COLLECTION 3: The Thirty Sayings of the
Wise (24.3-24)
A. Prologue: Saying 1 (22.17-21)
B. Prohibitions about Power, Greed, and Wealth (22.22-23.11) [2-11]
C. Character and Cautions for a Wise Son (23.22-24.2) [12-20]
D. Trying Circumstances (24:3-12/13-22) [#21-30]
1. Strength in Distress
2. Involvement with the Wicked
B. Prohibitions about Power, Greed, and Wealth (22.22-23.11) [2-11]
C. Character and Cautions for a Wise Son (23.22-24.2) [12-20]
D. Trying Circumstances (24:3-12/13-22) [#21-30]
1. Strength in Distress
2. Involvement with the Wicked
SAYING NUMBER 26: Sweet Wisdom. (24.13-14)
13 My
son, eat honey because it is good,
And the honeycomb which is sweet to your
taste;
14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul;
[or Know
that wisdom is thus for your soul nasb] all versions imperative beside kjv, nkjv
If you have found it, there is a prospect,
And your hope will not be cut off.
honey… The twenty-sixth
saying teaches that one should develop wisdom because it has a profitable
future. The saying draws on the image of honey; its health-giving properties
make a good analogy to wisdom. –-NETBible
Study Notes
good… H2896 towb: good, pleasant, agreeable. – Enhanced Strong’s
Dictionary
…its health-giving properties make a good analogy to wisdom. --Allen Ross in EBC
What good does honey do
for you?
honeycomb… The wisdom writer here follows a tradition
found in both Psalm 19:10 and Ezekiel 3:3 in which God’s words/laws are equated
with wisdom and are therefore to be desired. In most Old Testament texts honey
represents a natural resource, probably the syrup of the date rather than bees’
honey. … Here the reference to the honeycomb differentiates the product
as bees’ honey. Note also that honey from the comb would be the freshest and
tastiest kind. Akkadian texts also use honey figuratively as they speak of
praise being sweeter than honey or wine. -–IVPBBC
14---
know… H3045 – yada: Know … has its existential sense of
experiencing and internalizing wisdom, … as in the preamble to Proverbs. --Waltke in NICOT
wisdom… H2451 - chokmah: wisdom (shrewdness,
skill)
…those who find Christ God’s wisdom (1` Cor. 1:30), find eternal
life and the realization of an eternity of bliss in which they shall not be disappointed…
prospect… (ʾaḥărît) after part, end (of place), latter part, future (of time). --Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament
hope… H8615 - (tiqwâ)
1.cord (Josh 2:18, 21, only); 2.hope. This root means to wait or to look for
with eager expectation. …Waiting with steadfast endurance is a great expression
of faith. It means enduring patiently in confident hope that God will
decisively act for the salvation of his people. --Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
The motivation is that wisdom will have a long future to it.
--Allen Ross in EBC
be cut off… H3772 - karath: To cut off; cut down
hcsb—never fade; nlt—cut
short
> Those who find Christ, God’s wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30), find
eternal life and the realization of an eternity of bliss in which they shall
not be disappointed.
> In addition to the literal meaning of this root, “to cut
off” (Ex 4:25; I Sam 5:4) and “to cut down” (I Kgs 5:20; a “woodcutter” in Isa
14:8) there is the metaphorical meaning to root out, eliminate, remove,
excommunicate or destroy by a violent act of man or nature. It is sometimes
difficult in a given context to know whether the person(s) who is “cut off”’ is
to be killed or only excommunicated. --Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament
Pr. 23.17-18
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;
For surely there is a hereafter,
And your hope will not be cut off.
Thought / discussion:
How many observations can you make about wisdom from these verses?
1.
Wisdom is good/sweet like honey.
2.
We should “eat” wisdom.
3.
Wisdom is good/sweet to/for your soul.
4.
Wisdom is found.
5.
Wisdom gives hope.
6.
Wisdom’s hope will not be cut off.
Four prohibitions build on his truth and warn against unwise
actions and reactions. –Paul
Koptak in NIVAC
SAYING NUMBER 27: Violence (24.15-16)
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15 Do not lie in wait, O
wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting
place;
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15 Lay not wait, O
wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Spoil not his resting
place:
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15 Do not lie in wait, O
wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not plunder his resting
place;
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15 Lie not in wait as a
wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do not violence to his
home;
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15 Lie not in wait as a
wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;
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15 Do not lie in wait
like an outlaw against a righteous man’s house, do not raid his dwelling
place;
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15 Do not lurk like a
thief near the house of the righteous, do not plunder their dwelling place;
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15 Wicked man, don’t set
an ambush, at the camp of the righteous man; don’t destroy his dwelling.
