10.17 Bruce Waltke calls this a “janus” proverb, one that both ends the
preceding section and begins a new section, looking both backwards and
forwards.
(a) Pain and Pleasure (10:22-26)
(1) Beneficial and Baneful Speech
10.18-21 These verses have five words that allude to speech (lips, words, lips, tongue, and lips)
------------------
"Co-referential
terms refer to terms belonging to different semantic domains but having
the same referent. For example in the United States a person may be
referred to as the vice president by his relationship to the president
or as chair of the senate by his relationship to the senate. Though
different concepts, he cannot be one without being the other. "Vice
president" and "chair of the senate" designate different notions, but
always refer to the same person. The same is true of the "the righteous"
and "the wise." They are terms pertaining to the different semantic
fields of ethics and of intelligence, but they refer to the same person.
The wise are righteous and the righteous are wise; they go together
like the proverbial horse and a carriage." -- Bruce Waltke
--------------------
-------Restraint encouraged
-------Restraint encouraged
10.18 "The construction leaves no doubt that hatred inspires slander..." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
sibilant sound is used to reinforce the message--allowing the audience to hear the hissing of the slanderer spreading his secrets." ---Hilderbrandt quoted in in NICOT
10.19a litotes: A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in "This is no small problem." ---thefreedictionary.com/litotes
10.18-19 The phonestheme, sibilant sound, and consonance in the Hebrew in these verses is lost in the translation.
-------Good speech
10.20a Such "genius" is worthless.
10.20b "Readers would expect a contrast between wise lips that nourish others and a foolish heart that does not, but as is often the case in these proverbs, the second line highlights the negative consequences that fall back on the fool." ---Paul Koptak in NIVAC
10.20 "though the fool is surrounded by the life-preserving words of the righteous that nourish many, he starves to death because he lacks the good sense to feed on them." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
(2) The Speech and Expectations of the Righteous and the Wicked (22-32)
vv. 22-25 present the positive feature in their B versets and vv. 27-30 present it in the A versets. --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
A. Yahweh [LORD] saying + add (ysp) v. 22
B. Joy (sehôq, "laughter") vv. 23-24
C. Righteous secure "forever" (ôlām) v. 25b
A'. Yahweh [LORD] saying + add (ysp) v. 27
B'. Joy (śimhâ, "joy") vv. 28-29
C'. Righteous secure "forever" (ôlām) v. 30a
(a) Pain and Pleasure (10:22-26)
10.22a "...the frame featuring the sluggard (v. 26) protect the proverb against the misinterpretation that the LORD's blessing of true wealth happens apart from diligent work." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
10.22b adds no sorrow... Strong's H6089 - `etseb - pain, hurt, toil, sorrow, labour, hardship
"Wounding labor comes from self-ambition (10:3) and stands under God's judgment not his blessing (cf. Ps. 127.1; Prov. 20.21; 1 Tim 6.9, 10; Jas. 3.1-16)." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
"The Hebrew adds the emphatic pronoun (as in AV, RV) 'it makes rich'--i.e. nothing else does. ... Toy points out that Psalm 127.2 'affirms not that labour in itself is useless, but only labour unattended by the divine blessing'." ---Kidner in TOTC
10.23 sport...wisdom... determining what kind of activity brings pleasure.
"Wounding labor comes from self-ambition (10:3) and stands under God's judgment not his blessing (cf. Ps. 127.1; Prov. 20.21; 1 Tim 6.9, 10; Jas. 3.1-16)." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
"The Hebrew adds the emphatic pronoun (as in AV, RV) 'it makes rich'--i.e. nothing else does. ... Toy points out that Psalm 127.2 'affirms not that labour in itself is useless, but only labour unattended by the divine blessing'." ---Kidner in TOTC
10.23 sport...wisdom... determining what kind of activity brings pleasure.
10.24 fear of the wicked... differs radically from the fear of the LORD
Kinda like the wise man who built his house on the rock.
