Verse 5 describes the results that follow if a king relaxes and rests before the battle is done, if a king indulges in drink too much or at the wrong time. While rejoicing with strong drink and wine is often associated with memorial and memory, in fact drink can cause loss of memory. Memory is . . . . Continue Reading »
PROVERBS 30:32-33 Chapter 30 is enclosed by exhortations to humility, warnings against self-exaltation. “I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man,” Agur begins (v. 2), and he ends with a warning to puffed-up fools to stop their mouths before problems . . . . Continue Reading »
PROVERBS 30:18-20 Yahweh is a God of wonders. The first “wonderful thing” ( pala’ , which basically means “to separate” or “distinguish”) that He does in Scripture is to give Sarah a son in her old age, a live son from a dead womb, the wonder of . . . . Continue Reading »
Christine Yoder argues in an article on Proverbs 30 that Agur’s exhortation to humility and his puzzling observations are deliberately placed at the climax of the book so that the experience of reading the book actually inculcates the wisdom that the book talks about. She sums up the message . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION: STRUCTURE There are five identified collections of Proverbs in the book. The choices are set up in the opening section, identified as “proverbs of Solomon, the son of David” (chapter 1-9). Chapter 10 begins another section, also identified as “proverbs of . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Bruce Waltke notes that these verses hang together around the theme of correction and discipline. Verse 17 starts the sequence with instruction about correcting sons. Verse 18 expands to correction and training, restraining, of an entire people, and verses 19-21 deal with . . . . Continue Reading »
PROVERBS 29:14 Verses 12-13 move toward the themes of verse 14. Verse 12 is about a ruler who gives heed to falsehood, and verse 13 is about the poor. Verse 14 combines the two interests with a statement about the role of a king. According to the Torah, judges are supposed to judge . . . . Continue Reading »
Some thoughts arising from a discussion of Proverbs 29:8, 11 with Toby Sumpter. Verse 11 says that a fool “sends forth all his spirit, but a wise man holds it back.” ”Sending forth spirit” is what Yahweh does in creating (Psalm 104:30), what Jesus does on the cross . . . . Continue Reading »
PROVERBS 29:1 This proverb deals with a man with a hardened neck. The combination of terms is often translated as “stiffnecked” and typically described Israel. They display their stiff necks when they erect the golden calf (Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9), and their stiffnecked . . . . Continue Reading »
PROVERBS 28:22 Though this verse uses different terminology from Proverbs 28:20, it overlaps with that previous proverb. In both cases, there are observations about the relationship between wealth and hastiness. Verse 20 indicates that the one who makes haste to become rich, who chases . . . . Continue Reading »
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