Better a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, but Hashem tries the hearts; a friend loves at all times, and even a fool who keeps silence is counted wise.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Better is a dry morsel and quietness with it, Than a house full of feasting with strife.
verse value 1828
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "fragment" (פַּ֣ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·quietness·in·it" (וְשַׁלְוָה־בָ֑הּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "fragment" (פַּ֣ת), "dry" (חֲ֭רֵבָה), "and·quietness·in·it" (וְשַׁלְוָה־בָ֑הּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "than·house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·quietness·in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: ט֤וֹב [good] (17) + פַּ֣ת [fragment] (480) + חֲ֭רֵבָה [dry] (215) + וְשַׁלְוָה־בָ֑הּ [and·quietness·in·it] (354) + מִ֝בַּ֗יִת [than·house] (452) + מָלֵ֥א [full] (71) + זִבְחֵי־רִֽיב [sacrifices·of·strife] (239) = 1828.
Rashi
Better a piece of dry bread and tranquility with it It would have been better for the Holy One, blessed be He, to destroy His Temple and His city, for He would enjoy tranquility from the sins of Israel. than a house full of sacrifices of strife For they were sacrificing sacrifices of strife in his Temple.
Ibn Ezra
"Better" — [this applies] especially to those who rule their own spirit, like a dry morsel in which there is tranquility. "Than a house full of feasting with strife" — that is, with quarreling, such that they are continually angered.
Ralbag
"Better is a dry morsel" — Here he further praises peace and denounces strife, saying that it is better for a person to eat dry bread without a relish, in tranquility, than to eat sacrificial meat and flesh to the point of satiety amid quarrel and strife.
Metzudat David
"Better" — it is better to eat a dry piece of bread in tranquility than to have a house full of slaughtered meat amid strife and quarreling.
Metzudat Zion
"Morsel" (pat) — a piece of bread, from the language of "you shall break it in pieces" (Leviticus 2:6). "Dry" (charevah) — dry.
Malbim
"Better a dry morsel and quietness with it" [than a house full of feasting with strife] — Illusory success is not true success. Sometimes we see a wicked man prosper, his house full of abundant feasting, while the righteous man makes do with a dry morsel — he has no whole loaf of bread, only a broken piece, and not even a relish for the bread, only dryness. Nevertheless the poor man is more successful than the rich man, if the one has quiet in his house and the other has strife — whether in his house or with the people of his town — for that [strife] negates the illusory success. For the essence of success is inner tranquility: that one be calm and content in his soul, with nothing to disturb the peace of his soul. This is the one who is truly successful, even though he eats a dry morsel.
A servant who deals wisely shall have rule over a son who deals shamefully, And shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
verse value 1996
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "over·son" (בְּבֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "servant·who·deals·wisely" (עֶֽבֶד־מַשְׂכִּ֗יל, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "servant·who·deals·wisely" (עֶֽבֶד־מַשְׂכִּ֗יל), "rules" (יִ֭מְשֹׁל), "over·son" (בְּבֵ֣ן). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·son" (root בן, 51x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root נחלה ("inheritance") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'disgraceful', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: עֶֽבֶד־מַשְׂכִּ֗יל [servant·who·deals·wisely] (476) + יִ֭מְשֹׁל [rules] (380) + בְּבֵ֣ן [over·son] (54) + מֵבִ֑ישׁ [disgraceful] (352) + וּבְת֥וֹךְ [and·in·the·midst·of] (434) + אַ֝חִ֗ים [brothers] (59) + יַחֲלֹ֥ק [divides] (148) + נַחֲלָֽה [inheritance] (93) = 1996.
Rashi
An intelligent slave, etc. Because Nebuchadnezzar was wise enough to take three steps in honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, he achieved greatness and ruled over Israel, who performed disgraceful deeds, and he divided their inheritance before their eyes. Another explanation: A righteous proselyte is better than a wicked person who was home born, and in the future, he will share the spoils and the inheritance among the children of Israel, as it is said (Ezek. 47:23): “And it shall be, in whatever tribe the stranger will live, etc.”
Ibn Ezra
"Over a son who acts shamefully" — [i.e.,] a fool. "Shall share [in the inheritance]" — he shall take a portion.
Ralbag
"A servant who deals wisely" — It happens that a person's servant, when he is diligent and wise, will rule over his master's son when the son is lazy and foolish, for his master will give him authority over him, to guide him with proper conduct. It can also happen that this servant will share in an inheritance among the sons who are his master's [other] sons, for his master, out of love for him, will give him, at his death, some portion of his estate.
Metzudat David
"Over a son who deals shamefully" — over the master's son, who is full of shameful matters. "Shall have part of the inheritance" — this servant will take a share of the inheritance among the brothers, as if he were one of them.
Malbim
"A servant who deals wisely shall rule over a son who deals shamefully" — Do not think that wealth and high position are the inheritance of the fathers, for everything depends on effort and diligence. Even a servant, if he is intelligent, industrious, and diligent, will rule over a son who is shameful, tardy, and lazy, and at the time of dividing the master's inheritance he will be as one of his sons and receive a share of the inheritance. And as for the parable's lesson: the wise convert is elevated above the standing of the shameful Israelite. Indeed, among the grandchildren of Sisera there were those who taught Torah in public, and the incident of Shemaiah and Avtalyon with the High Priest stands as an eternal witness.
The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; But Hashem tries the hearts.
verse value 1406
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·tries" (וּבֹחֵ֖ן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root צרף ("refining·pot") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·the·gold', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַצְרֵ֣ף [refining·pot] (410) + לַ֭כֶּסֶף [for·the·silver] (190) + וְכ֣וּר [and·furnace] (232) + לַזָּהָ֑ב [for·the·gold] (44) + וּבֹחֵ֖ן [and·tries] (66) + לִבּ֣וֹת [hearts] (438) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1406.
Rashi
A refining pot is for silver A vessel in which they refine silver and which is made from burnt ash on earthenware is called מצרף, a refining pot. and a furnace is for gold A vessel in which gold is refined, a vessel in which gold is purified, like a broken pot, is called כור, a furnace. A refining pot is for silver, and a furnace is for gold The refining pot is made to refine silver for its work, and so is the furnace to purify the gold, but [peoples’] hearts—the Holy One, blessed be He, purifies them and tests them and knows their thoughts.
