The world is a hard place. This chapter collects sayings that address what we can honestly expect from fallen humanity, even when we presume a covenant community. Please note that there are two words for “poor” here; one denotes being in need as a fact, while the other emphasizes being needy as a character trait. However, let us not forget that in Hebrew, context is everything, so the words can be interchangeable at times.
1. Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. This is poor in the factual sense. The word translated as “integrity” can also be translated as prosperity, a play on words that indicates moral wealth. Don’t ignore moral opportunities for mere material goods.
2. Also without knowledge the soul is not good, and he who hurries with his feet sins. Starting with “also” indicates this continues the previous proverb. The context here emphasizes knowledge in the sense of cunning or strategy, obviously in the moral sense. The image of hurried or swift feet is often a parable for the heedless rush of fools. The word for “sin” indicates running down the wrong path.
3. The foolishness of man perverts his way, and his heart frets against the LORD. The image here is someone who can’t stay on the main road to moral integrity, but takes all kinds of detours after every lust that calls his name. The word “heart” here indicates a sense of consciousness; it ought to be rooted in his heart-mind, but he’s too busy chasing his desires, so he is often frustrated at how God does things.
4. Wealth makes many friends; but the poor is separated from his neighbor. This is the image of someone born to wealth and carefree, versus someone who can’t make on his own. In our cruel world, too many people go by what they can get from you, never mind your character.
5. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and a breather of lies shall not escape. There is a subtle and delicious imagery here not obvious in most English translations, comparing a plotting deceiver with a noisy windbag. The first will never come clean and the second can never slip away from his troubles.
6. Many will beg the favor of a ruler, and all are friends to a man who gives gifts. Hebrew parallelism often says the same thing two different ways. We first need to remind ourselves that Ancient Near Eastern political power often rested on fearless generosity and extravagance. The imagery in the first phrase is someone coming around trying to wear away the friction or resistance to get some face time with a powerful figure. It’s amazing how some people work so hard for freebies instead of working hard to earn. The second phrase is trying to be pals with someone who tends to be generous.
7. All the brothers of the poor man hate him; how much more do his friends go far from him? He pursues them with words, yet they are lacking. This is a contrast to the previous verse. If words are all you have to give, nobody wants to be near you, even if they are socially obliged to you.
8. He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; he who keeps understanding shall find good. This is simply a poor translation. “He who builds his heart loves Creation; he who guards that kind of wisdom knows he has found what’s good.”
9. A false witness shall not be unpunished, and one speaking lies shall perish. Restated here as a contrasting companion to the previous verse, this is almost word for word the same as verse 5 above. The last word is changed to indicate getting lost in the wilderness and never found alive.
10. Luxury is not becoming for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes. You can be sure this arises from the most ancient human memory, and the meaning is patently obvious. Sometimes you wonder how people got where they are, and it’s painful to watch how it affects everyone else involved.
11. The judgment of a man puts off his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression. When something strikes you like a personal insult, it is prudent to set it aside until you can decide whether it really matters. Don’t take yourself so seriously; take your divine calling seriously.
12. The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion; but his favor is like dew on the grass. In the context, this emphasizes the magnitude of the man’s power over you. By implication, it’s a harsh reality that if you have no power, people will not feel accountable to you. They’ll tread lightly around a king, though.
13. A foolish son is ruin to his father, and the quarreling of a wife is a never-ending dripping. In Hebrew society, there were two kinds of people who could create such awful stress as to bring you to an early grave. The Hebrew image of “foolish” here is someone who is too fat to move properly, if at all, in a moral sense. The wife who wants to argue about every little thing is an ancient legend. It’s not just the tension at home, but how it insults the community and drags down everyone who sees it, even from a distance.
14. Houses and riches are the inheritance of fathers, and a prudent wife is from the LORD. This is a contrast to the previous verse, and an example of dry Hebrew wit. Instead of leaving his inheritance to a stupid heir, having a thriving family economy is a rich heritage from God — implying a wise and industrious household. So is a wife who seizes on the moral imperatives of her divine calling.
