Proverbs 18:9-11

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “Also, the one who.” Many commentators and a number of English versions omit the word “also.”
2. Proverbs 18:9 tn The form מִתְרַפֶּה (mitrappeh) is the Hitpael participle, “showing oneself slack.” The verb means “to sink; to relax,” and in the causative stem “to let drop” the hands. This is the lazy person who does not even try to work.
3. Proverbs 18:9 sn These two troubling types, the slacker and the destroyer, are closely related.
4. Proverbs 18:9 tn Heb “possessor of destruction.” This idiom means “destroyer” (so ASV); KJV “a great waster”; NRSV “a vandal.”
5. Proverbs 18:10 sn The “name of the Lord” is a metonymy of subject. The “name” here signifies not the personal name “Yahweh,” for that would be redundant in the expression “the name of Yahweh,” but the attributes of the Lord (cf. Exod 34:5-7)—here his power to protect.
6. Proverbs 18:10 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
7. Proverbs 18:10 tn Heb “a tower of strength,” with “strength” regarded as attributive by most English versions. The metaphor “strong tower” indicates that God is a secure refuge. The figure is qualified in the second colon.
8. Proverbs 18:10 sn The metaphor of “running” to the Lord refers to a whole-hearted and unwavering trust in God’s protection (e.g., Isa 40:31).
9. Proverbs 18:10 tn Heb “is high” or “is inaccessible.” This military-type expression stresses the effect of the trust—security, being out of danger (see HALOT 1305 s.v. שׂגב). Other scriptures will supply the ways that God actually protects people who trust him.
10. Proverbs 18:11 sn This proverb forms a contrast with the previous one. The rich, unlike the righteous, trust in wealth and not in God.
11. Proverbs 18:11 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.
12. Proverbs 18:11 tn Heb “city of his strength”; NIV “fortified city.” This term refers to their place of refuge, what they look to for security and protection in time of trouble.
13. Proverbs 18:11 tc The MT reads בְּמַשְׂכִּיתוֹ (b^emaskito, “in his imaginations”). The LXX, Tg. Prov 18:11, and the Latin reflect בִּמְשֻׂכָּתוֹ (bimsukkato, “like a fence [or, high wall]”) that is, wealth provides protection. The MT reading, on the other hand, suggests that this security is only in the mind.tn The proverb is an observation saying, reporting a common assumption without commenting on it. The juxtaposition with the last verse is a loud criticism of this misguided faith. The final word בְּמַשְׂכִּיתוֹ (b^emaskito, “in his imaginations”) indicates that one’s wealth is a futile place of refuge.