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15 Don’t wait in ambush
at the home of the godly, and don’t raid the house where the godly live.
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16 For a righteous man
falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of
calamity.
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16 For a just man
falleth seven times, and riseth up again: But the wicked shall fall into
mischief.
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16 For a righteous man
may fall seven times And rise again, But the wicked shall fall by calamity.
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16 for a righteous man
falls seven times, and rises again; but the wicked are overthrown by
calamity.
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16 for the righteous
falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of
calamity.
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16 for though a
righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought
down by calamity.
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16 for though the
righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when
calamity strikes.
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16 Though a righteous
man falls seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin.
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16 The godly may trip
seven times, but they will get up again. But one disaster is enough to
overthrow the wicked.
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> This is spoken, not so much by way of counsel to wicked men
(they will not receive instruction, ch. 23:9), but rather in defiance of them,
for the encouragement of good people that are threatened by them.[1] --Matthew Henry
> To make a point the speaker spoke to his son as though he
were addressing a wicked man in this saying. This device gives the warning more
force since the wicked man’s main concern is his own self-interest. –Thomas Constable’s Expository Notes
> It would be futile and self-defeating to mistreat God’s
people, for they survive—the wicked do not! The warning is against
attacking the righteous; to attack them is to attack God and His program, and
that will fail (see Matt 16:18) --Allen
Ross in EBC
15 Do
not
Do not
lie in wait, plunder
O wicked man,
against the dwelling resting place;
of the righteous;
his (out of order)
16
But
For a righteous man the
wicked
may fall seven times shall fall
and rise again, by calamity.
Hatred to the righteous is deeply
rooted in the wicked man.
lie in wait… H693 - 'arab: to lie in wait, ambush,
lurk --BLB
> Frequently the enemies of the pious are described as those
who “lurk,” lie in wait for the unsuspecting: Ps 10:9; 59:3; Lam 4:19; Ezr
8:31. --Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament
> But it is venturing upon a haxqrdou course---He that toucheth
you, toucheth the apple of mine eye.” (Zech ii.8) “I am Jesus, whom thou
persecutest!”—struck the most relentless persecuter “trembling” to the earth. --Charles Bridges in GSC
dwelling… H5116 - nāweh:
1. pasture, abode of shepherd, habitation; 2. dwelling, abiding (Ps 68:13,
only).
righteous… H6662 - tsaddiyq: just, lawful, righteous
resting place… The metaphor his
resting place refers literally to the abode of animals. --Waltke
in NICOT
plunder… H7703 - shadad:
(Piel). 1C1 to assault. 1C2 to devastate. --Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
resting place… H7258 – rebets:
resting or dwelling place, place of lying down --Enhanced
Strong’s Lexicon
[Both nouns have a pastoral association. Unless they are
rhetorical choice for ‘house,’ they may suggest that the admonition is
addressed to city criminals who went out to attack righteous men living in
agricultural settlements, because these were not defended.]
–-Cohen in Proverbs by Soncino Books…
16-----
For signals the connection between the admonition (v. 15) and its
validation (v. 16).
--Waltke in NICOT
fall… naphal (naw·fal): v. A primitive root;
1 to fall, lie, be cast down, fail. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to fall. 1A2 to fall (of
violent death).
>The intensification shows clearly
that the life of the righteous does not pass
without unmerited suffering (see I: 107). --Waltke in NICOT
> Since the righteous rise after a violent and final
fall, his recovering points to his resurrection from the death. --Waltke in NICOT
seven times… an idiom for ‘often.’ (Ibn Ezra). –-Cohen in Proverbs by Soncino Books…
rise again… …they will rise again;
for virtue triumphs in the end. (Whybray,
Book of Proverbs) –Allen
Ross in EBC
fall… H3782 - shadad: (Niphal) 1b1 to stumble. 1b2 to be tottering, be feeble.
--Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
calamity… 1 bad, evil. 2 evil,
distress, misery, injury, calamity. 3 evil,
misery, distress, injury. --Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon
Discussion / thought:
1.
What consolation or hope does this Proverb give us if we are
attacked and oppressed.
2.
