Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge. A worthy wife is a crown to her husband, truthful lips are established forever, and the righteous man regards even the life of his beast.
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Whoever loves knowledge loves correction; But he who is brutish hates reproof.
verse value 2265
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "one·who·loves" (אֹהֵ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·one·who·hates" (וְשׂוֹנֵ֖א, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 8: one·who·loves, loves. The root אהב appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "one·who·loves" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs); "correction" (root מוסר, 30x in Proverbs); "knowledge" (root דעת, 29x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֹהֵ֣ב [one·who·loves] (8) + מ֭וּסָר [correction] (306) + אֹ֣הֵֽב [loves] (8) + דָּ֑עַת [knowledge] (474) + וְשׂוֹנֵ֖א [and·one·who·hates] (363) + תוֹכַ֣חַת [rebuke] (834) + בָּֽעַר [brutish] (272) = 2265.
Ibn Ezra
"He who loves discipline" — whoever loves knowledge loves the discipline that chastens his spirit.
Ralbag
"He who loves correction" — one who loves correction with regard to character traits loves knowledge, for this is among the things that direct him toward the perfection of the intelligibles. And therefore it is clear that one who hates reproof, and lacks perfection in his character traits — behold, he is brutish, for he shall also lack the perfection of the intelligibles.
Metzudat David
"Whoever loves" — one who loves correction loves knowledge, for by hearing correction he acquires knowledge that he had not known before; but he who hates reproof is brutish and foolish, for he remains in his folly.
Metzudat Zion
'Brutish' — a fool, so called because he is likened to cattle; it is an expression from 'we and our cattle' (Numbers 20).
Malbim
"Whoever loves discipline (musar) loves knowledge" — There is a difference between musar and tochachah (reproof): tochachah means arguing with someone using rational proofs, and showing him what is good and what is bad, whereas musar compels him to accept what is said through punishments — either because he fears the punishment of the one who disciplines him, or fears his wrath and commands, like a child who fears an adult; or because the one who disciplines him informs him of Hashem's punishments for transgressing His words. Now, one who loves tochachah certainly loves knowledge, since tochachah is built upon rational proofs and knowledge. And here it says that even one who loves musar loves knowledge, because even the roots of musar are built upon fear of Hashem and knowledge of His providence, reward, and punishment — which are made clear through knowledge. And it has been explained by me [elsewhere] that knowledge is mostly built upon the perception of the senses and matters made evident through the observation of the senses — that is, the "well-known" and the "received" [traditional] matters — such as what happened to the generation of the Flood, the generation of the Dispersion, Sodom, and Egypt, and what He did to the congregation of Korach; and so [one who loves musar] loves knowledge. And one who hates musar is certainly brutish — meaning, a person unprepared to receive knowledge — for even children fear out of dread of punishment and accept discipline out of fear. But as for one who hates tochachah, which is built on rational arguments, one might have thought he is not brutish; [Scripture] informs us that he too is brutish and is to be regarded as a beast, for a person deserving to be called a "living, speaking being" [i.e., a rational human] is by nature already prepared to accept reproof — and in any case should not hate the reproof that comes to open the eyes of his understanding.
A good man shall obtain favor of Hashem; But a man of wicked devices will He condemn.
verse value 2029
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "good" (ט֗וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Hashem" (מֵיְהֹוָ֑ה, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "condemns" (יַרְשִֽׁיעַ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "condemns" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "and·man·of" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: ט֗וֹב [good] (17) + יָפִ֣יק [obtains] (200) + רָ֭צוֹן [favor] (346) + מֵיְהֹוָ֑ה [from·Hashem] (66) + וְאִ֖ישׁ [and·man·of] (317) + מְזִמּ֣וֹת [devices] (493) + יַרְשִֽׁיעַ [condemns] (590) = 2029.
Rashi
A good man will obtain Heb. יפיק. He will draw satisfaction from the Holy One, blessed be He, to bring goodness to the world. but a man of evil devices will condemn One who has evil devices will condemn. He will condemn the people to bring evil [upon them], and so he states (Ecc. 9:18): “but one sinner destroys much good.”
Ibn Ezra
"Good," "not" — the two are linked [grammatically dependent on one another]. "Yafik" (shall obtain) — meaning "he shall bring out"; that is, a good man brings out/obtains the favor of Hashem, meaning He will be pleased with him. "And a man of wicked devices" — evil thoughts; Hashem will condemn him when he is judged; that is why this [clause] comes after it.
Ralbag
"A good man shall obtain favor" — the good man shall draw favor from Hashem, for [Hashem's] providence cleaves to him, since his will is the will of Hashem, as was explained earlier. But a man of wicked devices — that is, the man who follows after his own thoughts so as to sin by means of them, as it is said, "for they have committed lewdness" — behold, Hashem will condemn him and hold him liable, by bringing upon him evil in the very measure that he measured out.
Metzudat David
"A good man" — a good man draws forth favor from Hashem, bringing good upon the whole world. "But a man of wicked devices" — one who follows after the thoughts of his own heart will bring condemnation upon the whole world, for he tips the scale against them, to their guilt.
Malbim
"A good man shall obtain favor of Hashem; but a man of wicked devices will He condemn" — It is explained by us elsewhere that the verb zamam ("to devise/scheme") indicates deep thoughts, that one deepens his thinking about how to bring something about. If it is used in matters of wisdom, it indicates deep thoughts in matters of wisdom; and if it is used of a thought devised against one's fellow, it is mostly directed toward evil. And it is said: one who devises evil is called a "master of devices" (ba'al mezimot), for then he deepens his thought about how to harm his fellow and how to trap him in his snare. And the verb "yarshia" ("will condemn," lit. "will make wicked"), when it comes in the hif'il form as an intransitive verb, indicates that his wickedness has grown so great that it goes forth to harm others through his wickedness — for resha (wickedness) includes both [transgressions] between man and God and between man and his fellow, and one who "marshia" (renders guilty/acts wickedly) commits wickedness against his fellow. [Solomon] says: the good man will not deepen into devices, but will only "obtain favor from Hashem" — he will strive to bring forth favor from Hashem, that Hashem should favor his deeds, as in the matter of, "Commit your way to Hashem, and your thoughts shall be established." For then Hashem will establish his simple thoughts toward the goal that is desired before Hashem. And there is a difference between chefetz (desire) and ratzon (favor): ratzon means that a thing is desired because it is fitting and proper, on account of what is right, upright, and good; and the ratzon that one "obtains from Hashem" means that Hashem favors him because he is deserving of it. And the good man prepares his thoughts in such a way that Hashem will find favor in them, and he does not deepen into devices and does not act wickedly. But the man of devices, who does not rely on Hashem but only deepens into deep schemes, will act so as to do wickedness.
A man shall not be established by wickedness; But the root of the righteous shall never be moved.
verse value 1891
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·not·be·established" (לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "shall·not·be·established" (לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן), "in·wickedness" (בְּרֶ֑שַׁע). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·wickedness" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·wickedness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן [shall·not·be·established] (117) + אָדָ֣ם [man] (45) + בְּרֶ֑שַׁע [in·wickedness] (572) + וְשֹׁ֥רֶשׁ [and·root·of] (806) + צַ֝דִּיקִ֗ים [just] (254) + בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט [shall·never·be·moved] (97) = 1891.
Rashi
A man will not be established with wickedness Heb. יכון, will not be firmly established.
Ibn Ezra
"A man shall not be established through wickedness" — so that he not be toppled in time of trouble. And "their root" is a metaphor for the remnant of their offspring after their death. Another explanation: and like a root that is not dislodged, so the righteous shall stand and not be shaken.
Ralbag
"shall not be established" — the structure of a man that is [built] through wickedness shall not be established, and shall not stand, for by a slight cause it shall be uprooted; but the root of the righteous shall never be moved, but shall endure and stand forever.
Metzudat David
"Shall not be established" — a man will not be firmly established through wicked deeds, that is, he will not stand steady upon his foundation and base by means of the wealth he has amassed through wickedness; but the root of the righteous is not readily moved to fall, meaning that even if he falls, he will not be shaken down to the root, for he will return and rise again.
Malbim
"A man shall not be established by wickedness; but the root of the righteous shall never be moved" — There is a difference between ken ("base/stand") and shoresh ("root"): the ken is a base made for something detached, as in, "a laver of bronze, and its base (kano) of bronze" (Exodus 30:18) — where the object stands firm by means of the base. The root, by contrast, belongs to something attached, and is a thing unified with the branches. The wicked have no root, for the root of man is above, in a place of purity — man is comparable to an inverted tree, whose root is above, namely, the brain, which is the root of man, planted in the world of the intellect, from which it receives its influence. The righteous man is attached to his root above; not so the wicked man, who is severed from his root above, and stands only on a base resting upon the material world, in his body alone — like a thing that stands on a base belonging to something detached. But this base, too, is destined to collapse, since his wealth was amassed through wickedness. The righteous, however, have a root. And why is man comparable to a tree whose root stands in a place of purity while its crown inclines toward a place of impurity? Because even though the crown may at times sway to the side, the root will not be moved, for it stands in a place of purity and in the place where the spiritual world endures — and through this, the crown, too, will eventually incline after the root.
A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; But she who does shamefully is as rottenness in his bones.
verse value 2844
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 2844 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "crown·of" (עֲטֶ֣רֶת, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·his·bones" (בְּעַצְמוֹתָ֣יו, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·like·rottenness" (וּכְרָקָ֖ב), "in·his·bones" (בְּעַצְמוֹתָ֣יו), "she·who·shames" (מְבִישָֽׁה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·woman·of·valor" (root אשה, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'her·husband', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל [a·woman·of·valor] (749) + עֲטֶ֣רֶת [crown·of] (679) + בַּעְלָ֑הּ [her·husband] (107) + וּכְרָקָ֖ב [and·like·rottenness] (328) + בְּעַצְמוֹתָ֣יו [in·his·bones] (624) + מְבִישָֽׁה [she·who·shames] (357) = 2844.
Rashi
is like rot A worm that penetrates the bones and grinds them. So is an embarrassing, bad wife, whose deeds are shameful.
Ibn Ezra
"Chayil" — from the same [root] as "cheilekha" [your substance], meaning wealth; that is, the woman who acquires wealth [for the household] is a crown to her husband, for on her account they will honor him, just as a king is honored by the crown on his head. "In his bones" — [a rot] for which no remedy will avail; so a shameful woman gives shame to her husband, and she squanders the wealth.