Ibn Ezra
"Refining pot," "evildoer," "mocker," "turns away" — four connected comments. [17:3–5] "Refining pot" — a type of furnace.
Ralbag
"The refining pot is for silver" — Silver has a refining pot by which a person can purify it of its dross, and with it he can test how much dross is in it, by taking a certain weight of it and determining how much it is diminished. Likewise there is also a furnace for gold, to purify it of its dross. But as for hearts, there is no one who can test them except Hashem, may He be blessed.
Metzudat David
"The refining pot" — With silver and gold, when someone wants to know how much dross is in them, he takes a known weight of it and puts it in a furnace; the dross is burned away and the silver and gold remain pure, and by this everything is tested. But the hearts of men — Hashem tests them, [to see] whether it is good or evil.
Metzudat Zion
"Refining pot" (matzref) — and "furnace" (kur) are the names of the vessels in which the gold and silver are melted.
Malbim
(3-4) "The refining pot is for silver... a wrongdoer gives heed..." — Silver, in order to remove the dross from it, requires a refining pot (matzref); gold, being more precious, has its dross more strongly attached to it, so separating and purifying it requires a furnace (kur), which is a greater fire. And Hashem is the One who tests hearts, purifying each one of its dross according to what it is. For there is a heart whose dross is not so strongly attached to it, and this is likened to silver — that is, one who sins between good and evil in self-evident matters (mefursamot, a philosophical term for generally accepted, openly known matters), out of desire; such a person is refined with a small fire. And there is one who is perverted in speculative matters (iyyuniyot), in matters that lie between truth and falsehood, which pertain to the faculty of understanding (binah); this is likened to gold, for sin in the intellect and understanding is graver than sin in deed, but its dross is more strongly attached to it and requires a furnace and a great fire to purify and test it. He then explains: "the refining pot for silver" refers to the wrongdoer who "gives heed to a lip of iniquity" — one who listens to his desires, which is the tree of knowledge of good and evil, whose matter lies in the "lip" (safah), which is external, as opposed to the "tongue" (lashon). For the distinction between good and evil is known through the senses and through knowledge (da'at), and the lip alludes to knowledge. And one who gives heed to "a lip of iniquity" — that is, desire in self-evident matters — and exchanges good for evil, is the "wrongdoer." And "the furnace for gold" refers to one who gives ear to "a tongue of destruction" (leshon havot), for the tongue pertains to understanding (binah); and if one corrupts matters of understanding, he brings ruin and contradiction to existence and being — and this is falsehood, for he exchanges truth for falsehood. This requires a furnace for gold, to remove its dross and the admixtures of heresy within it.
A evil-doer gives heed to wicked lips; And a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
verse value 3303
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "evildoer" (מֵ֭רַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·lip·of·wickedness" (עַל־שְׂפַת־אָ֑וֶן, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "upon·lip·of·wickedness" (עַל־שְׂפַת־אָ֑וֶן), "listens" (מֵ֝זִ֗ין), "upon·tongue·of" (עַל־לְשׁ֥וֹן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·lip·of·wickedness" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·lip·of·wickedness', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מֵ֭רַע [evildoer] (310) + מַקְשִׁ֣יב [heeds] (452) + עַל־שְׂפַת־אָ֑וֶן [upon·lip·of·wickedness] (937) + שֶׁ֥קֶר [lie] (600) + מֵ֝זִ֗ין [listens] (107) + עַל־לְשׁ֥וֹן [upon·tongue·of] (486) + הַוֺּֽת [destruction] (411) = 3303.
Rashi
An evildoer A wicked man. hearkens to a language of violence and lies He accepts slander and false testimony. lends an ear Heb. מזין like מאזין He who lies lends an ear to destructive speech.
Ibn Ezra
"Mezin" — the correct [form] is "ma'azin" ("gives heed"); that is to say, [just as] there is a refining pot for silver and a furnace for gold to refine it, so Hashem understands the hearts, and knows who does evil and plots slander, which is upon a person's lips.
Ralbag
"An evildoer gives heed" — The evildoing man gives heed to iniquitous speech, because he desires it. And this is likewise reversible: the lying man listens and gives heed to words of wickedness — for evils are drawn from falsehood, and falsehood is drawn from evils.
Metzudat David
"An evil-doer" — An evil man gives heed to hear a word of iniquity and falsehood; and likewise, conversely, a lying man gives ear to hear a mischievous tongue that seeks to break people and do them harm. That is to say, they are beloved to one another and will not be separated.
Metzudat Zion
"Gives heed" (mezin) — like "listens" (ma'azin), meaning he pays attention with his ear. "Mischievous" (havot) — an expression of ruin and evil, as in "speaks of destruction" (Psalms 91).
Whoever mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker; And he who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
verse value 1891
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·Maker" (עֹשֵׂ֑הוּ, 4 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "mocks" (לֹעֵ֣ג), "at·calamity" (לְ֝אֵ֗יד). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "his·Maker" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "glad" (root שמח, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·Maker', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֹעֵ֣ג [mocks] (103) + לָ֭רָשׁ [at·the·poor] (530) + חֵרֵ֣ף [reproaches] (288) + עֹשֵׂ֑הוּ [his·Maker] (381) + שָׂמֵ֥חַ [glad] (348) + לְ֝אֵ֗יד [at·calamity] (45) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִנָּקֶֽה [go·unpunished] (165) = 1891.
Ibn Ezra
"He who is glad" — "he who is glad at calamity shall not go unpunished" — none of them shall be clean, for Hashem examines the hearts and will give recompense to the evildoer, the mocker, and the one who rejoices at calamity.
Ralbag
"Whoever mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker" — Whoever mocks the poor man because of his poverty has thereby blasphemed Hashem, in that this matter was arranged by Him in some fashion — just as one who disparages a craft thereby insults the one who performs it. And whoever rejoices at calamity that befalls another person will not go unpunished; he will fall into a similar evil.
Metzudat David
"Blasphemes his Maker" — For in his mockery it is as if he says that the poor man is poor due to his own lack of understanding, and not that Hashem brought about all this. "He who is glad at calamity" — He who rejoices over his fellow's mishap will not be cleared of that mishap, for it will come upon him as well.
Metzudat Zion
"At calamity" (la-eid) — an expression of mishap and evil occurrence, as in "is not calamity [reserved] for the unrighteous" (Job 31).
