Proverbs

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:17b

Text (BHS):

וְאֵין לְזָרִים אִתָּךְ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and* have no strangers** with you.

*The epexegetical waw intensifies or restates the preceding clause (IBHS
** Literally "and there is not of strangers." Lᵉzārı̂m is a periphrastic genitive (IBHS

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְאֵין () : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + negation (construct of) אַיִן (ʾayin) + prep. לְ (lᵉ) + Qal plural participle of זוּר () : and [there is] not of strangers.**
אִתָּךְ (ʾittāḵ) : prep. אֵת (ʾēṯ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : with you.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:18a

Text (BHS):

יְהִי־מְקוֹרְךָ בָרוּךְ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

May your wellspring be* blessed**

*By adding with the participle, a progressive, aspectual index is added, "may continually be blessed" (IBHS
**The LXX reads "yours alone" (< lᵉḇaddeḵā).

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

יְהִי־מְקוֹרְךָ () : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. apocopated jussive of הָיָה () + noun מָקוֹר () + 2 m.s. suffix : may your wellspring be.
בָרוּךְ () : Qal passive participle of בָּרַךְ (bāraḵ) : blessed.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:18b

Text (BHS):

וּשְׂמַח מֵאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and get pleasure* from the wife of your youth.**

*The imperative functions as a forceful imperfect (...).
**As noted in the Masorah of the Leningrad Codex, the form is uniquely defective for , an abstract plural of state (IBHSIBHS

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּשְׂמַח () : conj. וּ () + Qal imperative 2 m.s. of שָׂמַח (śāmaḥ) : and get pleasure.
מֵאֵשֶׁת () : prep. מִן (min) + construct of אִשָּׁה () : from the wife of.
נְעוּרֶךָ () : noun (abstract plural of state)** נְעוּרִים () + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : your youth.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:19a

Text (BHS):

אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים וְיַעֲלַת־חֵן

Transliteration (Accordance):

ʾayyeleṯ ʾᵃhāḇı̂m wᵉyaʿᵃlaṯ-ḥēn

Translation (Waltke):

[May she be]* a lovemaking doe, a graceful mountain goat

*, p. 53) wisely rejects the supplement in the BHS apparatus prompted by the LXX plus.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

אַיֶּלֶת אֲהָבִים (ʾayyeleṯ ʾᵃhāḇı̂m) : construct of אַיָּלָה (ʾayyālāh) + plural of אַהֲבָה (ʾahᵃḇāh) : a doe of lovemaking.
וְיַעֲלַת־חֵן (wᵉyaʿᵃlaṯ-ḥēn) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + construct of יַעֲלָה (yaʿᵃlāh) + noun חֵן (ḥēn) : a mountain goat of grace/a graceful mountain goat.

Comment by Waltke:

.... The rare word lovemaking (ʾᵃhāḇı̂m; ...) refers to sensual love in Hos. 8:9, and its congener ʾᵒhāḇı̂m in Prov. 7:18 to love making, calling into question HALOT's gloss of "charming" or "attractive," on account of the parallel "graceful." ....

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:19b

Text (BHS):

דַּדֶּיהָ יְרַוֻּךָ בְכָל־עֵת

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

may her breasts* drench** you at all times

*A strong case can be made for repointing ("nipples") as dōdeyhā ("her lovemaking"). This is its pointing in 7:18 with rwh, it better suits its parallel ʾahᵃḇāṯāh, p. 53) defends the MT because of its use of ḥēq ("bosom"), the counterpart of "breasts" in verse 20. The NRSV corrects "affection" of the RSV with "breasts" of the MT. Fox (Proverbs 1-9, p. 203), although favoring repointing the text as dōdeyhā, cites an Egyptian song, where a girl says to her lover, "Take my breasts, that their gift may flow forth to you."

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

דַּדֶּיהָ () : dual of דַּד (dad) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : her teats/nipples (BDB).
יְרַוֻּךָ (yᵉrawwuḵā) : Piel imperfect 3 m.p. of רָוָה (rāwāh) + 2 m.s. suffix : drench you.
בְכָל־עֵת (ḇᵉḵol-ʿēṯ) : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + construct of כֹּל (kōl) + עֵת (ʿēṯ) : at all times.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:19c

Text (BHS):

בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ תִּשְׁגֶּה תָמִיד

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and with her caresses may you always become intoxicated.*

*Ancient versions do not retain as sensual material as the MT in this verse.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בְּאַהֲבָתָהּ (bᵉʾahᵃḇāṯāh) : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + noun אַהֲבָה (ʾahᵃḇāh) + pronominal 3 f.s. suffix : with her love.
תִּשְׁגֶּה () : Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of שָׁגָה () : be intoxicated.
תָמִיד (ṯāmı̂ḏ) : continuously.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:20a

Text (BHS):

וְלָמָּה תִשְׁגֶּה בְנִי בְזָרָה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

Now why be intoxicated, my son, with an unchaste wife?