Can you think of a Bible story that illustrates this saying? ( Daniel 6:1-12)
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build My church, and the gates of Hades shall
not prevail against it. Matthew
16.18
SAYING
NUMBER 28: Gloating. (24.17-18)
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17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he
stumbles;
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17 Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
And let not thine heart be glad when he
stumbleth:
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17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he
stumbles;
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17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he
stumbles;
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17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
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17 Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when he stumbles, do not let your heart
rejoice,
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17 Do not gloat when your enemies fall;
when they stumble, do not let your heart
rejoice,
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17 Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,
and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
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17 Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall;
don’t be happy when they stumble.
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18 Or the LORD will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.
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18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him,
And he turn away his wrath from him.
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18 Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
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18 lest the LORD see it, and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
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18 lest the LORD see it and be displeased,
and turn away his anger from him.
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18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from him.
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18 or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.
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18 or the LORD will see, be displeased,
and turn His wrath away from him.
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18 For the LORD will be displeased with you
and will turn his anger away from them.
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> To complete the thought we might add at
the end of this saying “and turn it on you.” Gloating over someone else’s
misfortune is a practice God disapproves even if the other person is the
adversary of the righteous (cf. Matt. 5:44). Fear
of God’s displeasure should warn the wise away from this attitude and activity. –Thomas Constable’s Expository Notes
> The Lord finds
gloating so morally repulsive that he would rather turn away from his
retributive justice than to look at abhorrent gloating. --Waltke in NICOT
What makes gloating such a grievous offense?
> The proverb censures the pollution of justice and the thwarting of
it by another sin. --Waltke in NICO
17
And
Do not rejoice do
not let your heart be glad
when your enemy when
he
falls, stumbles;
18 Lest the Lord see it,
and it displease Him,
And He turn away His wrath from him.
17 Synonymous parallel
rejoice… H8055 – sâmach (saw-makh'): a primitive root;
probably to brighten up,
i.e. (figuratively) be (causatively, make) blithe or gleesome --BLB
> There may be a holy joy in the destruction of God’s enemies,
as it tends to the glory of God and the welfare of the church (Ps. 58:10); but
in the ruin of our enemies, as such, we must by no means rejoice; on the
contrary, we must weep even with them when they weep (as David, Ps. 35:13, 14),
and that in sincerity, not so much as letting our hearts be secretly glad at
their calamities. --Mathew
Henry
enemy… H341 - 'oyeb:
The basic meaning of the verb is “to be hostile to,” “to be or treat as an
enemy.” --Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament
falls… naphal (naw·fal): v. A primitive root;
1 to fall, lie, be cast
down, fail. 1A (Qal). 1A1 to fall. 1A2 to fall (of violent death).
glad… HH1523 – giyl:
Root meaning is “to circle around” from which such ideas as “to circle in joy”
are readily derived. The root meaning is more applicable to vigorous, enthusiastic
expressions of joy; but, in the O.T., it and its derivatives serve as
poetic and prophetic terms for various kinds of joy. . --Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament
stumbles… H3782 – kāšal:
stumble, totter, stagger
(usually from weakness or weariness, or in flight from attackers). --Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament
This implies to not even rejoice when
they experience less severe troubles.
18---
displease… H7489 - rāʿaʿ: be bad, evil. (Lit. it be evil in His
eyes)
turn away… H7725 - shuwb:
to return, turn back
turn away His wrath from him…
> And turn it upon thee (Metsudath David, Ralbag, Ibn
Ezra). Saadia Gaon proceeds to expound on this point that it is
impossible to explain the verse in its simple sense, viz. that one should not
rejoice at the misfortune in order that his enemy should not be released from
this trouble or raised from his downfall, for then the command would be to see
that the enemy remain with his punishment. The intention is that God will see your cruelty and your
vengeance and weigh your deeds against the deeds of your enemy. In this
way, He will declare you more wicked than he, and visit his retribution upon
you (Malbim).
Alshich explains that the Lord will see whether the person rejoices because of
the downfall of the wicked man who rebels against Him or because his personal
enemy has fallen. –-Cohen
in Proverbs by Soncino Books…
> To complete the
thought we might add at the end of this saying “and turn it on you.” Gloating
over someone else’s misfortune is a practice God disapproves even if the other
person is the adversary of the righteous (cf. Matt. 5:44). Fear
of God’s displeasure should warn the wise away from this attitude and activity. –Thomas Constable’s Expository Notes
wrath… ʾap: nostril, face, anger. The double pe in the plural shows its
derivation from ʾānēp.