Malbim
(Proverbs 17:5): "Whoever mocks the poor blasphemes his Maker; he who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished" — We have already written, at the verse "He who oppresses the poor blasphemes his Maker," that the One who made the poor man and created him surely prepared his sustenance for him, and one who oppresses him blasphemes his Maker — as if He had created him for nothing. Here he adds that also "whoever mocks the poor" — because he is weak in strength and has no livelihood by his own hand — blasphemes his Maker, for [his Maker] surely intended a good purpose for him, and nothing among His creatures is left to mere chance. And there is one who mocks in a manner of derision, and there is one who does so in a manner of vengeance, because he was his enemy. It [Scripture] states: * Whoever acts in a manner of mockery — "blasphemes his Maker," * and whoever is "glad at calamity" in a manner of vengeance — "shall not be unpunished," shall not escape punishment, as it is said (Proverbs 24:17): "When your enemy falls, do not rejoice," etc.
Children’s children are the crown of old men; And the glory of children are their fathers.
verse value 2688
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·glory·of" (וְתִפְאֶ֖רֶת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 102: sons, sons. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·glory·of" (וְתִפְאֶ֖רֶת), "their·fathers" (אֲבוֹתָֽם). The root בן appears 3 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "sons·of" (root בן, 51x in Proverbs); "their·fathers" (root אב, 21x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root זקן ("old·men") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sons', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֲטֶ֣רֶת [crown·of] (679) + זְ֭קֵנִים [old·men] (207) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + בָנִ֑ים [sons] (102) + וְתִפְאֶ֖רֶת [and·glory·of] (1087) + בָּנִ֣ים [sons] (102) + אֲבוֹתָֽם [their·fathers] (449) = 2688.
Rashi
the crown of the aged when they see their children’s children going on the good way. and the glory of the children is their fathers When their fathers are righteous, it is glory for the children.
Ibn Ezra
"Children's children" — for their sake the old are honored, on account of their wisdom. "And the glory of children" — wise fathers.
Ralbag
"The crown of old men" — For imaginative love is drawn toward them; but the matter is not so regarding fathers, for love does not ascend so strongly to the father's father. Rather, the glory of children are their fathers.
Metzudat David
"Children's children" — Even grandchildren will be made a crown upon his head, so that he may glory in them if they are worthy; but children's way is only to glory in their fathers, for they are more obligated in the honor of their father than in the honor of their father's father, and therefore their chief glorying is in their father.
Malbim
"Children's children are the crown of old men" — Man endures as an individual by virtue of his soul, and he endures as a species by virtue of his body. And insofar as he endures as a species, old men are crowned with children's children: for although old age is evidence that one is close to passing from the world, his grandchildren remain in his place, and the children take pride in the merit of their fathers — for through this the fathers endure as individuals, and their righteousness stands for their children after them.
Overbearing speech becomes not a churl; Much less do lying lips a prince.
verse value 3182
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 3182 is divisible by 86, the value of Elohim. The shortest word is "even" (אַ֝֗ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·a·noble" (כִּֽי־לְנָדִ֥יב, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "for·a·fool" (לְנָבָ֣ל), "lip·of·excess" (שְׂפַת־יֶ֑תֶר), "for·a·noble" (כִּֽי־לְנָדִ֥יב). The root שפה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "lip·of·excess" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root נאוה ("not·comely") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root נבל ("for·a·fool") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lip·of·excess', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־נָאוָ֣ה [not·comely] (93) + לְנָבָ֣ל [for·a·fool] (112) + שְׂפַת־יֶ֑תֶר [lip·of·excess] (1390) + אַ֝֗ף [even] (81) + כִּֽי־לְנָדִ֥יב [for·a·noble] (126) + שְׂפַת־שָֽׁקֶר [lip·of·falsehood] (1380) = 3182.
Rashi
Proud words Heb. שפת יתר, words of pride. surely not lying speech a generous one And surely, lying speech does not befit a generous one.
Ibn Ezra
"Becomes not a churl" — [such speech] is not desirable nor fitting for him. "Sefat yeter" (excellent/lofty speech) — that is, he [the churl] does not desire the counsel of the wise man's speech that would bring him advantage. But as for the noble, it [false speech] is not desirable to him — that is, the noble does not desire the lips of a lying man, as the fool desired.
Ralbag
"Becomes not" — It is not fitting for a boor to speak words of excellence and superiority, for such words are wasted when spoken in this way; and how much more is it not fitting for a noble person to speak falsehood and vanity.
Metzudat David
"Becomes not" — Words of loftiness and excellence are not fitting in the eyes of a churl, and he has no desire for them; and how much more so is a lying lip unfitting in the eyes of one whose heart is generous with wisdom, for the wise man abhors falsehood more than the churl abhors words of loftiness.
Metzudat Zion
"Becomes" (na'avah) — from the language of "fitting" (na'eh), as in "praise is fitting" (Psalms 147). "A churl" (naval) — a lowly and despised person.
Malbim
"Overbearing speech is not fitting for a churl (naval)" — The naval (base, churlish person) is the opposite of the nadiv (the generous, noble person). And although the naval is the extreme opposite of generosity, and it is not his way to promise gifts and kindness, nevertheless if he does promise something, it is not only unfitting that he should speak falsely — he must keep his promise — he must also be careful to do everything he promised, without deficiency. And if he speaks "excessive lip" (sefat yeter), that is, more than what he actually gives, it is a disgrace to him — for although the naval does not give willingly, nevertheless he should not violate his promise. How much more so is it unfitting for a nadiv to have "lying lips," for the disgrace is threefold: from the side of the man, who is [supposed to be] a nadiv; and from the side of the promise, in that not only did he fail to keep it in accordance with what he promised, he did not keep the promise at all and spoke falsely.
A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of the one who has it; Wherever he turns, he prospers.
verse value 1785
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "the·gift" (הַ֭שֹּׁחַד, 4 letters) and the longest is "to·all·that" (אֶֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "stone·of·favor" (אֶבֶן־חֵ֣ן), "the·gift" (הַ֭שֹּׁחַד), "to·all·that" (אֶֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·eyes·of" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs); "to·all·that" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root שחד ("the·gift") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·owner', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֶבֶן־חֵ֣ן [stone·of·favor] (111) + הַ֭שֹּׁחַד [the·gift] (317) + בְּעֵינֵ֣י [in·the·eyes·of] (142) + בְעָלָ֑יו [its·owner] (118) + אֶֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר [to·all·that] (582) + יִפְנֶ֣ה [he·turns] (145) + יַשְׂכִּֽיל [prospers] (370) = 1785.