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְלָמָּה (wᵉlāmmā) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + interrogative לָמָּה (lāmmā) : now why?
תִשְׁגֶּה () : Qal imperfect 2 m.s. of שָׁגָה () : be intoxicated.
בְנִי (ḇᵉnı̂) : noun בֵּן (bēn) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my son.
בְזָרָה (ḇᵉzārāh) : prep. בְ (ḇᵉ) + noun זָרָה (zārāh) : with an unchaste wife.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:20b

Text (BHS):

וּתְחַבֵּק חֵק נָכְרִיָּה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

[Why] embrace the the bosom of an unfaithful woman?

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּתְחַבֵּק () : conj. וּ () + Piel imperfect 2 m.s. of חָבַק (ḥāḇaq) : and embrace.
חֵק נָכְרִיָּה (ḥēq nāḵᵉrı̂ā) : construct of חֵיק () + fem. of adj. נָכְרִי (noḵrı̂) : the bosom of a wayward woman.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:21a

Text (BHS):

כִּי נֹכַח עֵינֵי יְהוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (RSV:
Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

כִּי נֹכַח (kı̂ nōḵaḥ) : conj. כִּי (kı̂) + prep. נֹכַח (nōḵaḥ) : for before.
עֵינֵי יְהוָה () : plural construct of עַיִן (ʿayin) + proper name יהוה (YHWH) : the eyes of the LORD.
דַּרְכֵי־אִישׁ () : plural construct of דֶּרֶךְ (dereḵ) + noun אִישׁ () : [are] the ways of a man.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:21b

Text (BHS):

וְכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו מְפַלֵּס

Transliteration (Accordance):

wᵉḵol-maʿgᵉlōṯāyw mᵉp̱allēs

Translation (RSV):

and he watches all his paths.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וְכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָיו (wᵉḵol-maʿgᵉlōṯāyw) : conj. וְ (wᵉ) + construct of כֹּל (kōl) + plural of מַעְגָּל (maʿgāl) + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : and all his tracks.
מְפַלֵּס (mᵉp̱allēs) : Piel participle of II פָּלַס (pālas) [HALOT]: he watches.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:22a

Text (BHS):

עַווֹנוֹתָיו יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ אֶת־הָרָשָׁע

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

His iniquities will catch him*

*The MT adds, "namely, the wicked." For the use of ʾeṯ in apposition see IBHS

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

עַווֹנוֹתָיו () : plural of עָוֹן () + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : his iniquities.
יִלְכְּדֻנוֹ () : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of לָכַד (lāḵaḏ) + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : will catch him.
אֶת־הָרָשָׁע () : apposition marker אֶת (ʾeṯ) + definite article + adjective רָשָׁע () : namely, the wicked.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:22b

Text (BHS):

וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ יִתָּמֵךְ

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and with the cords of his sin he will be held fast.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּבְחַבְלֵי חַטָּאתוֹ () : conj. וּ () + prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + plural construct of חֶבֶל (ḥeḇel) + noun חַטָּאת (ḥaṭṭāʾṯ) + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : and with the cords of his sin.
Niphal imperfect 3 m.s. of תמךְ (ṯmḵ) : he is held fast.

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:23a

Text (BHS):

הוּא יָמוּת בְּאֵין מוּסָר

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (RSV):

He dies for lack of discipline

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

הוּא יָמוּת () : emphatic personal pronoun הוּא () + Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of מוּת () : he dies (RSV) or he will die (Waltke).
בְּאֵין מוּסָר () : prep. בְּ (bᵉ) + construct of negation אַיִן (ʾayin) + noun מוּסָר () : for lack of discipline (RSV), or for lack of instruction (Waltke).

[John Reece]

Proverbs 5:23b

Text (BHS):

וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתּוֹ יִשְׁגֶּה

Transliteration (Accordance):
Translation (Waltke):

and in the abundance of his folly he is led astray.

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

וּבְרֹב אִוַּלְתּוֹ () : conj. וּ () + prep. בְ (ḇᵉ) + construct רֹב (rōḇ) + noun אִוֶּלֶת (ʾiweleṯ) + pronominal 3 m.s. suffix : and in the abundance of his folly.
יִשְׁגֶּה () : Qal imperfect 3 m.s. of שָׁגָה () : ["having thrown away the sage's moral compass that could have kept him on the road of life, he too, like the Harlot (...)] will be led astray ["to death, as the parallel certifies" ―Waltke].

[John Reece]

Proverbs 6:1a

Text (BHS):

בְּנִי אִם־עָרַבְתָּ לְרֵעֶךָ

Transliteration (Accordance):

bᵉnı̂ ʾim-ʿāraḇtā lᵉrēʿeḵā

Translation (Waltke):

My son, if you have become surety for your neighbor

Glossary & Analysis (meanings in this context):

בְּנִי (bᵉnı̂) : noun בֵּן (bēn) + pronominal 1 c.s. suffix : my son.
אִם־עָרַבְתָּ (ʾim-ʿāraḇtā) : hypothetical particle אִם (ʾim) + Qal perfect 2 m.s. of עָרַב (ʿāraḇ) : if you have become surety.
לְרֵעֶךָ (lᵉrēʿeḵā) : prep. לְ (lᵉ) + noun רֵעַ (rēaʿ) + pronominal 2 m.s. suffix : for your neighbor.