Exegetical Thoughts and Biblical Theology

‎   WTT Proverbs 4:24 הָסֵ֣ר מִ֭מְּךָ עִקְּשׁ֣וּת פֶּ֑ה וּלְז֥וּת שְׂ֜פָתַ֗יִם הַרְחֵ֥ק מִמֶּֽךָּ׃ APB Proverbs 4:24 Put away from you a crooked mouth And put devious lips far from you. crooked. This word occurs only here and in Prov. 6:12 . Its cognates ( מַעֲקָשׁ עקשׁ ) consistently describe what is not straight (Mic. 3:9). It is the opposite of blameless ( Job 9:20 tam ; Prov. 11:20 tamim ). Those whose paths are crooked do not know the way of peace and there is not justice in their paths (Isa. 59:8). To put away a crooked heart is to have nothing to do with evil ( Psa. 101:4 ). It is the worthless ( beliya‘al ) and wicked ( ’aven ) man who walks with a crooked mouth. Lady Wisdom declares that all her words are righteous ( tsedeq ); none of them are crooked or perverse. To put away a crooked mouth is to walk in integrity ( Prov. 19:1 ; 28:6 ; 28:18 ). How do you put away a crooked mouth? By refusing crooked thoughts. By leaving the company of those who are c...

‎ Proverbs 19:22 תַּאֲוַ֣ת אָדָ֣ם חַסְדּ֑וֹ וְטֽוֹב־רָ֜שׁ מֵאִ֥ישׁ כָּזָֽב׃ KJV  Proverbs 19:22  The desire of a man  is  his kindness: and a poor man  is  better than a liar. NASB  Proverbs 19:22 What is desirable in a man is his kindness, And it is better to be a poor man than a liar. Translation All other OT instances of תַּאֲוַ֣ת   ta'avat (desire) followed by a personal noun are subjective genitives (Psa. 10:3 - his soul's desire; 10:17 - the humble’s desire; Psa. 21:3 - his heart’s desire; Psa. 112:10 - the wicked’s desire; Pro. 11:23 - the righteous’s desire; cf. Prov. 21:25; Isa. 26:8). That would suggest taking ta’avat ’adam here as ‘a man’s desire.” The word desire can be negative or positive. It depends on the context, usually the following genitive, to determine which it is. That it can be negative (greed) without a genitive is shown by Num. 11:4 and Num. 11:34, where Israel is greedy for meat. חַסְדּ֑וֹ  ...

‎ 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....

‎ 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...

‎    אַל־תֵּ֥רֶא יַיִן֘ כִּ֪י יִתְאַ֫דָּ֥ם כִּֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן (בַּכִּיס) [בַּכּ֣וֹס] עֵינ֑וֹ יִ֜תְהַלֵּ֗ךְ בְּמֵישָׁרִֽים׃ Proverbs 23:31 Do not look at wine when it is red, When it sparkles in the cup, When it goes down smoothly; What does this prohibition mean? Solomon gives three features that qualify the prohibition “Do not look [at] wine”:  when (a) it is red, (b) it sparkles in the cup [lit: when it gives its eye in the cup], and (c) it goes down smoothly [lit. it walks about in straightness]. The key question is do these three qualifiers indicate something about the nature of the wine or something about the purpose for the drinking? The LXX translates/interprets “don’t be drunk with wine” (μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ), which appears to be quoted by Paul in Eph. 5:18 where the exact same phrase occurs. My best understanding of “do not look upon wine when it is red” is as follows. Contextually, the son is being warned against the destructive consequences that atten...

‎ 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...

Have you ever met a fool? How do you know when you’ve met a fool? In what follows, I’ve pulled together the descriptions given in Proverbs to provide a composite picture of what a fool is and does.* A fool rejects his father’s discipline (Prov. 15:5), causes his father sorrow (Prov. 17:21), and robs him of joy (Prov. 17:21). He despises his mother (Prov. 15:2), is destruction to his father (Prov. 19:13), and is a grief and bitterness to both his parents (Prov. 10:1; 17:25). He despises wisdom and instruction (Prov. 1:7), hates knowledge (Prov. 1:22, 29), and does not choose the fear of Yahweh (Prov. 1:29). He fails to act with knowledge (Prov. 13:16), has no heart for wisdom, even if he seeks it (Prov. 17:16), looks for wisdom in all the wrong places, and thus can’t find it (Prov. 17:24). He dies because of a lack of understanding (Prov. 10:21) He trusts in his own heart (Prov. 28:26), refuses to listen to counsel (Prov. 12:15), and rejects reproof (Prov. 1:30). His way is right ...

The last verse in Proverbs where “God” occurs is Proverbs 30:9. Verses 7-9 form a whole thought in which Agur prays to be kept from deception and lies as well as poverty and riches. Fear of denying Yahweh or dishonoring God’s name motivates his prayer. Agur prays,  7 Two things I ask of You, Do not refuse me before I die:  8 Keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion,  9 That I not be full and deny You and say, "Who is Yahweh?" Or that I not be in want and steal, And profane the name of my God. There are multiple layers to this passage’s doctrine of God. Here are only four of them: 1. God has a name - a reputation. 2. God’s name may be “profaned” 3. God encourages personal identification with Him - “my God” 4. God wants us to pray this way 1. God has a name -- God’s “name” refers to various things in Scripture: what He wants to be called--Yahweh (Exod. 6:3); his character (Exod. 33:19; 34:6); ...

Proverbs 30:5-6 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. [1] There’s so much spiritual marrow for soul nourishment here! We can learn the following about God from Prov. 30:5-6 ... 1. God has spoken. God is a communicator. He is there and He is not silent. The silence of our a vast, unfathomed universe has disturbed not a few, but God, the Creator, has spoken! 2. God has made His word available! God is a revealer and a preserver of His word. He not only speaks somewhere, but He speaks here, on earth, to people. We need not go to Him to hear His words. He has come to us! The marvelous way in which He has preserved His word over 3.5 millennia testifies to His passion to be known. 3. God has spoken pure words. The word “pure” ( tserufah ) means “tested” or “refined”—as in the process of refining silver (Prov. 25:4)—so that all non-silver elements are removed a...

Proverbs 14:6 A scoffer seeks wisdom and finds none, But knowledge is easy to one who has understanding. Who are the scornful / scoffers? 1.       they don’t delight in Yahweh’s torah; they don’t meditate in it day and night; they are not blessed ( ’ashre ) (Psa. 1:1-2) 2.       they delight in scoffing (Prov. 1:22) 3.       they receive Yahweh’s scorn and not His favor (Prov. 3:34) 4.       They will not be reproved and seek to shame those who reprove them (Prov. 9:7) 5.       They hate those who reprove them (Prov. 9:8) 6.       They do not listen to rebuke (Prov. 13:1) 7.       They seek wisdom in vain (Prov. 14:6) 8.       They do not love the one who reproves them. They will not go to the wise (Prov. 15:12) 9.       They do not be...