15. Laziness throws one into a deep sleep, and an idle soul shall suffer hunger. Two flavors of the same basic sin, we see someone who expends more energy in their personal amusement and comfort than anything else. This sense of entitlement will leave you empty handed of even that.
16. He who keeps the commandment keeps his own soul; he who despises His ways shall die. Subtle imagery here equates the covenant law with life itself. Pursuing the moral character of God as your Lord is in your own best interest.
17. He who has pity upon the poor lends to the LORD, and He will reward his dealing to him. Connected to the previous verse, here we see that a critical element of divine justice means you will include charity in your reckoning as offerings to God. It’s a general principle that the Lord binds Himself to repay generosity to unfortunate people.
18. Chasten your son while there is hope, and do not set your soul on making him die. Some English translations stumble on a Hebrew figure of speech here in the second phrase, but Green translates it well enough. This is the Hebrew sense of “son” as anyone under your authority in any sense. So long as you have the power, and he is still alive, invest yourself in correcting his moral flaws. Don’t be so quick to write him off as worthless. Divine justice has a claim on you here.
19. A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment; for if you deliver him yet you must do it again. You can almost hear Solomon thinking about his father’s complicated relationship with his cousin Joab. While an unparalleled combat leader against the enemy, Joab was almost as cruel to his own troops and even his own family. David paid a heavy moral price for refusing to discipline his cousin. On his deathbed, he made Solomon promise to execute Joab for the long trail of crimes.
20. Hear advice, and receive instruction, so that you may be wise in your latter end. This is in some ways little different from the Western expression, “Pay your dues.” Even if your raw talent is off the scale, you still have to find out how God intends to use it.
21. There are many purposes in a man’s heart, but the counsel of the LORD shall stand. This continues the previous verse. Divine revelation describes how Creation itself operates, so make sure you run your brilliant ideas through the filter of God’s Laws.
22. The charm of a man is his kindness, and a poor man is better than a liar. The word for “kindness” arises from the idea of courtesy and respect, treating someone else as your equal. This is a charming quality and makes for social stability. In general, those who were poor tended to be respectful in Hebrew society, so it’s better to be poor than to use deceit (false charm) for personal gain.
23. The fear of the LORD tends to life, and he rests satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil. Again, pairing nicely with the previous verse, we see that genuine respect for others is associated with reverence for the God who made all of us. It’s part of the same package as taking what life has to offer without unreasonable demands. People who push for every possible entitlement tend to open themselves up for the worst that life can offer.
24. A lazy one puts his hand in a dish, and he will not return it to his mouth. Some English translations miss the point here. The image of someone who can’t be bothered to feed himself, it’s roughly equivalent to the more modern “can’t be bothered to wipe his own butt.”
25. Strike a scorner, and the simple will beware; reprove one who has understanding, and he will understand knowledge. This is actually a subtle contrast. If someone is a mouthy hard-head, punishing him will at least teach others to be more cautious with their words. But if someone is pretty smart, all you have to do is tell him about his mistakes and he’ll catch on quickly.
26. He who assaults his father and chases away his mother is a son who causes shame and brings reproach. The literal image is shocking, but the point is to warn people not to tolerate someone who doesn’t honor his father and mother, as the Law of Moses requires. Tolerating this in your community is a disgrace to you under the Covenant.
27. My son, cease to hear the discipline, only to stray from the words of knowledge. This continues the previous verse by directly addressing the son who would resent his parents’ attempts to change his behavior. Don’t inject the image of harsh discipline more common in Euro-centric traditions, but remember that Hebrew fathers typically invested more time and effort in reasoning with their children. Their culture valued highly voluntary cooperation, not mere conformity.
28. An ungodly witness scorns judgment, and the mouth of the wicked devours iniquity. A Hebrew pun, the image here focuses on how we use our mouths. The first phrase describes someone who follows a false god by making funny faces (mouthing) in mockery of Jehovah’s moral standards. The second is someone who eats up sheer vanity. In both cases, the mouth is moving and empty.
29. Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools. Why would a good God think up all these laws with penalties and punishments? Because the world is full of people who aren’t as good as God says they could be, were it not for their bad attitudes.
