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Proverbs 12:2-4
New English Translation
Proverbs 12:2-4
New English Translation
2 A good person obtains favor from the Lord,
but the Lord[a] condemns a person with wicked schemes.[b]
3 No one[c] can be established[d] through wickedness,
but a righteous root[e] cannot be moved.
4 A noble wife[f] is the crown[g] of her husband,
but the wife[h] who acts shamefully is like rottenness in his bones.[i]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:2 tn Heb “but he condemns.” The referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Proverbs 12:2 tn Heb “a man of wicked plans.” The noun מְזִמּוֹת (mezimmot, “evil plans”) functions as an attributive genitive: “an evil-scheming man.” Cf. NASB “a man who devises evil”; NAB “the schemer.”
- Proverbs 12:3 tn Heb “a man cannot be.”
- Proverbs 12:3 tn The Niphal imperfect of כּוּן (cun, “to be established”) refers to finding permanent “security” (so NRSV, TEV, CEV) before God. Only righteousness can do that.
- Proverbs 12:3 tn Heb “a root of righteousness.” The genitive צַדִּיקִים (tsaddiqim, “righteousness”) functions as an attributive adjective. The figure “root” (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoresh) stresses the security of the righteous; they are firmly planted and cannot be uprooted (cf. NLT “the godly have deep roots”). The righteous are often compared to a tree (e.g., 11:30; Pss 1:3; 92:13).
- Proverbs 12:4 tn Heb “a wife of virtue”; NAB, NLT “a worthy wife.” This noble woman (אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל, ʾeshet khayil) is the subject of Prov 31. She is a “virtuous woman” (cf. KJV), a capable woman of noble character. She is contrasted with the woman who is disgraceful (מְבִישָׁה, mevishah; “one who causes shame”) or who lowers his standing in the community.
- Proverbs 12:4 sn The metaphor of the “crown” emphasizes that such a wife is a symbol of honor and glory.
- Proverbs 12:4 tn Heb “she”; the referent (the wife) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Proverbs 12:4 sn The simile means that the shameful acts of such a woman will eat away her husband’s strength and influence and destroy his happiness.
New English Translation (NET)
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