Ralbag
"A virtuous woman" — behold, the woman who is diligent in her deeds is a crown to her husband; but the woman who is lazy in her deeds destroys him, and she is to him like rottenness in his bones, which causes them to decay. And behold, this alludes to the faculty that serves the intellect, in that it prepares for it, from the sense-perceptions, what it needs for its inquiries; and if it is not obedient to the intellect, but is negligent in this, delaying and lagging, behold, it is to him like rottenness in his bones, for it withholds from him his perfection.
Metzudat David
"A crown to her husband" — that is, her husband takes pride in her deeds. "She who does shamefully" — the woman in whom any shameful thing is found is to her husband like rot in his bones.
Malbim
"A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband; but she who does shamefully is as rottenness in his bones" — A crown (atarah) is a garment, external to a person's body, which is placed upon the head, and it is a sign of stature and honor. So too, a woman of valor, besides strengthening his frame ("his bones"), is a crown upon his head — he glories in her, and through her, before many peoples, as it is written, "her husband is known in the gates" (Proverbs 31:23). And "she who does shamefully" is the one who is idle in her deeds — not only is she no honor to him, but on the contrary, he must hide her, and she is like rottenness in his bones. For the wife is bone of his bones, and it is as though a part of him has rotted, for the second half of his body — which is his wife — produces rot, and will cause his own portion to rot as well.
The thoughts of the righteous are right; But the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
verse value 3190
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "judgment" (מִשְׁפָּ֑ט, 4 letters) and the longest is "thoughts·of" (מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת, 6 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "judgment" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת [thoughts·of] (756) + צַדִּיקִ֣ים [just] (254) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [judgment] (429) + תַּחְבֻּל֖וֹת [counsels·of] (846) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + מִרְמָֽה [deceit] (285) = 3190.
Ibn Ezra
"Thoughts," "words," "overturn" — the three are linked. And the meaning: the righteous plan to do justice, while the wicked scheme to deceive them; and when they are unable [to do so], the wicked speak of lying in ambush for the blood of the righteous, to kill them. "But the mouth of the upright" — in that they speak uprightly, their mouth will save them from the hand of those who lie in ambush for them. "Overturn" — Hashem will overturn them from their place. "But the house of the righteous" — those who plan justice — [their house] shall stand and not be overturned.
Ralbag
"The thoughts of the righteous" — there is no need to say that what the righteous strive toward is a fitting thing, for even their [mere] thoughts are just. And with the wicked it is the opposite, for even their stratagems, which are derived from the intellect in some manner, are deceit.
Metzudat David
"Right" — to carry out true justice, to save the oppressed from the hand of his oppressor. "Deceit" — to practice deceit.
Malbim
"The thoughts of the righteous are right; but the counsels of the wicked are deceit" — There is a difference between machshavah ("thought"), etzah ("counsel/plan"), and tachbulah ("stratagem"). One who is still thinking has not yet arrived at a plan; he merely turns matters over in his heart by the power of his thought, and at times considers the possible ways of whether to do a thing and how to do it. Once a clear course of action is settled in his hand, then it is said that he has "counseled a plan" (yi'atz etzah). And one who devises several plans together — as in war, where one devises several kinds of plans to withstand the unknown plans of the enemy — this is called tachbulah, which is the linking together of several plans. Now with the righteous, even their simple thought is "mishpat" (justice), meaning that they walk in the way of justice and righteousness and do not turn from it. But with the wicked, even their tachbulot — the linking together of their plans — aims at deceit, to defraud their fellows and to oppress and rob. Therefore the righteous have no need for stratagems, for it is enough that their thought is to do justice, since this is the straight way, which requires no scheming or plotting. But the wicked, since they need to turn aside from justice and to hunt their fellows in a net through deceit, need stratagems and the linking of many evil plans with one another, in order to know how to trap the oppressed in their snare.
The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood; But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
verse value 1919
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "and·mouth·of" (וּפִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "wicked" (רְשָׁעִ֣ים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·lie·in·wait·for·blood" (אֱרׇב־דָּ֑ם), "delivers·them" (יַצִּילֵֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "words·of" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "upright" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·lie·in·wait·for·blood', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: דִּבְרֵ֣י [words·of] (216) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + אֱרׇב־דָּ֑ם [to·lie·in·wait·for·blood] (247) + וּפִ֥י [and·mouth·of] (96) + יְ֝שָׁרִ֗ים [upright] (560) + יַצִּילֵֽם [delivers·them] (180) = 1919.
Rashi
The words of the wicked are to lurk for blood They take counsel to murder directly or through false testimony. but the mouth of the upright when they hear [the wicked’s] counsel, will save the victims, for they will reveal [the wicked’s] plot, or if they are witnesses, [the upright] will prove them to be collusive.
Ralbag
"The words of the wicked" — what the wicked speak is toward evil in the extreme, as if to say, to lie in wait for blood, to strike innocent blood. But the words of the upright are the opposite of this, for they are directed toward saving the innocent from bloodshed.
Metzudat David
"To lie in wait" — to lie in wait for innocent blood by means of false testimony. "Shall deliver them" — they [the upright] deliver those on trial, for they press their inquiry until the false witnesses are contradicted, one by the other.
Malbim
"The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood; but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them" — Dibbur ("speech") refers to what one speaks at length, with an elaboration of matters, and the words of the wicked prolong their speech in order to bring forth their thought, which lies in wait for blood — for they speak slander and gossip in order to destroy their fellows. The upright, however, are those in whose hearts the laws of uprightness are planted by nature, and they act beyond the strict letter of the law, which is the opposite of "lying in wait for blood" — their mouth shall deliver them. And it has already been said (Proverbs 11:7), "The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the calamity of the treacherous shall trap them" — there it speaks of how, through their righteousness, they are saved from natural and providential evils, which is the "calamity" of the treacherous; by this they are saved through the merit of their righteousness. But here it speaks of evils that come by choice, from which their mouth — which speaks according to the laws of wisdom, in accordance with uprightness — shall save them; and it teaches how one may be saved from the ambush of the wicked.
The wicked are overthrown, and are not; But the house of the righteous shall stand.
verse value 1634
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 1634 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "overthrown" (הָפ֣וֹךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "just" (צַדִּיקִ֣ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "overthrown" (הָפ֣וֹךְ), "and·are·not" (וְאֵינָ֑ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "and·house·of" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root עמד ("shall·stand") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·are·not', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָפ֣וֹךְ [overthrown] (111) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + וְאֵינָ֑ם [and·are·not] (107) + וּבֵ֖ית [and·house·of] (418) + צַדִּיקִ֣ים [just] (254) + יַעֲמֹֽד [shall·stand] (124) = 1634.
Rashi
The wicked will be overthrown Heb. הפוך, like להפוך, to overthrow. Like a sudden overthrow they are overthrown [lit. like an overthrow in a second]. and they are no more They are destroyed, e.g. Sodom. but the house of the righteous will stand Will endure.
Ralbag
"The wicked are overthrown, and are not" — Hashem, may He be blessed, will overthrow the wicked, so that they are no more, in a short time. But the righteous are the opposite of this, for their house shall stand and endure — that is, their descendants. And there is no need to say that they themselves shall stand and endure, for even their offspring shall stand and endure, as it is said, "I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread" (Psalms 37:25).
Metzudat David
"Overthrown" — when the wicked are overthrown, then they are no longer in the world, and their memory perishes; but the house of the righteous will endure forever.
Metzudat Zion
'And are not' — and there is nothing of them [left].
Malbim
"The wicked are overthrown, and are not" — The wicked, even though they appear to be firmly rooted in strength, nevertheless when the time of their punishment arrives, when their measure [of sin] becomes full, the Holy One, blessed be He, overturns them. For "overturning" (hippukh) means turning into the opposite — whether in quality, in quantity, or in condition. And when the root is turned upward and the branches downward in a tree, or when [a person's] head is downward and his feet upward, this is called "overturned" (hefekh), as it is said, "He overturned the cities from the root" — and then they no longer exist, as it is written, "I have seen a wicked, ruthless man spreading himself like a luxuriant native tree; yet he passed away, and behold, he was not" (Psalm 37:35-36). And this is measure for measure, for the wicked man walks overturned — for a person is comparable to a tree whose root is above, namely his head, with its branches (his limbs) attached to the ground below; whereas the wicked man, whose head, mind, and thoughts are attached to the earth, is overturned. And his punishment is that Hashem overturns him, which is utter destruction. But "the house of the righteous shall stand" — for the righteous, even if he is punished, is punished immediately when he sins, and "seven times the righteous falls and rises" (Proverbs 24:16), for his root is not uprooted; rather he is struck only in his property and through afflictions. And not only the righteous man himself — even his house shall stand. And it was already said (above, 10:25), "As the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is an everlasting foundation" — and there it speaks of natural misfortunes, while here it speaks of providential punishments. And in the Midrash, Parashat Noach, both verses are expounded with reference to the generation of the Flood and Noah.
A man shall be commended according to his intelligence; But he who is of a distorted understanding shall be despised.
verse value 1106
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "shall·be" (יִהְיֶ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "according·to·his·insight" (לְֽפִי־שִׂ֭כְלוֹ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "according·to·his·insight" (לְֽפִי־שִׂ֭כְלוֹ), "a·man·is·praised" (יְהֻלַּל־אִ֑ישׁ), "and·perverse·of·heart" (וְנַעֲוֵה־לֵ֝֗ב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be" (root היה, 27x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root הלל ("a·man·is·praised") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·man·is·praised', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְֽפִי־שִׂ֭כְלוֹ [according·to·his·insight] (476) + יְהֻלַּל־אִ֑ישׁ [a·man·is·praised] (386) + וְנַעֲוֵה־לֵ֝֗ב [and·perverse·of·heart] (169) + יִהְיֶ֥ה [shall·be] (30) + לָבֽוּז [for·contempt] (45) = 1106.
Rashi
According to his intelligence a man is praised Whether he possesses little or much intelligence, he will receive his reward according to his intelligence. but he whose heart has turned away He who moved his heart completely away from the Torah will be despised. Heb. נעוה, as in (Isa. 21:3): “I have become confused (נעויתי) from hearing,” and similarly (I Sam. 20:30): “the son of a straying (נעות) woman deserving of punishment.” And it is possible to say that נעוה means one whose heart has strayed, from the expression נע ונד, moving and wandering, and as one says זעוה, horror, from the root זע, stirred.
