Proverbs 28:19-21

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Proverbs 28:19 tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.
2. Proverbs 28:19 tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.” sn Prosperity depends on diligent work and not on chasing empty dreams. The proverb is essentially the same as Prov 12:11 except for the last expression.
3. Proverbs 28:19 tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisbaʿ, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second—with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.
4. Proverbs 28:20 tn Heb “a man of faithfulness,” although the context does not indicate this should be limited only to males.sn The text does not qualify the nature of the faithfulness. While this would certainly have implications for the person’s righteous acts, its primary meaning may be his diligence and reliability in his work. His faithful work will bring the returns.
5. Proverbs 28:20 sn The proverb is not rebuking diligent labor. One who is eager to get rich quickly is the opposite of the faithful person. The first person is faithful to God and to the covenant community; the second is trying to get rich as quickly as possible, at the least without doing an honest day’s work and at the worst dishonestly. In a hurry to gain wealth, he falls into various schemes and will pay for it. Tg. Prov 28:20 interprets this to say he hastens through deceit and wrongdoing.
6. Proverbs 28:21 tn The construction uses the Hiphil infinitive הַכֵּר (hakken) as the subject of the sentence: “to have respect for [or, recognize] persons is not good” (e.g., 24:23; 18:5; Deut 1:17; Lev 19:15). Such favoritism is “not good”; instead, it is a miscarriage of justice and is to be avoided.
7. Proverbs 28:21 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure of speech known as tapeinosis—a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
8. Proverbs 28:21 tn The meaning and connection of the line is not readily clear. It could be taken in one of two ways: (1) a person can steal even a small piece of bread if hungry, and so the court should show some compassion, or it should show no partiality even in such a pathetic case; (2) a person could be bribed for a very small price (a small piece of bread being the figure representing this). This second view harmonizes best with the law.