10.26 sluggard... The sluggard (he'āsēl; see 6.6) is more morally degenarate than a fool and, like the wicked, without a moral sense of responsibility to others. He disappoints, irritates, and exasperates thos who send him. "
Waltke on the sluggard in NICOT pp. 114-115
"Phillip D. Roberts notes that Proverbs does not have a word for "workaholic" and comments tha the two opposites, the sluggard and the diligent, are contrasted as vice and virtue. "It is simply not characteristic of the Proverbs to posit two bad extremes and then find an Aristotelian mean (but cf. the advice of Agur in Pr. 30.8-9)." The lazy person has to look on hard workers as fools; otherwise he stands self-condemned..."
The sluggard is contrasted with the yšrym "upright" in 15.19 and with the saddîq "righteous" in 21.25-26; he has nothing to give to society. He is never equated with the "poor" (rāš, dal, ‘ānî), who are so by virtue of circumstances beyond their control, such as by tyranny (13.26), but the sluggard is poor by virtue of his moral degeneracy. He is not worthy to be called "p00r."
(b) Security of the Righteous versus the Transience of the Wicked )10.27-30)
10.28 gladness... "Its imprecise parallelism with "joy" suggests that the joy of the righteous does not perish, and what the wicked hoped for was joy." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
10.29 "The security of the righteous and the perdition of the wicked are grounded in the way (derek; see 1.15) of the LORD YHWH; see 1.7)." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
"Here is the only direct association of "the way" with Yahweh in the book of Proverbs (cf. 3.17; 4.11; 8.20); it is a refuge for those who walk in it. " ---Paul Koptak in NIVAC
10.30 "The passive's implied agent is the LORD's final judgment (see v. 25; cf. Rom. 8.37-39). "The reference in the first clause is to physical permanence, not to the maintenance of moral interity" (Toy, Proverbs, p. 218) --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
(c) The Permanence and Impermanence of Righteous and Wicked Mouths (10.31-32)
10.31 I am thinking about the intended contrast between the mouth of wisdom bringing forth wisdom and the perverse tongue being cut out. I am wondering if it suggests that the lack of "good fruit" from the perverse is the reason it is cut out. It is discarded because it has no value.
10.32 know... present in the verset A and implied in verset B
================================
Paul Koptak recommends the follow chiastic arrangement of verses 10.10-34 by Garrett in Proverbs, p.121
A On the tongue 19-21
B On personal security 22-25
C On laziness 26
B' On personal security 27-30
A' On the tongue 19-21
In sum, in this last section, three proverbs about the gifts of Yahweh--wealth, long life, and refuge--are followed by proverbs about the fate of the wicked, who know no such security." ---Paul Koptak in NIVAC
================================
We should avoid the temptation to use some of these Proverbs as clubs to repeatedly shame and beat up our kids. While that might be appropriate on some occasions, there it is better to use these truths to saturate our kids with the sense of direction and purpose. A core value of spiritual "chivalry" or honor and the confidence that "the way" that is characterized by wisdom and righteousness leads to a happy ever after will be of great benefit to them.
Rather than sharp barbs we should have the heart of a teacher that is described in Proverbs 4.1-4. What are you teaching your children about these Proverbs that they will remember and share with their kids? That is the real mark of successful parenting that we are striving for.
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father's son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 He also taught me, and said to me:
"Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live. ..
==================================
As we think of the contrast between the deeds and destiny of the righteous and wicked, there may be times to ask our kids "Where are you going now?" as we help them connect the end of the road for a particular action (good or bad). We can also challenge our kids with the question "Who are you?" or "Is this who you are?" to challenge them that a particular action or words do or don't fit with the kind of person they are in Christ or on the Lord's Way. The kinds of questions should be used wisely and thoughtfully because it is easy to use them with the wrong spirit or with poor timing.
"The fear (24, AV, RV) is the thing dreaded (cf 28) , not the emotion; so RSV, What the wicked dreads. Within this life, it often holds good. In the ultimate sense, it is inescapable, for what the wicked man shrinks from is, in the end, God; and he must stand before Him." ---Kidner in TOTC
10.25 "The singular, the wicked person, (rasa'; see v. 24), suggests that none escapes." "As soon as the storm passes" in verset A has no counterpart in verset B, suggesting that it modifies both clauses." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT Kinda like the wise man who built his house on the rock.