Rashi
a precious stone When a person comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, and placates Him with words and returns to Him, it is as a precious stone and as pearls in His eyes. wherever he turns, he prospers In whatever he asks of Him, He makes him prosper.
Ibn Ezra
"Even chen" (a precious stone) — [the phrase functions as] "k'even chen" ("like a precious stone"), with the comparative kaf omitted. Similarly, "her hand she stretched out to the tent peg" (Judges 5:26) — although this is not the proper place [for this discussion], I explain it here since it is an obscure passage, on account of the word "tishlachnah" ("[they] shall stretch out"), which is plural. Its sense is likewise: "as her hand she stretched out to the tent peg" — [directed at] the women mentioned in the verse "Blessed above women [shall Yael be]" (Judges 5:24) — if they were to act as she acted, she would be blessed more than they. So too here: just as the precious stone has favor in the eyes of all who see it, so a bribe has favor in the eyes of its possessor — namely, the giver. For since it is forbidden to take it, the one who takes it is not called its "possessor." And likewise: "Do not withhold good from its possessors" (Proverbs 3:27) — for he [the recipient] is the one who takes it.
Ralbag
"A gift is as a precious stone" — The bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of those to whom it is given, as though it were pearls that grant favor to the one who bears them: wherever he turns among his affairs, he succeeds.
Metzudat David
"A precious stone, etc." — A bribe is, in the eyes of its owner who receives it, like a stone that has the property of increasing the favor of the one who carries it; for so too the giver will carry favor in the eyes of the recipient, and wherever he turns, [the recipient] will contrive to find reason and proof to justify the giver.
Metzudat Zion
"A precious stone" (even chen) — there are precious stones that increase favor for whoever wears them, and it is said that such is the property of pearls.
Malbim
"A precious stone" (even chen) — This comes to teach a warning against accepting a bribe. For a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, so that even if a judge thinks he will not pervert justice and will judge truly according to the rules of wisdom, the bribe blinds the eyes of the intellect, and it will seem to him that this is indeed the truth and that he is not perverting judgment. On this it says that a bribe is like a precious stone in the eyes of its owner: there is a stone that has the property of raising favor (chen) for the one who carries it, and one who carries such a stone imagines that he needs no effort at all, for wherever he turns he will succeed — for he will find favor in every place and in the eyes of every person, even though he is not deserving. So too, one who gives a bribe will not trouble himself at all to arrange his arguments so as to win his case, for he relies on the property of the stone he carries, that it will raise his favor in the eyes of the judge to do his will. And a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, just as the precious stone blinds the eyes without regard to what is deserved, for it bestows favor without cause.
He who covers a transgression seeks love; But he who harps on a matter estranges a familiar friend.
verse value 2050
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "love" (אַהֲבָ֑ה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 2050 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "seeks" (מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "one·who·covers·a·transgression" (מְֽכַסֶּה־פֶּ֭שַׁע, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "one·who·covers·a·transgression" (מְֽכַסֶּה־פֶּ֭שַׁע), "seeks" (מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ), "and·repeats" (וְשֹׁנֶ֥ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·a·matter" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "love" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'love', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מְֽכַסֶּה־פֶּ֭שַׁע [one·who·covers·a·transgression] (575) + מְבַקֵּ֣שׁ [seeks] (442) + אַהֲבָ֑ה [love] (13) + וְשֹׁנֶ֥ה [and·repeats] (361) + בְ֝דָבָ֗ר [in·a·matter] (208) + מַפְרִ֥יד [separates] (334) + אַלּֽוּף [a·close·friend] (117) = 2050.
Rashi
He who conceals transgression seeks love If one man sins against another, and the latter conceals it for him, does not remind him of his sin, and does not show him an angry face, he causes him to love him. but he who harps on a matter Who bears a grudge and reminds him, “You did such and such a thing to me.” Immediately... alienates the Lord Then he alienates the Lord of the world.
Ibn Ezra
"He who covers" — whoever seeks to love his fellow shall cover the transgression that he committed against him, and not make it known. "But he who repeats the matter" — [causes it] to be transgressed again, another time. "Estranges a close friend" — one who loves him more than [anyone] else does.
Ralbag
"He who covers a transgression" — Whoever covers over a transgression committed against him, and does not wish to bring it up again, is seeking love, for in this way he attains it. But whoever repeats the matter estranges a familiar friend, for the recollection of transgressions leads to great harm, until these base traits separate the prince or the great man from being with him.
Metzudat David
"He who covers" — If a man sins against another man, and he covers over his transgressions and does not mention them, then by this he seeks love; that is, it becomes a cause for him to be loved by people. "But he who harps on a matter" — He who tells of the transgression and repeats it a second time so as not to forget it, distances from himself his lifelong close friend, for he transgresses [the command], "You shall not bear a grudge."
Metzudat Zion
"And harps on" (ve-shoneh) — from the language of "a second time" (sheinit). "Familiar friend" (aluf) — a chief and ruler.
Malbim
"He who covers a transgression seeks love" — It has already been said that "love covers all transgressions." Here it says that the reverse is likewise true: one who covers a transgression thereby seeks love, for this too brings about love from the other side. But one who repeats the matter — like Ish-Bosheth, who said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?" — separated a close ally and familiar friend, for he rebelled against him and became his enemy. It can also be explained that the meaning is: one who seeks love covers a single transgression, but if he repeats it and commits this transgression a second time, then it separates a close friend, for then [the offended party] will no longer continue to forgive him. And this likewise alludes to one's relationship with Hashem: if a person repeats a sin, he will not find forgiveness, and once he has transgressed and repeated it, it becomes to him as though permitted.
A rebuke enters deeper into a man of understanding Than a hundred stripes into a fool.
verse value 1827
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "sinks·in" (תֵּ֣חַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "into·one·who·understands" (בְמֵבִ֑ין, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "into·one·who·understands" (בְמֵבִ֑ין), "than·striking" (מֵהַכּ֖וֹת), "hundred" (מֵאָֽה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "into·one·who·understands" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root נכה ("than·striking") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'into·one·who·understands', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תֵּ֣חַת [sinks·in] (808) + גְּעָרָ֣ה [a·rebuke] (278) + בְמֵבִ֑ין [into·one·who·understands] (104) + מֵהַכּ֖וֹת [than·striking] (471) + כְּסִ֣יל [fool] (120) + מֵאָֽה [hundred] (46) = 1827.