Discussion / thought:
1.
What is an enemy in this context?
2.
Why is gloating soooo bad? What
are the roots from which gloating grows?
3.
Does this saying have any applications for our children’s sports
leagues or competitions?
SAYING NUMBER 29: Fretting. (24.19-20)
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19 Do not fret because
of evildoers Or be envious of the wicked;
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19 Fret not thyself
because of evil men, Neither be thou envious at the wicked;
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19 Do not fret because
of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked;
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19 Fret not yourself
because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked;
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19 Fret not yourself
because of evildoers, and be not envious of the wicked,
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19 Do not fret because
of evil men or be envious of the wicked,
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19 Do not fret because
of evildoers or be envious of the wicked,
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19 Don’t be agitated by
evildoers, and don’t envy the wicked.
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19 Don’t fret because of
evildoers; don’t envy the wicked.
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20 For there will be no
future for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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20 For there shall be no
reward to the evil man; The candle of the wicked shall be put out.
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20 For there will be no
prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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20 for the evil man has
no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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20 for the evil man has
no future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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20 for the evil man has
no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
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20 for the evildoer has
no future hope, and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
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20 For the evil have no
future; the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
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20 For evil people have
no future; the light of the wicked will be snuffed out.
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> “If 24:17-18 tell us not to
rejoice at the misfortunes of the wicked, these tell us not to worry when they
succeed.” --Koptak in NIVAC
> It
is foolish to envy the wicked, because they are doomed (see 3:31; 23:17-18;
24:1-2) --Allen Ross in EBC
> …linked
to the preceding two by the catchwords “wicked” (pl., vv. 16b, 20b) and
“calamity/evil (vv. 18a, 20a) and by… --Waltke in NICOT
Proverbs
3.31
Do not envy the
oppressor,
And choose none of his
ways;
23:17-18
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But be zealous for the
fear of the Lord all the day;
18 For surely there is a
hereafter,
And your hope will not
be cut off.
Proverbs 24:1-2
1 Do not be envious of
evil men,
Nor desire to be with
them;
2 For their heart
devises violence,
And their lips talk of
troublemaking.
19 Do not fret
Nor be envious
because of
of
evildoers,
the wicked;
20 For there will be
no prospect for the evil man;
The lamp of the wicked will be put out.
cf. Psalm 73 & Ps.
xxxvii.1 (Note the context this lays for
the iconic verses 4-5)
1 A Psalm of David.
Do not fret because of
evildoers,
Nor be envious of the
workers of iniquity.
2For they shall soon be
cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green
herb.
3 Trust in the Lord, and
do good;
Dwell in the land, and
feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also
in the Lord,
And He shall give you
the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the
Lord,
Trust also in Him, And
He shall bring it to pass.
fret… Fret” (Heb. tithar) means to burn up emotionally.
The sage again addressed the problem of envying wicked people who enjoy
temporary prosperity (cf. 23:17; 24:1). –NETBible Translation Notes
> …the anger is not directed against anyone but
is felt as an internal agitation, a fretting, connected with envy that might
occasion choosing evil to satisfy one’s passions (see 3:31). --Waltke
in NICOT
envious… H7065 - qana': (Piel) to be jealous of,
envious of, zealous for, to excite to jealous anger
prospect… H319 - 'achariyth: after part, end
lamp… H5216
- niyr: The words nēr and nîr refer to the small bowl like objects
which contained oil and a wick to be lit to provide light --Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament
Will be put out… (Qal) to go out,
be extinguished
> …be put out in the darkness of Seol (Job 18:5-6;
22:177). Why fret at or be envious of anyone with such a bleak future…
Discussion / thought:
1.
What makes us frustrated about sinners
prospering?
2.
What attitudes and/or theology might cause
us to fret beause of sinners?
· The
idea that our temperal circumstances should be affected by our righteousness.
· Forgetting
the end of the wicked.
· Frustration
and bitterness about not being as successful as others.
· Impatence
with the speed of God’s justice.
3.
Cf. Proverbs 23.17-18
How does this saying add perspective and understanding to this saying?
How does this saying add perspective and understanding to this saying?
Do not let your heart envy sinners,
But be zealous for the
fear of the Lord all the day;
For surely there is a hereafter,
And your hope will not be
cut off.