Ibn Ezra
"According to his intelligence," "good" — the two are linked. And so the meaning: because of his mouth, in that he increases understanding, people will praise him, while one perverse of heart, they will despise, and he will be lightly esteemed and loathsome in his own eyes. And the one who, through his intellect, acquires a servant for himself is better than the one who is self-important — [namely, one] who had abundant wealth and lost it through his folly, and afterward lacked bread, yet is greatly self-important, [this being] an expression of excess. And likewise "very honored" or "self-important" stands opposite "lightly esteemed" — that is to say, he is honored in his own eyes, yet lacks the bread of the one who is lightly esteemed but good.
Ralbag
"According to his intelligence" — The intelligent man is praised according to his intelligence, for wisdom is praiseworthy to all people, and all long for it, as we mentioned previously. But one who is of a distorted understanding — that is, one who errs in matters of the intellect — will be despised, for he will not hold his ground in his give-and-take with others, because of the confusion of his opinions; rather, those who argue with him will overcome him, and disgrace will overtake him for this reason.
Metzudat David
"According to his intelligence" — every man is praised according to the measure of his understanding, whether great or small; but he whose heart has turned away from wisdom will become an object of contempt.
Metzudat Zion
'And he who is distorted' — from the word na (to move, to wander), just as, similarly, ze'avah (trembling) is said to derive from za (to shake).
Malbim
"A man shall be commended according to his intelligence (sekhel)" — Sekhel is a special faculty in man which has power over matters that binah (reasoning/understanding) has no power over, such as understanding the laws of wisdom according to their truth (and the grammarians have already explained that this is why you will not find the terms of binah placed adjacent to chokhmah — such that one would say "binu chokhmah" [understand wisdom] — as in the phrase "and skilled in all wisdom (u-maskilim be-khol chokhmah)" (Daniel 1:4), for this is beyond man's binah) — and likewise for understanding the higher apprehensions, the glory of Hashem and the like, which cannot be attained through syllogisms and proofs whose premises are built upon sense-perceptions or first, self-evident principles — these are attained through the faculty of sekhel. Now, sekhel mentioned without qualification in the Holy Scriptures refers to its use for good, but sometimes the inclination of the heart and its immersion in desires leads the sekhel astray. For the heart is the ruling faculty within the soul, and it requires advisers, namely binah and sekhel; but when evil imaginings and desires overpower it, it draws even the advisers along, so that they counsel it according to the will of the yetzer (inclination), and then the sekhel assists it toward evil. And one whose heart — which is the ruling faculty — is perverted and turns away from the straight path and from wisdom, then the sekhel too will be held in contempt, for it goes like a slave to serve the desire and the yetzer. And this is what is meant by "a man shall be praised according to his sekhel" — that if he has great sekhel he will comprehend the laws of wisdom and grasp the truth of Hashem's ways, and he will become an object of praise and glory — and all this provided that the heart is upright, meaning that the ruling faculty within him conducts itself according to the laws of wisdom and understanding and does not listen to its wayward impulses. But when he is "of perverted heart," then the sekhel will be held in contempt, for the greater his sekhel, the more it assists him toward evil.
Better is he who is lightly esteemed, and has a servant, Than he who plays the man of rank, and lacks bread.
verse value 1178
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·lacking·bread" (וַחֲסַר־לָֽחֶם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "lightly·esteemed" (נִ֭קְלֶה), "than·one·who·honors·himself" (מִ֝מִּתְכַּבֵּ֗ד), "and·lacking·bread" (וַחֲסַר־לָֽחֶם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: ט֣וֹב [good] (17) + נִ֭קְלֶה [lightly·esteemed] (185) + וְעֶ֣בֶד [and·slave] (82) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + מִ֝מִּתְכַּבֵּ֗ד [than·one·who·honors·himself] (506) + וַחֲסַר־לָֽחֶם [and·lacking·bread] (352) = 1178.
Rashi
Better is he who is lightly esteemed in his own eyes and became a slave to himself that one who is honored in his own eyes and says, “It is disgraceful for me to toil at labor, for I am one of the great men,”—he will ultimately lack bread.
Ralbag
"Better is he who is lightly esteemed" — Better is one who is lightly esteemed and serves himself, doing his labor in the house and in the field so as to obtain his sustenance, than one who honors himself and wants others to serve him, while he lacks bread — for the disgrace of the first will in the end turn to honor, and the honor of the second will in the end turn to disgrace.
Metzudat David
"Better" — it is better for one who treats himself lightly, being his own servant, doing his own work to earn his living, than for one who holds himself to be a man of rank and is ashamed to do his work, and therefore lacks bread.
Malbim
"Better is he who is lightly esteemed and has a servant, than he who plays the man of rank and lacks bread" — Since among the conventions of honor agreed upon among people is that one should not perform labor himself, for this is considered a disgrace and a diminishment of honor — even though it might be imagined that by choosing honor and not performing labor he would lack bread — [Solomon] teaches us to know that this is not from wisdom. He is only "playing the man of rank" (mitkabbed) — meaning, he appears to be honored but is not truly so, for this is the pattern of the hitpa'el [reflexive verb-form, denoting mere semblance] — and he lacks bread, which is a true disgrace, namely that he has no servant to do his work for him. But the one who appears lightly esteemed, by working for himself, truly has honor, for he has a servant — since he himself serves himself — and he is satisfied with bread. And by way of parable: the one who plays the man of rank and is ashamed to study lacks the bread of Torah, while the one lightly esteemed is a servant to himself, meaning to his soul.
A righteous man regards the life of his beast; But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
verse value 2299
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "life·of" (נֶ֣פֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·beast" (בְּהֶמְתּ֑וֹ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "his·beast" (בְּהֶמְתּ֑וֹ), "and·mercies·of" (וְֽרַחֲמֵ֥י). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "life·of" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root רחם ("and·mercies·of") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·beast', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: יוֹדֵ֣עַ [knows] (90) + צַ֭דִּיק [just] (204) + נֶ֣פֶשׁ [life·of] (430) + בְּהֶמְתּ֑וֹ [his·beast] (453) + וְֽרַחֲמֵ֥י [and·mercies·of] (264) + רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים [wicked] (620) + אַכְזָרִֽי [cruel] (238) = 2299.
Rashi
A righteous man has regard for the desire of his beast What his beasts and his household members need.
Ibn Ezra
"The life of his beast" — even though it is [only] the life of a lesser [creature] — that is to say, he knows the need of the life of his beast. "But the mercies of the wicked" — are like the mercies of a cruel man, that is to say, they show no mercy.
Ralbag
"A righteous man regards" — The righteous man is concerned for the life of his animal, and attends to it so that it should have the sustenance necessary for the survival of its body. And the intent of "the life of his animal" is the material soul that belongs to man insofar as he is also an animal, not insofar as he is specifically a man. But the mercy that the wicked show toward the body, merely so as not to restrain their own appetites, is a cruel mercy, for through these character traits they bring about destruction.
Metzudat David
"A righteous man regards" — the righteous man takes care to know even the desire of his beast, so as to satisfy its want, for the trait of compassion is ingrained in him; but the wicked — even the compassion found in them is cruelty, for they show mercy only to outward appearance, but not so in their hearts.
Malbim
"A righteous man knows the life (nefesh) of his beast, but the mercies of the wicked are cruel" — The righteous man is one who conducts himself according to the laws of justice — not only does he conduct himself according to these laws with human beings, but also with his animal he conducts himself according to these laws, and he knows the nature of its being, to give it its food at the proper time and in the proper measure, and not to burden it with more work than it can bear, for this too is among the laws of wisdom and justice, as it is said, "and I will give grass in your field for your cattle," and afterward, "and you shall eat and be satisfied" (Deuteronomy 11:15) — and [the prohibition of] tza'ar ba'alei chayim [causing suffering to living creatures] is of Torah law (de'oraita). And this is learned from the laws of the supreme Righteous One, Hashem, blessed be He, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: the Holy One, blessed be He, knows that the dog's food is scanty, and therefore He delayed [the digestion of] its food in its intestines for three days — for this too is among the general laws of justice. But the wicked man, who does not conduct himself according to the laws of justice and behaves the opposite of them — even if you see from him the trait of mercy, it stems from the cruelty concealed within him. For example: he shows mercy to a person subdued under his hand and does not kill him, so that he may subdue him as a servant for his own needs; he shows mercy to his animal and increases its food, so that he may burden it with all the more work — for his mercy is rooted in his own self-interest, because of the need he has for that thing. And by way of metaphor: man is composed of two parts — the body is his "animal" and the soul is the "man." And the righteous man, who conducts himself according to the laws of justice, gives each its portion. And when his [bodily] desire incites him for the sake of his animal, he "knows the life (nefesh) of his animal" — that is, the neshamah, which is the nefesh of the body that is the "animal" — for the nefesh of this [higher, inner] "animal" has desires opposite to the desires of its [outer, bodily] animal, and so he puts to death the desire of his [bodily] animal in order to give life to the nefesh of his [inner] animal. But the wicked have mercy on their [bodily] animal, giving it all its desires, and thereby cut off the life of [the soul] — and this is a great cruelty, that one should be cruel to his very essence and to his spiritual soul.
He who tills his ground shall have plenty of bread; But he who follows after vain things is void of understanding.
verse value 1977
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "tills" (עֹבֵ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·be·satisfied·with·bread" (יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָ֑חֶם, 7 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be·satisfied·with·bread" (root שבע, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·satisfied·with·bread', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֹבֵ֣ד [tills] (76) + אַ֭דְמָתוֹ [his·ground] (451) + יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָ֑חֶם [shall·be·satisfied·with·bread] (460) + וּמְרַדֵּ֖ף [and·one·who·pursues] (330) + רֵיקִ֣ים [empty] (360) + חֲסַר־לֵֽב [lacking·heart] (300) = 1977.
Rashi
He who tills his soil will be sated with bread To be understood according to its apparent meaning, but according to its allegorical meaning, [this means] he who constantly reviews his studies lest they be forgotten.
Ibn Ezra
"He who tills" — for man was created to work the ground and to live from his labor, therefore he shall be satisfied with bread; but one who goes about pursuing worthless things lacks understanding.
Ralbag
"He who tills his ground" — One who occupies himself with the settlement of the world, but is drawn only after doing his own proper work, shall live by it — as if to say: if he tills his ground, he shall be satisfied with bread. But one who does not occupy himself with the settlement of the world, but is drawn after the opinion of empty and reckless people, will not only lack bread, but along with this will also lack heart and understanding.
Metzudat David
"He who tills his ground" — through plowing and the like. "But he who follows after vain things" — one who pursues things of no benefit lacks understanding, for it would be better for him to occupy himself instead with tilling the ground.