Rashi
The humility caused by the rebuke of an understanding person Heb. תחת. The accent in the word תחת is above on the “tav,” unlike the rest of the Scriptures. Therefore, I say that it is a noun, like תחת and its explanation is as follows. The humility caused by a rebuke is recognizable in an understanding person more than one hundred blows that they strike the fool.
Ibn Ezra
"Teichat" (enters deep) — some say [it is] from the same [root] as "vatinchat alai yadecha" ("and Your hand came down upon me") (Psalm 38:2), the Aramaic Targum's equivalent of "vayered" ("and it went down"); like "nazid" ("pottage") is from "vayazed" ("and he boiled") (Genesis 25:29), [and] "lata'at" ("to plant") is from "nata" ("he planted"). But this [derivation] is far-fetched.
Ralbag
"A rebuke enters deeper into a man of understanding" — Rebuke, [given] to a man of understanding in order to discipline him, is more effective, and he will receive from it more correction than the fool would receive from discipline even if he were struck a hundred blows.
Metzudat David
"Enters deeper" — The rebuke of the reprover casts fear into the heart of the man of understanding more than the fool will tremble if he is struck a hundred blows.
Metzudat Zion
"Enters deeper" (tachat) — an expression of fear and breaking, as in "do not fear, and do not be dismayed" (Joshua 1).
Malbim
(10-11) "A rebuke [enters deeper] into a man of understanding," etc.; "he is only rebellious," etc. — Striking does not help the fool, for he knows the laws of wisdom, but he strays from them because desire has overpowered him; and striking helps only one "lacking heart/understanding," as it is written, "and a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding" (Proverbs 10:13) — [meaning] one who is not willfully rebellious and defiant out of sheer contempt, but whose heart/understanding is merely deficient; and he is like an animal that is struck with a rod to turn it onto the path. But for the man of understanding, striking is unnecessary, for a rebuke suffices him; and a rebuke enters deeper into a man of understanding than they would strike the fool a hundred blows. For the fool [meant here] is "only rebellious" — he rebels only out of willfulness, and through rebellion and revolt he seeks evil, for desire compels him to rebel against the word of wisdom willfully; and he will seek evil even if a cruel messenger is sent against him, so that no striking will help him — for had he not rebelled out of willfulness, a rebuke would have sufficed him, since he truly understands, but nonetheless seeks evil through rebellion and revolt.
A rebellious man seeks only evil; Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
verse value 1644
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "only·rebellion" (אַךְ־מְרִ֥י, 5 letters) and the longest is "seeks·evil" (יְבַקֶּשׁ־רָ֑ע, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "only·rebellion" (אַךְ־מְרִ֥י), "seeks·evil" (יְבַקֶּשׁ־רָ֑ע), "and·a·messenger" (וּמַלְאָ֥ךְ). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seeks·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַךְ־מְרִ֥י [only·rebellion] (271) + יְבַקֶּשׁ־רָ֑ע [seeks·evil] (682) + וּמַלְאָ֥ךְ [and·a·messenger] (97) + אַ֝כְזָרִ֗י [cruel] (238) + יְשֻׁלַּח־בּֽוֹ [will·be·sent·against·him] (356) = 1644.
Rashi
He who is only rebellious seeks evil One whose every word is rebelliousness and stubbornness constantly seeks evil.
Ibn Ezra
"Ach" (surely) — limits the rebuke concerning the rebellious man, for it will not help him. And the phrase is elliptical, [to be understood] as "ish meri" ("a man of rebellion"), one who has rebelled — for Hashem will seek to bring evil upon him. "Cruel" — [meaning] one who will not have mercy on him. "Shall be sent against him" — to put him to death.
Ralbag
"Only rebellion" — It is not enough that he fails to accept discipline through being struck; you also find, moreover, that in part he seeks evil and is a rebellious man, for he senses that, on account of his rebelliousness, evils may befall him, yet he clings to it nonetheless. Therefore it is not strange if he gets what he seeks — the worst thing possible will befall him; that is to say, a cruel messenger will indeed be sent to strike him and will show him no mercy, because he rebelled against Hashem. Or the intent here may be: it is not enough that he fails to accept discipline, but he will always seek rebellion, and even though a cruel messenger is sent against him to strike him with extraordinary blows, still, in spite of all this, he adds transgression to his sin.
Metzudat David
"Only rebellion" — He whose every word is only to rebel against Hashem seeks evil for himself in this world. "And a cruel messenger shall be sent against him" — to judge him after his death.
Metzudat Zion
"Shall be sent" (yishalach) — an expression of incitement and setting loose, as in "and the teeth of beasts I will send upon them" (Deuteronomy 32:24).
Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, Rather than a fool in his folly.
verse value 1666
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "bear" (דֹּ֣ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·a·fool" (וְאַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "let·meet" (פָּג֬וֹשׁ), "bear" (דֹּ֣ב), "bereaved" (שַׁכּ֣וּל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·a·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "and·not·a·fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "in·his·folly" (root אולת, 23x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root פגש ("let·meet") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·a·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: פָּג֬וֹשׁ [let·meet] (389) + דֹּ֣ב [bear] (6) + שַׁכּ֣וּל [bereaved] (356) + בְּאִ֑ישׁ [with·a·man] (313) + וְאַל־כְּ֝סִ֗יל [and·not·a·fool] (157) + בְּאִוַּלְתּֽוֹ [in·his·folly] (445) = 1666.
Rashi
May a bereaving bear encounter a person It is better for a person that a bereaving bear encounter him rather than one of the foolish heathens, who entice him to idolatry.
Ibn Ezra
"Meet" — let not a fool meet him in the time of his folly, for he is more dangerous than the bear.
Ralbag
"Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet" — Encountering a fool in his folly is a more dangerous encounter than a bear robbed of her cubs meeting a man, for the fool's folly will destroy him with ease.
Metzudat David
"Let... meet" — It is better for a man to meet a bear bereaved of her cubs, whose way is to kill whomever it meets because of the bitterness of its heart, than to meet a foolish man at the time he speaks his folly to incite him to transgression.
