Exegetical Thoughts and Biblical Theology

  WTT Proverbs 30:32 אִם־נָבַ֥לְתָּ בְהִתְנַשֵּׂ֑א וְאִם־זַ֜מּ֗וֹתָ יָ֣ד לְפֶֽה׃ KJV Proverbs 30:32 If thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth. APB Proverbs 30:32 If you have been foolish* by exalting yourself Or if you have schemed ** , put your hand on your mouth. *The verb ‘have been foolish’ is nabalta and is the only occurrence of the Qal form of this verb ( nabal II). The Piel has the sense of ‘ treat s.one disdainfully ’ (Holladay ). See Isa. 32:6-7 for an extended description of the nabal . Waltke says, “Verse 32a presents the foolish situation of plotting one’s self-exaltation through boasting.” ** The word ‘schemed’ ( zamam ) can mean ‘plan, think’ and occurs 13x in the OT ) Gen. 11:6, Deut. 19:19, Ps. 17:3, Ps. 31:14, Ps. 37:12, Prov. 30:32, Prov. 31:16, Jer. 4:28, Jer. 51:12, Lam. 2:17, Zech. 1:6, Zech. 8:14, Zech. 8:15). NASB: plot evil ; ESV: devising evil; LEB: devised evil. It...

‎ Proverbs 14:17 קְֽצַר־אַ֭פַּיִם יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה אִוֶּ֑לֶת וְאִ֥ישׁ מְ֜זִמּ֗וֹת יִשָּׂנֵֽא׃ APB Proverbs 14:17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, And a man of evil schemes is hated. Exegesis The word translated ‘evil schemes’ ( mezimmah ) can be positive (prudence, 1:4; 8:12; discretion, 2:11; 3:21; 5:2) or negative (12:2; 14:17; 24:8). It is the context that determines its reference. The phrase ‘ish mezimmot ‘man of schemes’ occurs twice in Proverbs (12:2; 14:17). In Proverbs 12:2, Yahweh delights in a good man but He condemns a ‘ish mezimmot . This requires us to understand the ‘ish mezimmot as someone who is not a good man and is worthy of Yahweh’s condemnation. Given that background, ‘ish mezimmot in 14:17 is not merely hated by people, but also by Yahweh. In Prov. 24:8, the ‘master of mezimmot ’ is one who “plans to do evil.” So then, in every instance in which mezimmah is in a construct-absolute relationship with a term referring to a person, it means ‘evil schemes....

‎ Proverbs 14:16 חָכָ֣ם יָ֭רֵא וְסָ֣ר מֵרָ֑ע וּ֜כְסִ֗יל מִתְעַבֵּ֥ר וּבוֹטֵֽחַ׃ Proverbs 14:16 A wise man is cautious and turns away from evil, But a fool is arrogant and careless. (NASB) Translation Notes The NASB seems to have unnecessarily downshifted the sense of yare’ to ‘be cautious. ’ Elsewhere, when used with turning aside from evil, the NASB consistently renders it  ‘fears,’ since it usually has God/Yahweh as the object (Job 1:1, 8; 2:3; 28:28; Prov. 3:7; 14:16; 16:6). Further, this is the only place the NASB translates מִתְעַבֵּ֥ר as ‘arrogant,’ following BDB which offers only this passage for that sense. All other clear instances mean “be enraged, full of wrath” (Deut. 3:26; Psa. 78:21, 59, 62; 89:39; Prov. 20:2). Prov. 26:17 could mean this, but there are textual issues there. It seems more reasonable, therefore, to translate it here as ‘full of wrath.’ Keil & Delitzsch reason similarly: “Most interpreters translate 16b: the fool is over-co...

‎ WTT Proverbs 6:27-29 הֲיַחְתֶּ֤ה אִ֓ישׁ אֵ֬שׁ בְּחֵיק֑וֹ וּ֜בְגָדָ֗יו לֹ֣א תִשָּׂרַֽפְנָה׃ 28 אִם־יְהַלֵּ֣ךְ אִ֭ישׁ עַל־הַגֶּחָלִ֑ים וְ֜רַגְלָ֗יו לֹ֣א תִכָּוֶֽינָה׃ 29 כֵּ֗ן הַ֭בָּא אֶל־אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֵ֑הוּ לֹ֥א יִ֜נָּקֶ֗ה כָּֽל־הַנֹּגֵ֥עַ בָּֽהּ׃ Proverbs 6:27-29 Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned? 28 Or can a man walk on hot coals And his feet not be scorched? 29 So is the one who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. v. 27 Father, the agony and damage of physical burns is a sign of the agony and damage of soul that the folly of adultery brings. As v. 32 says, “he who would destroy himself does it.” Yahweh, your perspective is that adultery is like dumping fire in the lap or walking barefoot across burning coals. I will get burned. I cannot dodge the bullet. Any appearance of “getting away with it” is illusory. You state, “he will not go unpunished” = he will not be remain blameless (HALOT), be f...