Malbim
(11-12) "He who tills his ground shall have plenty of bread"; "the wicked covets the plunder of evil men" — He states: one who tills his ground — even though man's nature inclines toward rest and ceasing from labor, and the ground requires labor, for the definition of servitude is hard labor to which one is bound day and night — nevertheless a person must look to the end result, for through this he will have plenty of bread. And it is better for him to bear the yoke of labor than to bear the pain of hunger, and this comes from the governing faculty within the soul that is called "heart" (lev). But one who pursues empty things, seeking to obtain his sustenance through rest and not tilling his ground, "lacks a heart" (lev) — he has no ruling faculty to rebuke laziness by foreseeing what is to come. This statement is repeated below (28:19), "He who tills his ground shall have plenty of bread, but he who pursues empty things shall have plenty of poverty" — "A faithful man shall abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich shall not go unpunished." There it speaks of a different matter, for "one who pursues empty things" can be depicted in two ways: * One who chases after obtaining his livelihood without labor, through trade and journeys by sea and through the deserts, or through finds and the like — this too is "empty things," since the profit is not certain. And it is of this matter that it speaks there, and we learn from its context, which states about this, "a faithful man" (ish emunot), "abounds with blessings" — meaning one who believes in Hashem and sows his ground (as it is said, "emunot (faithfulness) — this is Seder Zera'im [the Order of Seeds]," and Rashi explains: one who believes in Hashem and sows). And through this he obtains an abundance of blessings from the dew of the heavens above and from the deep that lies beneath, because he believes and trusts. And this is the meaning of "he who tills his ground shall have plenty of bread." But one who pursues empty things, because he hastens to grow rich and seeks schemes to become wealthy at once, since he does not believe and trust — instead, because he desires to grow rich, he "shall have plenty of poverty." * And here [in our verse] it speaks of one who pursues empty things in order to grow rich through robbery and violence, and the end of the matter proves this, for it says, "the wicked covets the plunder of evil men." For the wicked man does not wish to toil and labor, but only covets to live off the plunder of evil men — that is, they hunt people in their hunt and take their money through deceit and wicked schemes. And this is "lacking a heart," for his heart does not rule over him to conduct himself according to the laws of wisdom. But he who tills his ground and conducts himself with righteousness, not oppressing or hunting, but only sowing, so that the produce takes root in the ground — "the root of the righteous," that is, the root that they have rooted in their ground, "will yield" bread for the eater. And these two matters have a parable and a figurative meaning, for this cultivated ground has a parable, and a parable within a parable. Here it speaks concerning the soul, which is compared in the words of the sages to a plot of field that has the capacity and is ready to bring forth fruit. And just as the ground requires labor to remove from it the thorns and thistles, and to bury the seed within it, and to water it and cultivate it, so too one must remove from the soul the evil imaginings, and sow in it the seed of wisdom and moral discipline (musar), and water it with the waters of intellect and knowledge, until it brings forth its fruit — holy, for praise. And "he who tills his ground" will in the end "have plenty of bread," which is the nourishment of wisdom and moral discipline, the bread of the soul. And "one who pursues empty things" — that is the wicked man who did not till his ground and covets the "plunder of evil men," which are the imaginings of desires that have surrounded the small city with great siege-works, and hunt in their net the spiritual powers of the soul — he "lacks a heart," and does not conduct himself in the governance of the soul according to the laws of wisdom. But he who tills his ground and cleanses it of the thorns, and sows in it the divine seeds — "the root of the righteous will yield" — that is, wisdom.
The wicked desires the prey of evil men; But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
verse value 2602
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "desires" (חָמַ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "just" (צַדִּיקִ֣ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "desires" (חָמַ֣ד), "prey·of" (מְצ֣וֹד). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: חָמַ֣ד [desires] (52) + רָ֭שָׁע [wicked] (570) + מְצ֣וֹד [prey·of] (140) + רָעִ֑ים [evil] (320) + וְשֹׁ֖רֶשׁ [and·root·of] (806) + צַדִּיקִ֣ים [just] (254) + יִתֵּֽן [gives] (460) = 2602.
Rashi
The wicked man yearns to gain sustenance and maintenance from the prey of the wicked, who prey on people with robbery and violence. but the root of the righteous yields what it is fit to yield, and that is the fruit.
Ibn Ezra
"Metzod" (prey/net) — that which the righteous hunt/capture; the wicked covets to hunt in the same way. "Yields" — that is, fruit or branches, and the wicked will not be able to capture [it]; or, each one of the righteous puts forth a root below, an allusion to his offspring who remain after him.
Ralbag
"Desires" — The wicked man desires the stronghold of the evildoers, by which they reinforce themselves to commit acts of violence, so that he too may reinforce himself to carry out the work of wickedness. The righteous, however, do not need anything from outside by which to reinforce themselves, for the root of the righteous provides that by which they reinforce themselves to do their work — in character traits and in speculative inquiry. This is clear with a little reflection: for the root that derives from things perceived by the senses, the first intelligibles, and derived thoughts, yields the truth in wisdom and understanding, and it is the investigation into these that is the work of the righteous.
Metzudat David
"Desires" — the wicked man desires to dwell in the stronghold of evildoers, where they fortify themselves to commit violence; but the righteous need no help from outside, for their own root yields its proper fruit, meaning that they strengthen themselves on their own to do good.
Metzudat Zion
'The stronghold' — its meaning is a strong fortress, as in 'they brought him into strongholds' (Ezekiel 19).
In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man; But the righteous comes out of trouble.
verse value 2644
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "lips" (שְׂ֭פָתַיִם, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root מוקש ("snare") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּפֶ֣שַׁע [in·the·transgression·of] (452) + שְׂ֭פָתַיִם [lips] (830) + מוֹקֵ֣שׁ [snare] (446) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + וַיֵּצֵ֖א [and·comes·out] (107) + מִצָּרָ֣ה [from·trouble] (335) + צַדִּֽיק [just] (204) = 2644.
Rashi
Because of the transgression of the lips Because of the transgression of the lips of the generation of the Flood, who said (Job 21:15): “What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?” an evil snare came upon them, and Noah, the righteous man, came out of the trouble.
Ibn Ezra
"In transgression" — because of the transgression of his lips, an evil man is ensnared, as in the matter: "the mouth of a fool is his ruin" (Proverbs 18:7). "But the righteous comes out of trouble" — he escapes through his righteousness, as in the matter: "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but Hashem delivers him out of them all" (Psalm 34:20).
Ralbag
"In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man" — The evil man is caught in the transgression of the venom of his lips, in that he speaks his words improperly, and his own mouth condemns him. The righteous man is the opposite of this, for he comes out of trouble because of the pleasantness and rectitude of his words, as is clear.
Metzudat David
"In the transgression" — because of the transgression of the lips, the one who speaks perversity, an evil snare will come upon him; but the righteous, through the pleasantness of his words, comes out of the trouble that befalls him.
Malbim
"In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man" — The lip (safah) denotes external speech. Sometimes one does not speak with the mouth and tongue but only with the lips — meaning he does not think carefully about what to say, but his lips merely move without understanding or intellect. And sometimes the lips transgress against him and prepare a snare for him — for example, one who speaks before a king and utters something improper thoughtlessly, and is caught by his own words; or when he stands in judgment, and is sometimes caught by a single word that he utters with his lips without intellect. But the righteous man, who conducts himself entirely according to righteousness, has already prepared his lips so as not to utter anything improper, as it is said, "the lips of the righteous feed many" (Proverbs 10:21), "the lips of the righteous know what is acceptable" (Proverbs 10:32). And also, when he is already in trouble, he comes out of it through his lips, which are prepared to speak according to practical knowledge (da'at shimushit), as stated in the places mentioned above.
A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the doings of a man’s hands shall be rendered to him.
verse value 1960
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לֽוֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·be·satisfied·with·good" (יִשְׂבַּע־ט֑וֹב, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "shall·be·satisfied·with·good" (יִשְׂבַּע־ט֑וֹב), "and·deed·of" (וּגְמ֥וּל), "hands·of·man" (יְדֵי־אָ֝דָ֗ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "mouth·of·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "hands·of·man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs); "shall·be·satisfied·with·good" (root שבע, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·satisfied·with·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words.
Rashi
From the fruit of a man’s mouth From the reward of the mouth of those who engage in the Torah, they eat the good of this world, and the principal remains intact for them for the world to come.
Ibn Ezra
"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth" — by his fruit, in that he speaks righteousness and does not speak transgression, Hashem will repay him.
Ralbag
"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth" — By the fruit of a man's words he shall be satisfied with good; how much more so is it true that for deeds a person is repaid according to what is fitting. He states this as proof that for every deed there is recompense: for if the fruit of his mouth is not withheld from him — that is, recompense for what he has done in speech, whether good or bad — how much more so is this true for actual deeds.
Metzudat David
"By the fruit" — that is, if by the utterances of a man's mouth in words of Torah he is satisfied with good, how much more so will the Omnipresent repay him the recompense of the deeds of his hands, whether good or evil.
Malbim
"A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth" — In his figurative language he depicts man as a tree of the field, for there is a barren tree and a fruit-bearing tree. The essential purpose of a fruit-bearing tree is its fruit, to which it is compared, and a man's fruit is in his mouth — for just as the choicest of a tree's powers is its fruit, and there its essential nature and goodness are revealed, so the power of speech and intellect that is revealed from his mouth is the fruit of this personal "tree." And "mouth" (peh), stated without qualification in this book, refers to wisdom. And when he speaks words of wisdom with his mouth, he brings forth his fruit, and its clusters ripen into grapes, and then he is not a barren tree (the opposite of one who lacks wisdom and does not open his mouth in the gate, who is a barren tree). However, he is not like the tree, whose fruit does not satisfy the tree itself but only satisfies the people who eat it — rather, the man himself is satisfied by his own fruit. For the fruit of wisdom satisfies the soul of its possessor in parched places, and brings its powers to completion. And man has two ladders by which he ascends to perfection: contemplation (iyun) and action (ma'aseh). Now, from wisdom he himself is satisfied; but the action that he performs with his hands — charity and acts of kindness — is the fruit that satisfies others, who receive the good from him. And only Hashem repays him his recompense (gemul), and of this it says, "and the recompense of a man's hands shall be returned to him." And there is a difference between reward (sachar) and recompense (gemul): the recompense is according to the emotional response that the soul experiences in performing the act, arising from the character traits implanted in the soul — for example, one who gives charity out of an emotional response of mercy and compassion, or out of an emotional response of the trait of love implanted in his soul, to love his fellow as himself. And according to this emotional response, which stems from his human character, Hashem returns to him recompense according to the nature of his soul. And there is a difference between reward/recompense and "returning" (hashavah): one who returns (meshiv) returns the very thing itself; not so reward and recompense, which give something else in place of the thing. This means that Hashem returns to him the very righteousness that he gave to others, in such a way that nothing at all is lacking to his soul. And the general principle is: the fruit of wisdom — the person himself eats its substance; and the fruit of good deeds — he receives from Hashem by way of reward and recompense.