Metzudat Zion
"Meet" (pagosh) — an expression of encounter. "Robbed of her whelps" (shakul) — one whose children die is called "shakul" (bereaved), as in "there shall be none that miscarries" (Exodus 23).
Malbim
"Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly" — The fool who meets a man with his folly is more dangerous than a bear robbed of her whelps: The bear is dangerous to the body, while the fool is dangerous to the soul; The bear tears open the sealed chamber of the heart to let blood out, while he [the fool] tears open the sealed chamber of the heart to bring folly and doubts into it; The bear a man can sometimes overcome by hunting it, but the fool cannot be overcome in his folly; The bear will sometimes leave the man alone, but the fool will not leave his folly under any circumstance.
Whoever rewards evil for good, Evil shall not depart from his house.
verse value 3717
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֭עָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·not·depart" (לֹא־תָמ֥וּשׁ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 275: evil, evil. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "shall·not·depart" (לֹא־תָמ֥וּשׁ), "from·his·house" (מִבֵּיתֽוֹ). The root רעה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "from·his·house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs); "evil" (root רעה, 25x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'good', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
Ralbag
"Whoever rewards evil" — Whoever repays evil in place of the good that was done for him deserves that evil should not depart from his house, and this for two reasons. The first is that people will not exert themselves to do good to him, since they see that he repays evil for good; therefore, when evil is [already] in his house, it will not depart from there, because no one will exert himself to remove it. The second reason is that this punishment is fitting to come upon him from Hashem on account of this base character trait, for it prevents a person from attaining all goods and perfections. This is because a person submits himself to Hashem on account of the abundance of the good things that He continually bestows upon him; and whoever does not acknowledge to people the good that they do for him will not acknowledge to Hashem the good things that He graciously gives him, and this will become a cause for denial of Hashem, may He be blessed.
Metzudat David
"For good" — in place of the good done to him. "Evil shall not depart, etc." — for he will not find anyone who strives to save him from evil, since he does not repay in accordance with the kindness [he received].
Metzudat Zion
'Shall not depart' — an expression of removal, as in 'it shall not depart' (Exodus 13).
Malbim
"Whoever rewards evil for good" — Hashem repays measure for measure. And although the person who does evil can repent from his way, one who repays evil for good — Hashem will give him according to his own measure, so that even if he repents and does good, Hashem will repay him evil for good, and "evil shall not depart from his house" even at the time he improves his deeds.
The beginning of strife is as when one lets out water; Therefore leave off contention, before the quarrel break out.
verse value 2662
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֭יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "beginning·of" (רֵאשִׁ֣ית, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "letting·out" (פּ֣וֹטֵֽר), "breaking·out" (הִ֝תְגַּלַּ֗ע), "the·quarrel" (הָרִ֥יב). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·before" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root גלע ("breaking·out") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strife', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: פּ֣וֹטֵֽר [letting·out] (295) + מַ֭יִם [water] (90) + רֵאשִׁ֣ית [beginning·of] (911) + מָד֑וֹן [strife] (100) + וְלִפְנֵ֥י [and·before] (176) + הִ֝תְגַּלַּ֗ע [breaking·out] (508) + הָרִ֥יב [the·quarrel] (217) + נְטֽוֹשׁ [leave·off] (365) = 2662.
Rashi
The beginning of strife is like letting out water Whoever commences a quarrel is like one who opens a hole in the stone walls of a water canal, and the water goes out through it, and the hole becomes progressively wider; so does the quarrel constantly escalate. and before you are exposed Before your shame is exposed, abandon the quarrel.
Ibn Ezra
"Poter" (releases) — an expression of opening; that is, like one who opens a fountain of water that flows and mingles with other [waters], until they overpower the land — so is the beginning of strife, likened to water. And before this mingling [of parties] in strife is revealed, it is proper to abandon the quarrel. Another interpretation: like the letting out of water, so is the beginning of strife — it begins with a little, and much comes out of it. "Titgala" ("break out") — [means] being revealed.
Ralbag
"Letting out water" — The beginning of strife is on the level of one who opens a place from which water flows out, for the water will constantly widen that opening because of the current passing through it. Since this is so, it is fitting to abandon the matter that is the cause of the strife before the quarrel and dispute become entangled, for after that the strife will continually grow stronger, and a person will no longer have the power to quiet it.
Metzudat David
"He who lets out water, etc." — The beginning of strife is like one who opens a hole in the wall of a water channel; the water goes out through it, and the hole keeps widening — for such is the way of contention, it keeps growing. "And before" — before the contention becomes known to people, abandon the quarrel; for once it becomes known, there will be those who stir it up further, and it will not quickly quiet down.
Metzudat Zion
'Lets out' — an expression of opening, as in 'that opens the womb' (Exodus 13). 'Break out' — like 'hitgaleh' (is revealed/exposed), spelled with a heh; and so too, 'he bursts out against all sound wisdom' (below, Proverbs 18). 'Leave off' (natush) — abandon, forsake (azov).
Malbim
(14-15) "One who lets out water," etc.; "he who justifies the wicked," etc. — Strife (madon), which means seeking some pretext to argue and go to litigation, is like one who releases water and opens it: before releasing the channel he can still hold back the flow of the water, but afterward it is impossible to hold it back. So too, "the beginning of strife" is like one who wishes to release and open up sealed waters; and the remedy is that, before it breaks out, the judge should abandon the dispute, in order to make a compromise between the parties and reconcile them — as our Sages, of blessed memory, said: "before you hear their words," or, "once you have heard their words but do not yet know in which direction the law leans, you may say to them, go out and settle [it between yourselves]"; but afterward you cannot say to them, "go out and settle." And "the beginning of strife" refers to before the judgment has begun — that is, the ruling on the litigants' claims — namely, once you have heard their words but do not yet know in which direction the law leans. Likewise, "leave off contention, before the quarrel break out" means while the dispute and the claims have not yet begun at all. But if you have already heard the claims and know the verdict — who is righteous in his case and who is wicked — and only then you wish to make a compromise, then you "justify the wicked" and also "condemn the righteous" through the compromise, for the wicked one will take a bit that is not owed to him, and the righteous one will lose a bit of what is owed to him — and both of these are "an abomination to Hashem."
