Proverbs 10:25-27

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Proverbs 10:25 sn The word for “storm wind” comes from the root סוּף (suf, “to come to an end; to cease”). The noun may then describe the kind of storm that makes an end of things, a “whirlwind” (so KJV, NASB; NLT “cyclone”). It is used in prophetic passages that describe swift judgment and destruction.
2. Proverbs 10:25 tn Heb “the wicked are not”; ASV, NAB, NASB “is no more.”
3. Proverbs 10:25 tn Heb “a foundation forever”; NLT “have a lasting foundation.” sn The metaphor compares the righteous to an everlasting foundation to stress that they are secure when the catastrophes of life come along. He is fixed in a covenantal relationship and needs not to fear passing misfortunes. The wicked has no such security.
4. Proverbs 10:26 sn Two similes are used to portray the aggravation in sending a lazy person to accomplish a task. Vinegar to the teeth is an unpleasant, irritating experience; and smoke to the eyes is an unpleasant experience that hinders progress.
5. Proverbs 10:26 tn The participle is plural, and so probably should be taken in a distributive sense: “to each one who sends him.”
6. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (y^ehvah, “the Lord”) functions as an objective genitive.
7. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, ASV).
8. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “years.” The term “years” functions as a synecdoche of part (= years) for the whole (= lifespan).
9. Proverbs 10:27 sn This general saying has to be qualified with the problem of the righteous suffering and dying young, a problem that perplexed the sages of the entire ancient world. But this is the general principle: The righteous live longer because their life is the natural one and because God blesses them.