The way of a fool is straight in his own eyes; But he who is wise hearkens to counsel.
verse value 1608
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "the·way·of" (דֶּ֣רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·his·eyes" (בְּעֵינָ֑יו, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·counsel" (לְעֵצָ֣ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "the·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "in·his·eyes" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: דֶּ֣רֶךְ [the·way·of] (224) + אֱ֭וִיל [a·fool] (47) + יָשָׁ֣ר [straight] (510) + בְּעֵינָ֑יו [in·his·eyes] (148) + וְשֹׁמֵ֖עַ [and·one·who·hearkens] (416) + לְעֵצָ֣ה [to·counsel] (195) + חָכָֽם [wise] (68) = 1608.
Ibn Ezra
"The way" — the fool thinks his own way is right, and does not trust the one who reproves him; but one who listens to the counsel of others is wise.
Ralbag
"The way of a fool is straight in his own eyes" — And therefore he does not seek counsel, and because of this his affairs become confused. But the wise man, even though it would be fitting for him to rely on his own judgment, nevertheless listens to counsel.
Metzudat David
"Is straight in his own eyes" — for he considers himself wise. "But he who hearkens" — as if to say: but it is not so, for one who listens to the counsel of another is accounted wise.
Malbim
"The way of a fool is straight in his own eyes; but he who is wise hearkens to counsel" — He has already stated that there is a way that is straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death, for there is a way that appears straight at its beginning, but the end of that way leads to death and destruction; and there is a way whose beginning appears full of thorns and pitfalls, yet it leads to the place of Eden. For the way a man chooses when he draws his flesh after wine and pursues the pleasures of the flesh appears, at its beginning, straight and good, but its end is death and destruction, for the flesh comes to an end, and one who indulges in pleasure dies before his time. And the second way, the way of the soul — to despise pleasures and withdraw from this world and walk in the ways of the soul — its beginning is full of thorns, but it leads to the eternal Eden. Now the fool, who doubts the laws of wisdom and does not believe in them, will not listen to counsel that tells him that this way, which appears straight in his eyes, is the ways of death; rather, only his own way, which seems good to him for the moment, is "straight in his eyes." And therefore he strays from the way of understanding, and "he will rest in the assembly of the shades" (below, 21:16). "But he who is wise hearkens to counsel" — the wise man, meaning one who has gathered the laws of wisdom into his soul and conducts himself by them, will not walk in the way that is straight in his own eyes; rather, he will listen to the counsel of wisdom, which will inform him that this way's end is full of thorns, and he will choose the way that is not straight at its beginning — and that is the way of life and happiness.
A fool’s vexation is presently known; But a prudent man conceals shame.
verse value 944
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "his·vexation" (כַּעְס֑וֹ), "and·conceals" (וְכֹסֶ֖ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is·known" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs); "in·the·day" (root יום, 32x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root כעס ("his·vexation") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·vexation', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֱוִ֗יל [fool] (47) + בַּ֭יּוֹם [in·the·day] (58) + יִוָּדַ֣ע [is·known] (90) + כַּעְס֑וֹ [his·vexation] (156) + וְכֹסֶ֖ה [and·conceals] (91) + קָל֣וֹן [shame] (186) + עָרֽוּם [subtle] (316) = 944.
Rashi
A fool’s anger is known within the day On the day he is angry, on that very day he lets his anger be known, for he starts a quarrel and berates his fellow in public, and his anger has no restraint. But the clever man conceals the shame and does not hasten to quarrel. And the Midrash Aggadah states: On the day the first man was created, his sin was known, but the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is clever, did not wish to destroy His creatures. He concealed his shame and postponed His decree from Adam’s day to His day, which is one thousand years.
Ibn Ezra
"A fool" — on the day he walks about among people, then his anger becomes known, for he will grow angry with them. But "he who conceals shame" — that is, the fool speaks against him (insults him), and he hides it — he is wise, similar to "answer not a fool." Another interpretation: one who is clothed in shame is not truly clothed, for he is "naked" (ʿarom) — even though here the word is vocalized with a shuruk, that is, as ʿarum, meaning "shrewd, prudent."
Ralbag
"A fool's vexation is known on that day" — The fool publicizes his own disgrace: for on the day that all people hear his words, his vexation becomes known to them, and he complains about that which is in fact his own disgrace — for his folly perverts his way, and his heart rages against Hashem. But the prudent man, when evil befalls him because of the foolishness of his own counsel, conceals his disgrace and hides it from people, so that he not be despised in their eyes.
Metzudat David
"Presently" — on that very day that he is angry at someone, on that day his anger becomes known and is made public in the world, for he immediately quarrels with him and shames him; but the prudent man, even when he becomes angry, conceals the disgrace and does not shame his fellow at once in public.
Malbim
"A fool's vexation is known that same day; but a prudent man conceals shame" — It is the way of wisdom, understanding, and intellect to be slow to anger and not to show one's anger at once — that even though one has anger in his heart, he will not let it show outwardly, for anger itself is a repugnant trait, and it is good to conceal it, since it is a disgrace to him and testifies to the bad character of his soul, as it is written, "the discretion of a man makes him slow to anger," and, "one who is slow to anger has great understanding." But since [the fool] has not planted the laws of wisdom in his soul so as to conduct himself by them, he is not accustomed to restraining his spirit and being slow to anger, as it is written, "one who is quick-tempered acts foolishly," and it says, "a hasty spirit exalts folly." Therefore, on the very day he becomes angry, it becomes known to everyone, for he acts it out openly. Now it is among the laws of wisdom and understanding to be slow to anger and not to take revenge, for vengeance, bearing a grudge, and doing evil to one's fellow — even though he has sinned against him — is against the laws of wisdom. But even one who has not learned the laws of wisdom will do this out of cunning, for if he grows angry, his fellow will disgrace him and demean him, and so he will be shamed before those who see and hear. Therefore the cunning man "conceals shame," so that shame will not come upon him; he therefore conceals his anger in his heart cunningly, until the time comes to take revenge in a way that will bring him no disgrace — and this is from cunning, not from wisdom, for wisdom commands one to conceal even the anger itself, and not to let it rule even over one's own spirit in secret. But the fool not only fails to conceal his anger from his heart and the faculties of his soul — he even makes it known to others, until it brings him disgrace.
He who breathes forth truth utters righteousness; But a false witness deceit.
verse value 1446
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "justice" (צֶ֑דֶק, 3 letters) and the longest is "firmness" (אֱ֭מוּנָה, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·a·witness·of" (וְעֵ֖ד). 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אמונה ("firmness") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'justice', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: יָפִ֣יחַ [breathes] (108) + אֱ֭מוּנָה [firmness] (102) + יַגִּ֣יד [utters] (27) + צֶ֑דֶק [justice] (194) + וְעֵ֖ד [and·a·witness·of] (80) + שְׁקָרִ֣ים [lies] (650) + מִרְמָֽה [deceit] (285) = 1446.
Rashi
He who speaks the truth will testify justly He who speaks the truth will testify just testimony at a trial to justify the innocent.
Ibn Ezra
"He who breathes forth" — one who speaks the truth — he declares righteousness in judgment. But "a witness" — one who speaks lies — he is a man of deceit.
Ralbag
"He who breathes forth faithfulness" — One who speaks truth in his words and is accustomed to doing so — when he is asked to testify, he will speak faithfully without doubt, and will not pervert what is upright. But a deceitful man, who is accustomed to lying, will indeed become a false witness when asked to testify about something, because of his love of falsehood and injustice.
Metzudat David
"He who breathes forth truth" — one who is accustomed to speak his words with faithfulness, how much more so will he speak justly in his testimony; but one who is accustomed to speak falsehoods — even though these are about trivial matters — nevertheless it is likely that even in the matter of testimony there is deceit in his mouth, and there is much cause to scrutinize his words.
Metzudat Zion
'Breathes forth' — an expression of speech, for it comes through the breathing forth of the breath of the mouth.
Malbim
(17-18) "He who breathes forth truth..." "There is one who speaks rashly..." "A truthful lip..." — He describes a man who comes before the judge to litigate with his fellow and pleads the truth, while his fellow brings a false witness against him; and he says that the wise judge will discern truth from falsehood through his investigations and inquiries. The first sign is that one who speaks with faithfulness speaks calmly and in a quiet voice, because the truth is with him, whereas the liar speaks loudly, in the manner of formal testimony, with oaths and emphatic assertions, to reinforce his words, and multiplies deceptions and stratagems. Of this it says, "he who breathes forth faithfulness" — one who speaks the truth, even though he only "breathes it forth," which is a very light utterance, merely puffed out through the lips with the slightest effort — nevertheless "will speak justice"; his light utterance already suffices to declare the matter at length and clarify the justice of his case. And therefore it uses the term "faithfulness" (emunah) — for the one who tells [his case] speaks something worthy of belief, and the judge will believe his words easily. But the false witness, even though he comes in the manner of formal testimony, will nevertheless "utter deceit" — the deceit will be recognized from his words, for it will easily be discerned that he proceeds by deception. And he explains: "there is one who speaks rashly" — he speaks rashly, with vows and oaths, to reinforce his words, and this is "like the piercings of a sword," for with this rash utterance he pierces the opposing litigant so as to obligate him unjustly. "But the tongue of the wise is healing" for this piercing — for the nature of lashon (tongue/speech) is speech by way of binah (discernment); meaning that the wise, who conduct themselves according to the laws of wisdom, will examine the matter with their tongue, according to the ways of understanding and its proofs, so as to understand one thing from another, and they will recognize the deceit and heal the one who was pierced. And he explains "a truthful lip" — there is a difference between safah (lip) and lashon (tongue): safah is the light speech on the external surface of the lip, while lashon is the higher, rational, logical speech. He explains that truth has no need for eloquent phrasing and rational syllogisms, because it endures on its own forever, without proofs or demonstrations; and therefore it says that even "a truthful lip shall be established forever" and endure. But "a lying tongue" — even though the lie is spoken with the tongue, with rational and logical proofs — these proofs last only "for a moment," for the forgery and deceit will immediately be recognized; and a little truth will push aside a great deal of falsehood.