He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, Even they both are an abomination to Hashem.
verse value 2996
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "wicked" (רָ֭שָׁע, 3 letters) and the longest is "even·both·of·them" (גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "justifies" (מַצְדִּ֣יק), "and·condemns" (וּמַרְשִׁ֣יעַ). The root רשע appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root שנים ("even·both·of·them") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַצְדִּ֣יק [justifies] (244) + רָ֭שָׁע [wicked] (570) + וּמַרְשִׁ֣יעַ [and·condemns] (626) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת [the·abomination·of] (878) + יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם [even·both·of·them] (448) = 2996.
Ralbag
"He who justifies the wicked" — Whoever declares righteous one who is wicked in judgment, or condemns one who is righteous in judgment — each of these is abominable and hated before Hashem. This is because it is proper to distance the wicked and to disparage their deeds, for there is benefit in this: it keeps people from doing as they do; and likewise it is proper to draw the righteous near and to praise their deeds, for this very same reason.
Metzudat David
"He who justifies, etc." — Even if only in words, for it is fitting to denounce the deed of the wicked and to praise the deed of the righteous.
Why is there a price in the hand of a fool To buy wisdom, seeing he has no understanding?
verse value 1239
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "price" (מְחִ֣יר, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·hand·of·fool" (בְּיַד־כְּסִ֑יל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "why·this" (לָמָּה־זֶּ֣ה), "price" (מְחִ֣יר), "to·get" (לִקְנ֖וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "in·hand·of·fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "and·heart·of·nothing" (root אין, 36x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·hand·of·fool', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לָמָּה־זֶּ֣ה [why·this] (87) + מְחִ֣יר [price] (258) + בְּיַד־כְּסִ֑יל [in·hand·of·fool] (136) + לִקְנ֖וֹת [to·get] (586) + חׇכְמָ֣ה [wisdom] (73) + וְלֶב־אָֽיִן [and·heart·of·nothing] (99) = 1239.
Rashi
Why is there a price in the fool’s hand to buy wisdom To learn the Torah. when the heart is not here In his heart, he has no intention of fulfilling it, and he learns only to gain a reputation.
Ibn Ezra
"Price" — to purchase wisdom with it, yet he has no heart/mind that desires to learn.
Ralbag
"Why is this" — The fool exerts himself in acquiring wisdom, yet he lacks the faculty to receive it, for he has nothing with which to receive it.
Metzudat David
"Why is there" — That is to say, the fool who brings a price of silver to teachers to buy wisdom — why does he need this price, and what benefit is there in it? For if it is to buy wisdom for himself, does he not lack a mind capable of grasping intellectual matters?
Metzudat Zion
'Price' — its meaning is the monetary worth and value of a thing, as in 'and without price, wine and milk' (Isaiah 55:1).
Malbim
"Why is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, seeing he has no understanding [lev]?" — There is a difference between one who buys with money and one who buys "with a price." One who buys with money gives something meant simply to be spent, but one who buys "with a price," through barter and exchange, gives, in place of a thing he wants, another thing that he desires. Now the fool, whose defining trait is that he loves desire/lust — when he comes to buy wisdom, it will restrain him from his desires; so it seems to him as though he is giving "a price" for wisdom, for if he holds fast to the object of wisdom, he will have to give up in exchange the object of his desire, which is also something precious in his eyes. And he has no "lev" — that is, the ruling faculty to restrain his desires and walk in the laws of wisdom.
A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
verse value 1195
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "loves" (אֹהֵ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·all·time" (בְּכׇל־עֵ֭ת, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·friend" (הָרֵ֑עַ), "and·brother" (וְאָ֥ח), "for·straits" (לְ֝צָרָ֗ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·friend" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "loves" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs); "in·all·time" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root ילד ("is·born") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·friend', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּכׇל־עֵ֭ת [in·all·time] (522) + אֹהֵ֣ב [loves] (8) + הָרֵ֑עַ [the·friend] (275) + וְאָ֥ח [and·brother] (15) + לְ֝צָרָ֗ה [for·straits] (325) + יִוָּלֵֽד [is·born] (50) = 1195.
Rashi
At all times, love a friend You should always love friends, i.e., to acquire people who love you. for he is born a brother for adversity At the time of adversity, the friend will be born to you as a brother, to help you and to participate in your adversity.
Ibn Ezra
"At all times" — a man loves his friend; but a brother loves [especially] for the time of trouble that arises, and he does not [necessarily] love at all times. "Yivaled" ("is born") — it ought to be "tivaled," like [the phrase]: "and evil shall come upon you" (Isaiah 47:11). "Adam" ("a man"), "one who loves" — [17:18–19] two connected comments. That is: a man who strikes hands [in pledge] to become a guarantor before his fellow, the creditor, is called "lacking sense" — and he loves to act this way, on account of the transgression and strife that his fellow will end up quarreling with him over.
Ralbag
"At all times" — The friend attaches himself to his beloved in days of good and in days of evil; this is the way of the friend, insofar as he is a friend, meaning that he does not abandon his beloved in times of trouble. But the one who arises anew and is, as it were, "born" to him only at the time of his trouble is a brother, not a friend. Or he means by this: the friend attaches himself to his beloved at all times, so that he may rejoice in his good fortune and help him at the time of his misfortune; whereas the brother does not concern himself with attaching himself to his brother in the time of his prosperity, but in his trouble he is aroused to help him, for nature compels him to this, because he is his own bone and flesh.
Metzudat David
"A friend loves" — That is to say, the love of friends is at all times, whether in a day of good fortune or in a time of distress; but the love of a brother is not so constant, and only when distress comes upon his brother does he then return to strive on his behalf, for he is his own flesh and blood. And so it is as if the brother was born for the purpose of benefit and distress [i.e., specifically to help in times of adversity].
Malbim
(17-18) "A friend loves at all times," etc.; "a man lacking understanding [lev] strikes hands [in pledge]" — Now, the defining trait of a friend (rea) is that he loves his fellow always, at all times, and that in a time of trouble his love grows even greater, to the point that he becomes like a brother, ready to give up his life for his friend as though he were his brother. Nevertheless, even though the friend is obligated to do everything for his friend, he is not obligated to enter into a guarantee (arvut) and to "strike hands" on his behalf. And if he does so out of his love, he is "a man lacking understanding [lev]" and does not foresee the consequences (lit. "does not see what will be born").