10.26 sluggard... The sluggard (he'āsēl; see 6.6) is more morally degenarate than a fool and, like the wicked, without a moral sense of responsibility to others. He disappoints, irritates, and exasperates thos who send him. "
Waltke on the sluggard in NICOT pp. 114-115
"Phillip D. Roberts notes that Proverbs does not have a word for "workaholic" and comments tha the two opposites, the sluggard and the diligent, are contrasted as vice and virtue. "It is simply not characteristic of the Proverbs to posit two bad extremes and then find an Aristotelian mean (but cf. the advice of Agur in Pr. 30.8-9)." The lazy person has to look on hard workers as fools; otherwise he stands self-condemned..."
The sluggard is contrasted with the yšrym "upright" in 15.19 and with the saddîq "righteous" in 21.25-26; he has nothing to give to society. He is never equated with the "poor" (rāš, dal, ‘ānî), who are so by virtue of circumstances beyond their control, such as by tyranny (13.26), but the sluggard is poor by virtue of his moral degeneracy. He is not worthy to be called "p00r."
(b) Security of the Righteous versus the Transience of the Wicked )10.27-30)
10.28 gladness... "Its imprecise parallelism with "joy" suggests that the joy of the righteous does not perish, and what the wicked hoped for was joy." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
10.29 "The security of the righteous and the perdition of the wicked are grounded in the way (derek; see 1.15) of the LORD YHWH; see 1.7)." --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
"Here is the only direct association of "the way" with Yahweh in the book of Proverbs (cf. 3.17; 4.11; 8.20); it is a refuge for those who walk in it. " ---Paul Koptak in NIVAC
10.30 "The passive's implied agent is the LORD's final judgment (see v. 25; cf. Rom. 8.37-39). "The reference in the first clause is to physical permanence, not to the maintenance of moral interity" (Toy, Proverbs, p. 218) --Bruce Waltke in NICOT
(c) The Permanence and Impermanence of Righteous and Wicked Mouths (10.31-32)
10.31 I am thinking about the intended contrast between the mouth of wisdom bringing forth wisdom and the perverse tongue being cut out. I am wondering if it suggests that the lack of "good fruit" from the perverse is the reason it is cut out. It is discarded because it has no value.
10.32 know... present in the verset A and implied in verset B
================================
Paul Koptak recommends the follow chiastic arrangement of verses 10.10-34 by Garrett in Proverbs, p.121
A On the tongue 19-21
B On personal security 22-25
C On laziness 26
B' On personal security 27-30
A' On the tongue 19-21
In sum, in this last section, three proverbs about the gifts of Yahweh--wealth, long life, and refuge--are followed by proverbs about the fate of the wicked, who know no such security." ---Paul Koptak in NIVAC
================================
We should avoid the temptation to use some of these Proverbs as clubs to repeatedly shame and beat up our kids. While that might be appropriate on some occasions, there it is better to use these truths to saturate our kids with the sense of direction and purpose. A core value of spiritual "chivalry" or honor and the confidence that "the way" that is characterized by wisdom and righteousness leads to a happy ever after will be of great benefit to them.
Rather than sharp barbs we should have the heart of a teacher that is described in Proverbs 4.1-4. What are you teaching your children about these Proverbs that they will remember and share with their kids? That is the real mark of successful parenting that we are striving for.
1 Hear, my children, the instruction of a father,
And give attention to know understanding;
2 For I give you good doctrine:
Do not forsake my law.
3 When I was my father's son,
Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 He also taught me, and said to me:
"Let your heart retain my words;
Keep my commands, and live. ..
==================================
As we think of the contrast between the deeds and destiny of the righteous and wicked, there may be times to ask our kids "Where are you going now?" as we help them connect the end of the road for a particular action (good or bad). We can also challenge our kids with the question "Who are you?" or "Is this who you are?" to challenge them that a particular action or words do or don't fit with the kind of person they are in Christ or on the Lord's Way. The kinds of questions should be used wisely and thoughtfully because it is easy to use them with the wrong spirit or with poor timing.