There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.
verse value 2143
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "there·is" (יֵ֣שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "like·the·piercings·of" (כְּמַדְקְר֣וֹת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "speaks·rashly" (בּ֭וֹטֶה), "like·the·piercings·of" (כְּמַדְקְר֣וֹת), "sword" (חָ֑רֶב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sword', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֵ֣שׁ [there·is] (310) + בּ֭וֹטֶה [speaks·rashly] (22) + כְּמַדְקְר֣וֹת [like·the·piercings·of] (770) + חָ֑רֶב [sword] (210) + וּלְשׁ֖וֹן [and·the·tongue·of] (392) + חֲכָמִ֣ים [wise] (118) + מַרְפֵּֽא [health] (321) = 2143.
Rashi
There is one who speaks Heb. בוטה, speaks, as in (Lev. 5:4): “to pronounce (לבטה) with the lips.” like the jabs of a sword For he stirs up the people and causes them to kill. but the tongue of the wise which brings peace between one man and his fellow. brings healing to that speech.
Ibn Ezra
"There is one who speaks rashly" — this matter is connected with what precedes, namely "a false witness"; that is to say: there is one who speaks rashly and utters false testimony, and that testimony is harsh, like the piercings of a sword. But "the tongue of the wise" — they are the examiners of testimony, who expose as false the "piercer" — that is, every false witness. Another interpretation: "there is one who speaks rashly" refers to one who rashly utters a vow, a harsh thing.
Ralbag
"There is one who speaks rashly" — There is one who speaks in a way that harms people with his words, as though piercing them with a sword, by putting forth slander or a bad name. But the tongue of the wise — not only does it cause no harm, but along with this it is a remedy, removing the great afflictions that come from quarreling tongues, from the defects of character traits and opinions.
Metzudat David
"There is that speaks" — there is one who utters with his lips and thereby causes harm, as though stabbing with a sword; this is the one who speaks slander and spreads a bad name. "But the tongue" — but the words of the tongue of the wise are for healing, for by the sweetness of pleasant words he entices a person to repentance, and he repents and is healed.
Metzudat Zion
'Speaks rashly' — an expression of speech, as in 'to utter with the lips' (Leviticus 5). 'Like the piercings' — an expression of thrusting something in, as in 'whoever is found shall be pierced through' (Isaiah 13).
The lip of truth shall be established for ever; But a lying tongue is but for a moment.
verse value 3156
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "for·ever" (לָעַ֑ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·for·a·moment" (וְעַד־אַ֝רְגִּ֗יעָה, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·lip·of·truth" (שְֽׂפַת־אֱ֭מֶת), "and·for·a·moment" (וְעַד־אַ֝רְגִּ֗יעָה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·lip·of·truth" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·ever', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שְֽׂפַת־אֱ֭מֶת [the·lip·of·truth] (1221) + תִּכּ֣וֹן [shall·be·established] (476) + לָעַ֑ד [for·ever] (104) + וְעַד־אַ֝רְגִּ֗יעָה [and·for·a·moment] (369) + לְשׁ֣וֹן [a·tongue·of] (386) + שָֽׁקֶר [lie] (600) = 3156.
Rashi
A true tongue will be established forever It will be established and will endure. just for a moment In a fleeting moment, it perishes and leaves, for falsehood has no feet.
Ibn Ezra
"The lip" — that speaks true testimony — it shall be established forever. "Argiah" (a moment) — quiet and repose; that is to say, [the phrase means]: "but for the lying tongue — I will still it, and I will silence it."
Ralbag
"The lip of truth" — A true statement will be correct and right always; it cannot possibly change at any time. But a lying tongue — even if it should happen to be true at some particular time, it will not endure, except for a moment, which is a very brief span of time; it is not possible to conceive of anything shorter than it, according to the convention of language. The example of this is that one may say, "the physician builds" — this being true only incidentally, for Reuven the physician happens also to be a builder; but if one says, "the physician heals," this statement is true perpetually.
Metzudat David
"Shall be established forever" — it endures forever; but a lying tongue endures only for a moment, that is, for the time it is spoken, for afterward the falsehood becomes clear.
Metzudat Zion
'Shall be for a moment' — from the word rega (a moment).
Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil; But to the counselors of peace is joy.
verse value 2052
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 2052 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·heart·of·those·who·devise" (בְּלֶב־חֹ֣רְשֵׁי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·the·heart·of·those·who·devise" (בְּלֶב־חֹ֣רְשֵׁי), "and·to·the·counselors·of" (וּֽלְיֹעֲצֵ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִ֭רְמָה [deceit] (285) + בְּלֶב־חֹ֣רְשֵׁי [in·the·heart·of·those·who·devise] (552) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + וּֽלְיֹעֲצֵ֖י [and·to·the·counselors·of] (216) + שָׁל֣וֹם [peace] (376) + שִׂמְחָֽה [joy] (353) = 2052.
Rashi
There is deceit in the heart of those who plot evil and since they are occupied with their thoughts of deceit, they have no joy—but for the counselors of peace, there is joy.
Ibn Ezra
"Those who devise evil" — those who plan to deceive; and they are the same as "those who send forth strife"; and the word is from the same root as "he deviseth evil; at all times he sends forth strife." But "to the counselors of peace" — that is, those who counsel peace between a man and his fellow — joy shall come; this alludes to the joy of deliverance.
Ralbag
"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil" — You will find that deceit is such that they scheme cleverly how they might, through deceit, destroy others. Now the deceit that they plan against the counselors of peace — who are the righteous, whose counsel and whose constant effort is for peace and for good — will turn into joy for them, for the righteous are not harmed by the deceit that the wicked plan against them; rather, their violence comes down upon their own heads, for Hashem, may He be blessed, does not abandon them into the hand of the wicked. And therefore joy comes about from this for the righteous, joy that lasts forever, for this will be the cause of the destruction of the wicked. Or, the intent of this may be: the heart of those who devise evil is always occupied with deceit in evil, while the counselors of peace are always found to have joy in their hearts. And therefore evil will always be in the heart of the wicked, while joy will always be found in the heart of the righteous. And this is, as it were, a proof by way of poetic figure that evil clings to the wicked and joy clings to the righteous. And this is true according to what has been explained in our words previously.
Metzudat David
"Deceit, etc." — in the heart of one who devises evil, deceit is found, and he is distressed and worried lest it be revealed; but those who counsel peace, moreover, rejoice if it is revealed.
Metzudat Zion
'Those who devise' — an expression of thought.
Malbim
"Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil; but to the counselors of peace is joy" — He sets "those who devise evil" in contrast to "the counselors of peace," as it is written, "He makes peace and creates evil," for peace is the preservation of existence, while evil is the destruction of existence. "The counselors of peace" are those who desire the preservation of existence, and "peace" includes all good — domestic peace and civic peace. They are the ones who love to do good for the community, and they counsel to maintain and uphold all that is good, upright, and just; and they are called "counselors" because they take counsel according to wisdom and truth — for counsel, in its plain sense, is for the good, and the counselor counsels openly. But "those who devise evil" desire to disrupt existence, to destroy the pillars of the world, to lay waste to civilization, and to demolish truth and justice — like false witnesses, workers of wickedness, and destroyers of the community and the individual. And they plot in secret, so that no one knows, and therefore their heart is full of deceit, for they need deception so that their evil will not become known among the people and people will not guard themselves against them — as it is written, "but a false witness [utters] deceit." And they are always sad and full of sorrow, lest their evil and deceit become known, as it is written, "but for a moment [endures] a lying tongue." But "the counselors of peace" are full of joy, for the good man rejoices in his deeds, while the evil man is always sorrowful; and deceit does not dwell together with joy, for it is full of fear and trembling.
There shall no mischief befall the righteous; But the wicked are filled with evil.
verse value 1411
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָֽע, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·shall·befall" (לֹא־יְאֻנֶּ֣ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "not·shall·befall" (לֹא־יְאֻנֶּ֣ה), "all·mischief" (כׇּל־אָ֑וֶן), "are·filled" (מָ֣לְאוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "to·the·righteous" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·mischief', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־יְאֻנֶּ֣ה [not·shall·befall] (97) + לַצַּדִּ֣יק [to·the·righteous] (234) + כׇּל־אָ֑וֶן [all·mischief] (107) + וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים [and·the·wicked] (626) + מָ֣לְאוּ [are·filled] (77) + רָֽע [evil] (270) = 1411.
Rashi
No wrong shall be caused for the righteous It will not happen. No sin will chance before him inadvertently.
Ibn Ezra
"Shall befall" (yeʾuneh) — from the same root as "delivered into his hand"; its meaning is "cause and occasion." "But the wicked" — its meaning is: even though they are full of evil thoughts, they will not be able to bring about any calamity upon the righteous. Another interpretation: "but the wicked are filled with evil" — alludes to the troubles with which they shall be sated and filled.
Ralbag
"There shall no mischief befall" — No matter of harm shall befall the righteous, for Hashem, may He be blessed, guards them from the harm that the wicked plan against them, in such a way that they are not hurt by it; and He also guards them from harm in character traits and in opinions, by way of His providence. But the wicked are filled with evil in all these respects, for Hashem does not provide for them so as to guard them from these things.
Metzudat David
"There shall no mischief befall" — no transgression presents itself to the righteous man so that he stumbles into it; but the wicked are filled with evil, for one transgression drags another transgression after it without end.
Metzudat Zion
'Shall befall' — an expression of chance, as in 'no evil shall befall you' (Psalms 91).
Malbim
"There shall no mischief befall the righteous" — the verb "anah" means to prepare a cause that leads to its effect, as in "but God caused it to come to his hand" (Exodus 21:13). For one who has committed a transgression thereby becomes the cause for another transgression to be committed — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: whoever has killed, Hashem arranges a cause to come to his hand so that he will kill again, in order that he be exiled. But the righteous person, who holds fast to the ways of righteousness, has no cause to commit any wrongdoing or unlawful force, and it will not come upon him to commit wrongdoing even inadvertently — for on the contrary, one mitzvah draws another mitzvah in its train. But for the wicked, one transgression draws another transgression, until they are filled with evil, for one evil draws another evil, until their measure becomes full.
Lying lips are an abomination to Hashem; But those who deal truly are His delight.
verse value 3134
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה, 4 letters) and the longest is "lips·of·lie" (שִׂפְתֵי־שָׁ֑קֶר, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·those·who·do" (וְעֹשֵׂ֖י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "lips·of·lie" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "and·those·who·do" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lips·of·lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת [the·abomination·of] (878) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + שִׂפְתֵי־שָׁ֑קֶר [lips·of·lie] (1390) + וְעֹשֵׂ֖י [and·those·who·do] (386) + אֱמוּנָ֣ה [firmness] (102) + רְצוֹנֽוֹ [His·pleasure] (352) = 3134.