SAYING NUMBER 30: Rebellion. (24.21-22)
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21 My son, fear the LORD
and the king;
Do not associate with
those who are given to change,
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21 My son, fear thou the
LORD and the king:
And meddle not with
them that are given to change:
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21 My son, fear the LORD
and the king;
Do not associate with
those given to change;
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21 My son, fear the LORD
and the king,
and do not disobey
either of them;
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21 My son, fear the LORD
and the king,
and do not join with
those who do otherwise,
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21 Fear the LORD and the
king, my son,
and do not join with
the rebellious,
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21 Fear the LORD and the
king, my son,
and do not join with
rebellious officials,
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21 My son, fear the
LORD, as well as the king,
and don’t associate
with rebels,
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21 My child, fear the
LORD and the king.
Don’t associate with
rebels,
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22 For their calamity
will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin
that comes from both of them?
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22 For their calamity
shall rise suddenly;
And who knoweth the
ruin of them both?
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22 For their calamity
will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin
those two can bring?
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22 for disaster from
them will rise suddenly,
and who knows the ruin
that will come from them both?
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22 for disaster will
arise suddenly from them,
and who knows the ruin
that will come from them both?
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22 for those two will
send sudden destruction upon them,
and who knows what
calamities they can bring?
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22 for those two will
send sudden destruction on them,
and who knows what
calamities they can bring?
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22 for destruction from
them will come suddenly;
who knows what
distress these two can bring?
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22 for disaster will hit
them suddenly.
Who knows what
punishment will come from the LORD and the king?
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> The reverse of this fear is not courage but
foolhardy rebellion. --Koptak in NIVAC
21 My son, fear the Lord and the king;
Do not associate with those given to change;
22 For their calamity will rise suddenly,
And who knows the ruin those two can bring?
fear… H3372 - yare': to fear, be afraid; to
stand in awe of, be awed; to fear, reverence, honour, respect --BLB
> In this discussion, biblical usages of yārēʾ are divided into five general categories:1) the emotion of fear,
2) the intellectual anticipation of evil without emphasis upon the emotional
reaction, 3) reverence or awe,
4) righteous behaviour or piety, and 5) formal religious worship. Major OT
synonyms include pāḥad, ḥātat, and ḥārad as well as several words referring to shaking or quaking as a
result of fear.
> There are many examples of the third usage listed above. Such reverence is due to one’s parents (Lev 19:3),
holy places (Lev 26:2), God (Ps 112:1), and God’s name (Ps 86:11).[3] --Theological Wordbook of the
Old Testament
associate… ʿārab: to be; become surety, mortgage, engage, occupy, undertake for;
give pledges (Hithpael).
nasb, nkjv, nlt—associate with; esv,
niv—join with:
given to change… (šānâ;
lit, “people who change,” i.e. political agitators; see notes)
The verb šānâ is sometimes used to
describe a change in character or way or life. --Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament
calamity… H343 - 'eyd: 1 distress, burden,
calamity. 1A burden (of the righteous). 1B calamity (of nation). 1C disaster
(of wicked). 1D day of calamity. --Enhanced
Strong’s Lexicon
suddenly… H6597 - pith'owm: suddenly,
surprisingly, in a moment
…”suddenly,” which connotes
unexpectedly. --Waltke in NICOT
ruin… H6365 - piyd: misfortune, distress,
calamity, i.e., a state or causation that causes trouble and hardship (Job
12:5; 30:24; 31:29; Pr 24:22+) --Dictionary
of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains
those two… The pronoun “their” and “the two of them”
in v. 22b look back to “the Lord and the king… --Waltke in NICOT
Discussion / thought:
Primary application--
1. This is
to be understood primarily in the context of unified Israel where God had the
king anointed by His prophet. (When God brought the Babylonians, the
prophets exhorted the Jews to submit to God's judgment through their rule for
the 70 years.)
2. In a democracy we change our rulers every 2, 4, or 6 years. This should not be understood in a sense that we should not vote against an incumbent.
3. There are situations in the world where it would be difficult if not impossible to figure out which of the authority structures in play one should fear/honor.
2. In a democracy we change our rulers every 2, 4, or 6 years. This should not be understood in a sense that we should not vote against an incumbent.
3. There are situations in the world where it would be difficult if not impossible to figure out which of the authority structures in play one should fear/honor.
Secondary applications--
1. New Testament passages affirm the
importance of honoring rulers. 1 Peter 2.13-17
2. A general respect for God and those he
has put in authority over us.
3. A caution against pursuing hasty changes,
especially when it involves those in authority.
4. Patience and contentment with the
circumstances God has put us in.
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