  Proverbs 27:1 אַֽל־תִּ֭תְהַלֵּל בְּי֣וֹם מָחָ֑ר כִּ֤י לֹא־תֵ֜דַ֗ע מַה־יֵּ֥לֶד יֽוֹם׃ Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. Yahweh, you highlight how finite and limited my knowledge of the future is to remind me that I am inescapably dependent upon You. You are the One who determines whether I live tomorrow—and today for that matter. You oppose boasting about tomorrow because I have no control over it, have no capacity to guarantee my boasts, and thus all such boasting is empty. Further it is prideful, and You hate pride because it robs me of my greatest good—dependence upon You—and You of your greatest glory—being seen and savored for who You are—the ultimate provider of all good things for your creatures. Sometimes boasting is a cover for fear. I rejoice this morning that because of you I’m free from the fear of tomorrow. I can rest happily in each day as your provision. I gladly acknowledge that I don’t know...

   Proverbs 26:1 כַּשֶּׁ֤לֶג׀ בַּקַּ֗יִץ וְכַמָּטָ֥ר בַּקָּצִ֑יר כֵּ֤ן לֹא־נָאוֶ֖ה לִכְסִ֣יל כָּבֽוֹד׃ APB Proverbs 26:1 Like snow in summer and like rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool. Yahweh, your perspective is that snow isn’t fitting for summer, rain isn’t fitting in harvest, and honor is not fitting for a fool. Rain at harvest time is not only unexpected, but it damages. Wet facilitates rot, hinders flour protection, endangers hay storage due to fermentation heat, etc. Yahweh, if I share your perspective, I will identify fools and avoid honoring them. Not only because honor is incongruous with their character, but also because it is damaging. Honor tends to confirm past behavior. Honor commends present patterns. It certainly doesn’t prompt self-examination and correction. And confirming a fool in his folly is damning. I rejoice that even a directive to withhold honor shines with your love, Yahweh. Though there is little hope for a fool ...

  WTT Proverbs 25:17 הֹקַ֣ר רַ֭גְלְךָ מִבֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ פֶּן־יִ֜שְׂבָּעֲךָ֗ וּשְׂנֵאֶֽךָ׃ APB Proverbs 25:17 Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor's house, Lest he have his fill of you and hate you. Translation notes : No textual variants noted in BHS, BHQ, or Fox.   The verb yaqar occurs other times with the min preposition, but none share this verses’s semantic features. Literally, “make rare your foot from the house of your friend/neighbor.” The second half uses the verb “be sated, satisfied,” but as HALOT notes, with an object, it can mean “have enough of, have too much of.” Theological Commentary : Yahweh, what are you teaching me about yourself? 1. From your perspective, I should avoid wearying my neighbor and so come to be disliked. 2. This proverb is an application of the 2nd great commandment: do to others and you would have them do to you. But it also adds in the factor that not all persons have the same preference for social interaction. S...

‎ WTT Proverbs 20:17 עָרֵ֣ב לָ֭אִישׁ לֶ֣חֶם שָׁ֑קֶר וְ֜אַחַ֗ר יִמָּֽלֵא־פִ֥יהוּ חָצָֽץ׃ APB Proverbs 20:17 Sweet to a man is bread of a lie, But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel. LEB Proverbs 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet for the man, but afterward, his mouth will be filled with gravel. Yahweh’s perspective: You acknowledge the thrill, the pleasure, the sense of accomplishment that accompanies “getting away with” a lie and benefiting from it. This is the front side of sin. But You want your children to see the back side, the after taste, the consequences. The sweetness is followed by gravel -- gravel in the mouth breaks the teeth ( Lam. 3:16 ), jars the jaw, cannot be swallowed but must be expelled. In Prov. 9:17 Folly says, “stolen waters are sweet, and bread eat in secret is pleasant.” The allure of the thrill, the secret pleasure are the bait on the barbs of the enemy. His joy is in broken teeth, unrelenting bitterness of soul that accompa...