Ibn Ezra
"Lying lips" — this refers to a false witness. But "those who deal truly" — these are the judges; Hashem is pleased with them because they do not give credence to false witnesses. Or, alternatively, "those who deal truly" refers to witnesses who refused to testify falsely.
Ralbag
"Lying lips are an abomination to Hashem" — for they bring about great and wondrous evils, as Scripture already stated: "A scoundrel, a man of iniquity... six things Hashem hates... etc." And those who act in truth are pleasing to Him. He did not say "lips of truth," for it is not sufficient for a person that his words be true if his deeds are not likewise.
Metzudat David
"Lying lips" — lips that speak falsehood. "His delight" — they are a delight to Him.
Malbim
"Lying lips are an abomination to Hashem, but those who deal truly are His delight" — abomination and delight are two opposites, and likewise "lying lips" and "those who deal truly" are opposites. One who promises to do something — whether a matter of mitzvah or a matter of kindness and good toward his fellow — if he fulfills his promise, he has spoken with faithfulness and is trustworthy in his word; but if he did not do it, he has spoken falsely. And one who habitually promises and does not perform is "lying lips," and this is an abomination to Hashem, since the speech does not correspond with the deed — even though he spoke his words only from the lips outward, without sincerity, it is an abomination to Hashem. And "one who deals truly" is one whose deed then corresponds with his speech — he speaks with faithfulness and performs; this is His delight, i.e., what Hashem desires.
A prudent man conceals knowledge; But the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "fools" (כְּ֝סִילִ֗ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "conceals" (כֹּ֣סֶה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·heart·of" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "fools" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: אָדָ֣ם [man] (45) + עָ֭רוּם [subtle] (316) + כֹּ֣סֶה [conceals] (85) + דָּ֑עַת [knowledge] (474) + וְלֵ֥ב [and·the·heart·of] (38) + כְּ֝סִילִ֗ים [fools] (170) + יִקְרָ֥א [proclaims] (311) + אִוֶּֽלֶת [foolishness] (437) = 1876.
Rashi
A cunning man conceals knowledge Even in his wisdom, he is discreet—he surely conceals words of foolishness; but the heart of the fool announces foolishness aloud.
Ibn Ezra
"A prudent man" — that is, a wise man conceals wisdom in his heart so that he will not forget it. But "the heart of fools" — makes known and proclaims his folly, as in "and he says to everyone that he is a fool."
Ralbag
"A prudent man" — The prudent man conceals the knowledge that he has found through his speculative inquiries until it becomes clear to him that he is correct, so that he not be overtaken by shame on account of it. The heart of fools is the opposite: for he proclaims immediately to people the matter of his folly, and does not sense the shame that will overtake him because of this.
Metzudat David
"Conceals knowledge" — even words of wisdom, he will not reveal them except to those fit to receive them. "But the heart of fools" — one whose heart is the heart of fools will call out and publicize even words of folly.
Malbim
"A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness" — the kesil (fool) is not the same as the 'evil (a different kind of fool, the doubter). For the 'evil is one who is in doubt about everything — the statutes of wisdom are in doubt to him, and he does not believe in them because he does not understand them. But the kesil knows the statutes of wisdom; only, his desire has overpowered him and defeated him, so that because of his desire he does not walk in the statutes of wisdom, as it is written, "Desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil" (Proverbs 13:19) — even though he knows that it is evil, it is an abomination to him to turn away from the evil, because his desire compels him. Therefore he seeks an excuse and casts doubts upon the statutes of wisdom. And da'at (knowledge) is the clear knowledge of a matter, while ivelet (folly) is doubt, which is the opposite of da'at. And the kesil does not want da'at, and chooses doubts instead, so that he may have a mask for doing the desire of his heart, as it is written, "Go from the presence of a foolish man, for you will not perceive in him the lips of knowledge" (Proverbs 14:7). And it says, "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge good, but the mouth of fools pours forth folly" (Proverbs 15:2); "The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of fools does not do so" (Proverbs 15:7); "The heart of the discerning seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly" (Proverbs 15:14). And because his heart — which is the ruling faculty within him — compels him toward desire, and he is afraid of the punishment, he calls out to folly and doubt, so that he may cast doubt upon the punishments of Hashem and upon the statutes of wisdom by which He conducts His world, and by this he trusts in his own heart, as it is written, "He who trusts in his own heart is a kesil" (Proverbs 28:26). And the shrewd person (arum) is not wise — that is, he has not received the statutes of wisdom in their particulars — but nevertheless, out of shrewdness, he will not do anything about which there is doubt, and he always levels his path, and anything about which there is doubt, he will not walk in that way, as it is written, "The wisdom of the shrewd is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit" (Proverbs 14:8) — meaning that the folly and the doubts that fools engage in are a deceit, for they deceive their own souls, since in truth they know that there is nothing substantial in their folly. Therefore the shrewd person, who foresees what is coming, will not walk in the way of doubt in darkness, until he understands his way. Therefore it says, "The simple inherit folly, but the shrewd are crowned with knowledge" (Proverbs 14:18); and it says, "Every shrewd person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays folly" (Proverbs 13:16). And here he further explains the difference in their deeds: * That "the shrewd person conceals knowledge" — even a matter about which he has knowledge, he conceals this knowledge and does not reveal it to anyone (and this is the difference between the shrewd person and the wise person: for, as it says, "The wise store up knowledge" (Proverbs 10:14), they do not conceal it entirely, because they know the knowledge by way of the received, traditional statutes of wisdom, and they teach it to the many; but the shrewd person knows it through his own inquiry and keeps it for himself, not for others). * And "the heart of fools" — since their heart, which is the ruling faculty, is overpowered by desire, so that of necessity it calls out folly as a refuge for itself, so that it may claim to have strayed from wisdom's statutes only because it is in doubt about them — it calls out the folly and publicizes it, so that it may serve as a mask for it.
The hand of the diligent shall bear rule; But the slothful shall be under tribute.
verse value 1955
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "for·tribute" (לָמַֽס, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·hand·of·the·diligent" (יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·hand·of·the·diligent" (יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים), "shall·rule" (תִּמְשׁ֑וֹל), "and·laxness" (וּ֝רְמִיָּ֗ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "shall·be" (root היה, 27x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·rule', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים [the·hand·of·the·diligent] (368) + תִּמְשׁ֑וֹל [shall·rule] (776) + וּ֝רְמִיָּ֗ה [and·laxness] (261) + תִּהְיֶ֥ה [shall·be] (420) + לָמַֽס [for·tribute] (130) = 1955.
Rashi
The hand of the diligent The upright. will rule Will make wealthy.
Ibn Ezra
"Hand" — serves in the place of two. "The diligent" (ḥarutzim) — from the same root as "az teḥeratz," whose sense is "motion"; that is, they bestir themselves in pursuit of their livelihood. Their hand shall rule, but the hand of deceit — which deceives people — shall become tribute to the diligent, who rule. It is also possible that ḥarutzim means "those who possess ḥarutz," this being gold.
Ralbag
"The hand of the diligent" — The hand of diligent people shall rule, for through their diligence they acquire wealth and grow strong through it so as to rule over other people. But the slothful person (remiyah) shall become a servant to forced labor — the opposite condition of the diligent. Now the intent of his saying "remiyah" is: men of deceit — meaning, those men are lazy and do not do the work, because they trust that their bread will come to them through deceit. Or the intent may instead be that the diligent are the upright, all of whose deeds are decided and cut according to justice, and in this respect they are the opposite of the possessors of deceit.
Metzudat David
"The hand of the diligent" — one who is diligent in his deeds, earning by the work of his hands, will in the end have his standing raised, and he will rule; thus his hand rules for him. But "the slack hand," that is, one who profits through deceit, will be reduced to nothing and will sink lower and lower.
Metzudat Zion
'Diligent' — quick, energetic. 'To forced service' — an expression of dissolving and melting away.
Malbim
"The hand of the diligent shall bear rule" — the diligent (charutz) is stated as the opposite of the lazy person and the opposite of the deceiver; he is the one who does his work not with laziness, but with diligence and honesty, not through deceit, and he is not hasty to grow rich suddenly without labor, as it is written, "The plans of the diligent surely lead to abundance ... but everyone who is hasty, surely to want" (Proverbs 21:5); and through diligence he becomes wealthy, while the lazy person and the deceiver become poor and destitute. And it is pictured that the diligent will be the wealthy ones in the state, and therefore their hand will prevail, and they will be the rulers of the land; while deceit, out of its poverty and lowliness, will become tributary, in the manner of servants who pay tribute to their masters.
Care in the heart of a man bows it down; But a good word makes it glad.
verse value 1373
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "anxiety" (דְּאָגָ֣ה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "good" (ט֣וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·heart·of·a·man" (בְלֶב־אִ֣ישׁ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "anxiety" (דְּאָגָ֣ה), "bows·it·down" (יַשְׁחֶ֑נָּה), "makes·it·glad" (יְשַׂמְּחֶֽנָּה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·heart·of·a·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "and·a·word" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'bows·it·down', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: דְּאָגָ֣ה [anxiety] (13) + בְלֶב־אִ֣ישׁ [in·the·heart·of·a·man] (345) + יַשְׁחֶ֑נָּה [bows·it·down] (373) + וְדָבָ֖ר [and·a·word] (212) + ט֣וֹב [good] (17) + יְשַׂמְּחֶֽנָּה [makes·it·glad] (413) = 1373.
Rashi
If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down Let him divert his attention from it. and a good word will make it cheerful Let him engage in the Torah which will cause the concern in his heart to rejoice and save him therefrom. And according to the one who says, “he should tell it to others,” this is [the meaning of] the end of the verse: And a good word with which his friend consoles him will cause the concern to rejoice.
Ralbag
"Care in the heart of a man" — When it happens that there is care in a man's heart, he must strive to subdue and lower the worry, for there is no benefit at all in worry, only harm, and it is something unfitting for a person of understanding — for worry over a matter that has already passed is madness, and worry concerning a future matter is likewise improper, since a person ought to trust in Hashem. Now there is a way to remove the worry: when a person sets something good upon his heart, it makes the worry rejoice — that is, it makes the bearer of the worry rejoice — in the manner of the phrase, "dismay dances before him." Or the intent of his statement may be: when there is a matter of worry in a man's heart, the heart rejoices, and it also happens through this joy that it subdues the strength of his heart, on account of the dispersal of heat. And in this statement he comes to caution that a person should not be overly affected, neither by anger nor by joy.
