tēṭ

Translation (Waltke):

Do not forget and do not turn aside

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אַל־תִּשְׁכַּח (ʾal-tiškaḥ) : negation אַל (ʾal) + Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of שָׁכַח (šāḵaḥ) : do not forget.
וְאַל־תֵּט (wᵉʾal-tēṭ) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + negation אַל (ʾal) + Qal imperfect 2 m.s. jussive of נָטָה (nāṭāh) : and do not turn aside.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:5c

Text (BHS):

מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי

Transliteration (Accordance):

mēʾimrê-p̱ı̂

Translation (Waltke):

from the words of my mouth!

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

מֵאִמְרֵי־פִי (mēʾimrê-p̱ı̂) : prep. מִן (min) + plural construct of אֵמֶר (ʾēmer) + noun פֶּה (peh) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : from the words of my mouth.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:6a

Text (BHS):

אַל־תַּעַזְבֶהָ וְתִשְׁמְרֶךָּ

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾal-taʿazḇehā wᵉṯišmᵉreḵā

Translation (TNIV):

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אַל־תַּעַזְבֶהָ (ʾal-taʿazḇehā) : negation אַל (ʾal)+ Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of עָזַב (ʿāzaḇ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : do not forsake her.
וְתִשְׁמְרֶךָּ (wᵉṯišmᵉreḵā) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + Qal imperfect 3 f.s. of שָׁמַר (šāmar) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : and she will protect you.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:6b

Text (BHS):

אֱהָבֶהָ וְתִצְּרֶךָּ

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾᵉhāḇehā wᵉṯiṣṣᵉreḵā

Translation (TNIV):

love her, and she will watch over you.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֱהָבֶהָ (ʾᵉhāḇehā) : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of אָהֵב (ʾāhēḇ) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : love her.
וְתִצְּרֶךָּ (wᵉṯiṣṣᵉreḵā) : conjunction וְ (wᵉ) + Qal imperfect 3 f.s of נָצַר (nāṣar) + 2 m.s. suffix : and she will watch over you..

[John Reece]

Proverbs 4:7a

Text (BHS):

רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה קְנֵה חָכְמָה

Transliteration (Accordance):

rēʾšı̂ṯ ḥoḵmâ qᵉnêh ḥoḵmâ

Translation (TNIV):

The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה (rēʾšı̂ṯ ḥoḵmâ) : construct רֵאשִׁית (rēʾšı̂ṯ) + noun חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ) : the beginning of wisdom.
קְנֵה חָכְמָה (qᵉnêh ḥoḵmâ) : Qal imperative 2 m.s. of קָנָה (qānāh) + noun חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmâ) : [is] get wisdom.