Proverbs 24:3-5

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Proverbs 24:3 tn The preposition ב (bet, “by; through”) in these two lines indicates means.
2. Proverbs 24:3 sn The twentieth saying, vv. 3-4, concerns the use of wisdom for domestic enterprises. In Prov 9:1 wisdom was personified as a woman who builds a house, but here the emphasis is primarily on the building—it is a sign of security and prosperity (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 442). One could still make a secondary application from this line for a household or “family” (cf. NCV, which sees this as a reference to the family).
3. Proverbs 24:5 sn The twenty-first saying seems to be concerned with the need for wisdom in warfare. In line with that, the word used here is גֶּבֶר (gever), “mighty man; hero; warrior.”
4. Proverbs 24:5 tn The expression בַּעוֹז (baʿoz) employs a beth essentiae, meaning he “is strong,” not “in strength.”