Metzudat David
"Care" — when care comes into a man's heart, he should diminish it and lessen it from what it is; and it is a good thing if he can find the strength to rejoice despite the worry, and to think that whatever comes, comes for the good.
Metzudat Zion
'Bows it down' — an expression of bowing and lowering, as in 'the evil bow down' (below, Proverbs 14).
Malbim
"Care in the heart of a man bows it down" — All the character traits (middot) are hidden within the soul of man until the spirit (ruach) raises up some image (tziyur) onto the heart. Man has the power to raise the image up, and likewise to lower it down; for example, he can arouse a good or a bad image from among the traits, and then the spirit enters it and reveals it and raises it to the heart, so that this image comes to rule there — like the image of pride or humility, jealousy, desire, and the like. And among the powers of the soul is also found worry (de'agah), which is what a person worries about regarding the future. And when this image comes to rule in the heart, he is consumed, from soul to flesh — for even the wealthy man and the tranquil man, when worry rules in his heart, will worry about the future: lest his house be destroyed, lest his wealth be consumed, lest his children die, lest his enemies rule over him, and the like — and he is in constant grief. And at the time the image of worry arises in the heart, the sage gave two pieces of counsel for this: 1) to lower this image and bring it down into the depth of the soul, and there, in darkness, let its name be covered — by diverting his mind from such thoughts and not worrying; 2) that he raise up in his heart good images that oppose the images of worry — for example, he should picture that his end will be good, that his house will stand firm, that it is full of Hashem's blessing, and that there is hope for his future. And this is what is meant by "care in the heart of a man": when the image of worry arises and comes to rule in the heart, the counsel is either that he "bows it down" and lowers it, or that he "gladdens it with a good word" — and by means of a good image set against the bad and grieving image, he gladdens it. And so did our sages (Chazal) say: one said, he shall divert it from his own mind, and one said, he shall divert it to others — and both are true, and are grounded in the two halves of the verse. In what is said, "bows it down," that is that he diverts it from his own mind; and in what is said, "a good word makes it glad," that is that he diverts it to others — meaning, to other good, joy-giving thoughts.
The righteous is guided by his friend; But the way of the wicked leads them astray.
verse value 2895
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "guides" (יָתֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "by·his·companion" (מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "guides" (יָתֵ֣ר), "leads·them·astray" (תַּתְעֵֽם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "and·the·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יָתֵ֣ר [guides] (610) + מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ [by·his·companion] (321) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + וְדֶ֖רֶךְ [and·the·way·of] (230) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + תַּתְעֵֽם [leads·them·astray] (910) = 2895.
Rashi
The righteous is more generous than his neighbor Heb. יתר. The righteous renounces his measures and passes over them. יתר large in French. That is freigebig in German, generous. the wicked who is accustomed to harming will lead them astray.
Ibn Ezra
"Yoter" (guided) — a descriptive noun of the pattern of "atzel" (lazy); that is, the righteous has an advantage over his fellow. But "the way of the wicked" — their evil way shall lead them astray; and thus they go astray when they depart from the straight path.
Ralbag
"The righteous is guided by his friend" — The righteous person gains advantage and superiority from his friend, for he learns from him virtue and perfection; and the opposite of this is true among the wicked, for they acquire deficiency from one another. The illustration is: a man knows that so-and-so the wicked person conducted himself in a certain way and succeeded in his wickedness, and this is something that leads the other man to err in the path he wishes to walk, for perhaps another path would have brought him to his goal. But Hashem arranged this in order to make their counsel foolish and to make them wander in a trackless waste, no path at all.
Metzudat David
"Is guided" [lit. has the advantage] — the righteous man has an advantage and superiority, by virtue of his knowledge, over one who is not righteous; but the prosperous way of the wicked leads the wicked astray, causing them to hold fast to their own way, so that they do not turn toward that advantage.
Malbim
"The righteous is guided by his friend" — The righteous man does not rely on his own way by himself, for he is concerned lest he has strayed in his path. For the righteous man is not necessarily a wise man — that is, he did not learn the laws of wisdom from teachers, but rather conducts himself according to wisdom through habituation in righteous deeds, through practice, and through seeing the deeds of the righteous and their conduct; and he searches out and studies his fellow (or, the explanation is: he adds to and increases his deeds by means of his righteous fellow). But the wicked man relies on his own way, which is right in his own eyes, and does not learn from anyone — "and the way of the wicked leads them astray."
The slothful man shall not hunt his prey; But the precious substance of men is to be diligent.
verse value 1360
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "valuable" (יָקָ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·wealth·of·man" (וְהוֹן־אָדָ֖ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "not·shall·hunt" (לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ), "his·prey" (צֵיד֑וֹ), "and·the·wealth·of·man" (וְהוֹן־אָדָ֖ם). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·prey', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ [not·shall·hunt] (269) + רְמִיָּ֣ה [laxness] (255) + צֵיד֑וֹ [his·prey] (110) + וְהוֹן־אָדָ֖ם [and·the·wealth·of·man] (112) + יָקָ֣ר [valuable] (310) + חָרֽוּץ [diligent] (304) = 1360.
Rashi
He will not roast This is connected to the above verse; that is to say that the way of the wicked will mislead him, and he will not roast the prey of his deceit. He will not roast; he will not succeed with his deceit. As he [Solomon] spoke with a figure of prey, an expression of roasting is appropriate, for the successful hunter hunts the birds and roasts them in fire. but the wealth of an honest man is precious Heb. יקר חרוץ. This is an inverted verse. But the wealth of a man who is honest is precious. honest Heb. חרוץ, one who deals honestly, as in (10:4): “and the hand of those who make true decisions (חרוצים) will make [them] rich.”
Ibn Ezra
"Shall not roast" — the deceitful man shall not roast his prey nor cook it, for it will be taken away from him. But "the substance of man" draws the word that follows it along with it, continuing the construct; and thus the meaning is: "the precious substance of man," which is precious and will not be taken away, is the wealth of a diligent man who bestirs himself in commerce for his livelihood and does not deceive.
Ralbag
"He shall not roast his prey" — Behold, the slothful man will not roast his prey, meaning that he will not eat from it, nor will he even procure it for himself to eat, for another man will take it from him. But the wealth of man is precious and honored: this is the upright man — he is the gold, which is the best of possessions.
Metzudat David
"He shall not singe" — The way of the hunter is to singe the tips of the birds' wings so they cannot fly away from him. But the deceiver does not singe them, because they appear beautiful when their wings are whole, making it easy to deceive the buyers. But because of this he loses everything, for they will fly away. And this serves as a parable for one who withholds his hand from giving some of his wealth to charity, for he will lose all his wealth. "But the wealth" — But the wealth of a precious man who sets aside part of his wealth for the poor, that wealth is called "charutz" [gold], meaning the choicest of golds, which endures for a long time and does not perish like the other kinds of metal — meaning, his riches endure.
Metzudat Zion
'Shall roast' — an expression of burning, as in 'and the hair of their heads was not singed' (Daniel 3). 'Precious' — important and honored. 'Choice gold' — it is a type of fine gold, as in 'with the yellow-green of fine gold' (Psalms 68).
Malbim
(Proverbs 12:27): "The deceiver does not hunt his prey" — The deceiver (rammai) is the opposite of the diligent one (charutz): he gains profit through deceit, like a hunter who traps a bird through trickery, as it is written (Jeremiah 5:27): "As a cage is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit." He does not exert himself to acquire wealth through diligence, but only through robbery and deceit, and he must hide his catch so that no one sees it — he does not show his prey to anyone. But the precious wealth of man is "diligent" [wealth] — wealth that is gathered through diligence and effort is precious wealth; and "diligent" is a description modifying the wealth, just as he said above (Proverbs 12:24): "the hand of the diligent shall rule," etc.
In the way of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death.
verse value 1652
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "life" (חַיִּ֑ים, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·the·way·of·righteousness" (בְּאֹֽרַח־צְדָקָ֥ה, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "path" (נְתִיבָ֣הֿ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "life" (root חי, 32x in Proverbs); "not·death" (root מות, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'life', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּאֹֽרַח־צְדָקָ֥ה [in·the·way·of·righteousness] (410) + חַיִּ֑ים [life] (68) + וְדֶ֖רֶךְ [and·the·way·of] (230) + נְתִיבָ֣הֿ [path] (467) + אַל־מָֽוֶת [not·death] (477) = 1652.
Rashi
In the road of charity is life, and [on] the way of its path of charity. there is no death He will not die.
Ibn Ezra
"In the path" — meaning: on account of the path of righteousness, the righteous man attains life, this being the life of his soul; or, alternatively, he shall live many days. And "the way of its path" — of righteousness — leads to no death; that the death of the soul shall not be like the death of the body; or, alternatively, he shall not die the death of the wicked.
Ralbag
"In the way of righteousness" — By the way of righteousness and uprightness, in character traits and in beliefs, one attains eternal life; and it is a path whose walkway leads to no death, for the life attained through it — death does not overtake it.
Metzudat David
"In the path" — one who walks in the path of righteousness will find life. "And the way" — in the way, the path of righteousness, one will not find death; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
'Pathway' — an expression of path and highway.
Malbim
"In the path of righteousness is life, and the way that is a footpath — there is no death" — There is a distinction between derech (road), orach (path), and netivah (footpath/trail). The derech is the great road, fixed for the many, from city to city. The orach branches off from the great road toward the villages. And the netivah is for individuals alone. Now, tzedakah — that is, the commandments between man and the Omnipresent — travels on an orach, for it is not a general road but rather a path specific to the adherents of the faith, whom [Hashem] has sanctified with His holiness; and on this path there is life — both the life of this world and the life of the world to come, as it is said, "which a man shall do and live by them." However, tzedakah also has a netivah — the trail walked by individuals such as Moshe and Eliyahu and their like, who sanctified themselves to become like ministering angels, and "did the righteousness of Hashem" — meaning that their righteousness resembled the righteousness of the celestial beings, who are not mortal and over whom death has no dominion; rather, they entered alive among the celestial beings, like Eliyahu, or died by the [Divine] kiss, like Moshe our teacher. And although, by divesting themselves of the corporeal and walking among the celestial beings, they arrived at the road fixed for the celestial beings — which is called a derech — nevertheless, while they were still in their corporeal garment, it is called a netivah, for those who ascend to such a level are few. And whoever walks on the "way that is a footpath" — that is, one who comes from this singular, individual trail onto the [fixed] road, so that he has a walkway among those who stand eternally — then, as for death: he will not encounter death at all.
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim