Proverbs

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:12a

Re-posted to correct verse citation.

Text (BHS):

אֲנִי־חָכְמָה שָׁכַנְתִּי עָרְמָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

I, Wisdom,* dwell** with shrewdness;

*IBHS, p. 64, P. 4.2.1a),
**BHS, p. 85), reads , feminine of

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֲנִי־חָכְמָה (ʾnı̂-ḥoḵmāh) : personal pronoun 1 c.s. אֲנִי (ʾnı̂) + noun חָכְמָה (ḥoḵmāh) : I, Wisdom.
שָׁכַנְתִּי () : Qal perfect 1 c.s. of שָׁכַן () : dwell.
עָרְמָה (ʿormāh) : noun : [together with] prudence [TNIV].

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:11

Waltke textual footnote:

, 1:137).

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:12b

Text (BHS):

וְדַעַת מְזִמּוֹת אֶמְצָא

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and knowledge and discretion I find.*

*Fichtner (BHS) gratuitously emends to ʾmṣʾ in Proverbs are aligned in the LXX with words that bear no semantic resemblance to it.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְדַעַת (wᵉḏaʿaṯ) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun דַּעַת (daʿaṯ) : and knowledge.
מְזִמּוֹת () : plural of מְזִמָּה (mᵉzimāh) : [and] discretion.
אֶמְצָא (ʾemṣāʾ) : Qal imperfect 1 c.s. of מָצָא (māṣāʾ) : I find.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:13a

Text (BHS):

יִרְאַת יְהוָה שְׂנֹאת רָע

Transliteration (Accordance):

yirʾaṯ YHWH śᵉnōʾṯ rāʿ

Translation (Waltke):

The fear of the Lord is hating evil ― *

*

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

יִרְאַת (yirʾaṯ) : construct of יִרְאָה (yirʾāh) : the fear of.
יְהוָה (YHWH) : the Lord.
שְׂנֹאת (śᵉnōʾṯ) : Qal infinitive construct of שָׂנֵא (śānēʾ) : [is] hating.
רָע (rāʿ) : evil.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:13b

Text (BHS):

גֵּאָה וְגָאוֹן וְדֶרֶךְ רָע

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

pride and arrogance and an evil way*

*Rāʿ is construed as a substantival adjective, not as a noun, to avoid a tautology with verset A and to conform with the other 30 occurrences of derek in construct with a personal substantive, never with an attributive genitive (e.g., 2:8; 3:17, 23; 4:19, 26).

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

גֵּאָה (gēʾāh) : pride.
וְגָאוֹן () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun גָּאוֹן () : and arrogance.
וְדֶרֶךְ רָע (wᵉḏereḵ rāʿ) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun דֶרֶךְ (ḏereḵ) + substantival adjective* רָע (rāʿ) : and an evil way.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:13c

Text (BHS):

וּפִי תַהְפֻּכוֹת שָׂנֵאתִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and a perverse mouth I hate.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּפִי () : conj. וּ () + construct of פֶּה (p̱eh) : and a mouth of.
תַהְפֻּכוֹת () : plural of תַּהְפֻּכָה (tahpuḵāh) : perversity.
שָׂנֵאתִי (śānēʾṯı̂) : Qal perfect 1 c.s. of שָׂנֵא (śānēʾ) : I hate.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:14a

Text (BHS):

לִי־עֵצָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

Counsel and sound judgment are mine

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

לִי (lı̂) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : to me/mine.
עֵצָה (ʿēṣāh) : [are] counsel.
וְתוּשִׁיָּה () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun תּוּשִׁיָּה () : and sound judgment.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:14b

Text (BHS):

אֲנִי בִינָה לִי גְבוּרָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Walke):

I am insight, heroic strength is mine

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֲנִי (ʾᵃnı̂) : personal pronoun 1 c.s. : I [am].
בִינָה (ḇı̂nāh) : insight.
לִי (lı̂) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : to me/mine [is].
גְבוּרָה () : heroic strength.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:15a

Text (BHS):

בִּי מְלָכִים יִמְלֹכוּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

By me kings reign

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בִּי (bı̂) : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : by me.
מְלָכִים (mᵉlāḵı̂m) : plural of מֶלֶךְ (meleḵ) : kings.
יִמְלֹכוּ () : Qal imperfect 3 m.p. of מָלַךְ (mālaḵ) : reign.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:15b

Text (BHS):

וְרוֹזְנִים יְחֹקְקוּ צֶדֶק

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

and rulers issue decrees that are just

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְרוֹזְנִים () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + Qal m.p. participle (as substantive) of רָזֹן (rāzōn) : and rulers.
יְחֹקְקוּ () : Po'el imperfect 3 m.p of חָקַק (ḥāqaq) : decree.
צֶדֶק (ṣeḏeq) : [what is] right/just

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:16a

Text (BHS):

בִּי שָׂרִים יָשֹׂרוּ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (TNIV):

by me princes govern

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בִּי (bı̂) : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : by me.
שָׂרִים (śārı̂m) : plural of שַׂר (śar) : princes.
יָשֹׂרוּ () : Qal perfect 3 m.p. of שָׂרַר (śārar) : govern.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:16b

Text (BHS):

וּנְדִיבִים כָּל־שֹׁפְטֵי צֶדֶק

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and nobles ― all the judges of the earth.*

* ṣedeq because this reading achieves symmetry with vv.15a,b and 16a. His reconstruction, however, stumbles over kolkol. The Masoretic manuscripts and editions are fairly evenly divided between ʾereṣṣedeq occurs almost always with ʾereṣ and never with ṣedeq (cf. Pss. 2:10; 148:11; Isa. 40:23). Delitzsch (Proverbs, p. 180, n. 1) argues that if the Masoretes who compiled the Masorah knew of it, they probably would have noted it in the Masorah by layitṣedeq came into the text by dittography from the last word of v. 15 than that the Masoretes simply replaced it with ʾereṣ. Delitzsch is mistaken, however, when he says that ṣedeqṣedeqṣedeq is not explicitly stated in v. 16, it should be assumed that ṣedeq in v. 15b also qualifies this verse.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּנְדִיבִים () : conj. וּ () + נָדִיב (nāḏı̂ḇ) : and nobles.
כָּל (kol) : construct of כֹּל (kōl) : all.
שֹׁפְטֵי () : Qal participle plural construct m.p. of שָׁפַט () : judges.
צֶדֶק (ṣeḏeq) : righteous.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:17a

Text (BHS):

אֲנִי אֹהֲבֶיהָ [אֹהֲבַי] אֵהָב

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

As for me, those who love me* I love.

* Kethib reads ʾQere and ancient versions read ʾōhᵃbay formulation preserves an Egyptian prototype that rigidly adhered to the third person but cites no texts.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אֲנִי (ʾᵃnı̂) : personal pronoun 1 c.s. : as for me/I.
אֹהֲבַי (ōhᵃbay) : those who love me.
אֵהָב () : Qal imperfect 1 c.s. of אָהֵב (ʾāhēḇ) : : I love.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:17b

Text (BHS):

וּמְשַׁחֲרַי יִמְצָאֻנְנִי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

and those who seek me diligently find me.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּמְשַׁחֲרַי () : conj. וּ () + Piel participle m.p, of שָׁחַר () + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : and those who seek me diligently.
יִמְצָאֻנְנִי (yimṣāʾunᵉnı̂) : Qal imperfect 3 m.p. of מָצָא (māṣāʾ) + 1 c.s. suffix : will find me.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 8:18a

Text (BHS):

עֹשֶׁר־וְכָבוֹד אִתִּי

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (NRSV):

Riches and honor are with me,

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

עֹשֶׁר () : riches.
וְכָבוֹד () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + noun כָבוֹד (ḵāḇōḏ) : and honor.
אִתִּי (ʾittı̂) : prep. אֵת (ʾēṯ) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : [are] with me.