A man void of understanding is he who strikes hands, And becomes surety in the presence of his neighbor.
verse value 2021
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "palm" (כָּ֑ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "lacking·of·heart" (חֲסַר־לֵ֭ב, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "strikes" (תּוֹקֵ֣עַ), "palm" (כָּ֑ף), "pledge" (עֲ֝רֻבָּ֗ה). The root ערב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·neighbor" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs); "before" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'palm', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: אָדָ֣ם [man] (45) + חֲסַר־לֵ֭ב [lacking·of·heart] (300) + תּוֹקֵ֣עַ [strikes] (576) + כָּ֑ף [palm] (100) + עֹרֵ֥ב [pledges] (272) + עֲ֝רֻבָּ֗ה [pledge] (277) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + רֵעֵֽהוּ [his·neighbor] (281) = 2021.
Rashi
A person without sense clasps hands [This refers to] surety of money. Another explanation: He clasps with the wicked to go in their ways, while he is already a guarantor for his friend. He already accepted surety for the Holy One, blessed be He, to keep His commandments.
Ralbag
"A man void of understanding" — He now speaks of a kind of help that one would not think good to give, and in the end of the matter it turns into a great loss for him; therefore this help will only come from a man void of understanding. That is: a man enters as guarantor for the payment of his fellow's debt, and strikes his hand in pledge to pay it — for this will be a cause that the beloved friend turns into an enemy, and harm befalls him from this, in that the payment of the debt falls back upon him.
Metzudat David
"Strikes hands" — It is the way of one lacking sense to strike hands in a pledge of money in the presence of his fellow, that is, on behalf of his fellow.
Metzudat Zion
'Becomes surety' (orev, arubah) — from the language of monetary surety.
He loves transgression who loves strife; He who exalts his gate seeks destruction.
verse value 2099
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "loves" (אֹ֣הֵֽב, 3 letters) and the longest is "seeks·breaking" (מְבַקֶּשׁ־שָֽׁבֶר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 8: loves, loves. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "transgression" (פֶּ֭שַׁע), "exalts" (מַגְבִּ֥יהַּ), "his·gate" (פִּ֝תְח֗וֹ). The root אהב appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "loves" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strife', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֹ֣הֵֽב [loves] (8) + פֶּ֭שַׁע [transgression] (450) + אֹהֵ֣ב [loves] (8) + מַצָּ֑ה [strife] (135) + מַגְבִּ֥יהַּ [exalts] (60) + פִּ֝תְח֗וֹ [his·gate] (494) + מְבַקֶּשׁ־שָֽׁבֶר [seeks·breaking] (944) = 2099.
Rashi
He who delights in transgression to sin against his friend. delights in quarrels To quarrel and strive. he who speaks haughtily lit. he who raises his opening, speaks with haughtiness, as in (Micah 7:5) “guard the openings of your mouth.”
Ibn Ezra
"His gate" [pitcho] — this alludes to the opening of the lips. That is, when he raises his voice, opening his words in order to enter into a pledge of suretyship, he is seeking that ruin come upon him — the word being from the same root as "guard the doors of your mouth" (Micah 7:5).
Ralbag
"He loves transgression" — Whoever loves to find fault in the things said to him or done to him, and scrutinizes them in this manner, loves strife and controversy, for this begets controversy. And whoever raises his gate high, to look out upon things from a position in which he sets himself in a place of superiority — for this will be a cause of his finding fault in things, since he considers himself of great stature and worthy of much honor — he seeks ruin, for this is a cause that brings great evils upon him. And this expression was chosen for the perfection of the metaphor, for from the height of a gateway it happens that something falls down and is broken.
Metzudat David
"He loves" — He who loves to transgress against his fellow — does he not love strife? For he causes contention with him. "And he who exalts" — He who raises the sound of the opening of his mouth in the manner of the haughty seeks destruction, for it is destined to come upon him because of his pride.
Metzudat Zion
'Strife' — an expression of contention, as in 'behold, you fast for strife and contention' (Isaiah 58). 'His gate' — said of the opening of the mouth; and so too, 'guard the doors of your mouth' (Micah 7:5).
Malbim
"He who loves transgression [pesha] loves strife [matsah]" — One who loves matsah, which is a great quarrel involving blows, [comes to it] either through loving transgression, as it is written, "a man of wrath abounds in transgression" (Proverbs 29:22), for through wrath and anger comes matsah, as it is written, "only through willfulness does one produce matsah" (Proverbs 13:10); or he loves matsah through excessive pride, thinking that he is higher than all the people. "And he who exalts his gate seeks destruction" — one whose house is built in a low place, but who raises only the doorway high, will be injured in the course of entering and exiting; so too, if he is a lowly man and opens his mouth in pride above what he really is, he will be broken.
He who has a forward heart finds no good; And he who has a perverse tongue falls into evil.
verse value 1649
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "finds·good" (יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "twisted·of·heart" (עִקֶּשׁ־לֵ֭ב), "and·perverse" (וְנֶהְפָּ֥ךְ), "in·his·tongue" (בִּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "finds·good" (root מצא, 28x in Proverbs); "in·evil" (root רעה, 25x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'finds·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: עִקֶּשׁ־לֵ֭ב [twisted·of·heart] (502) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב [finds·good] (158) + וְנֶהְפָּ֥ךְ [and·perverse] (161) + בִּ֝לְשׁוֹנ֗וֹ [in·his·tongue] (394) + יִפּ֥וֹל [falls] (126) + בְּרָעָֽה [in·evil] (277) = 1649.
Ibn Ezra
"Falls into evil" — refers to the evil that he intended to do.
Metzudat David
"A forward heart" — one who devises perversity. "And he who has a perverse tongue" — He who transforms himself with his tongue to speak innocently, while inwardly he sets his ambush, will himself fall into the evil which he devised for another.
Malbim
"He who has a crooked heart [ikesh lev] finds no good" — "Crooked of heart" is one whose heart (which is the ruling faculty within him) proceeds along crooked paths, not according to the path of wisdom, which is the straight path. Even though he seeks the path of good according to his own intellect, he will not find good, for the good path is only through wisdom, which cannot be found by one's own understanding, but only through received tradition from the mouth of the sages. Nevertheless, it is possible that he will also not do evil. But the one "who is perverse in his tongue" — for the tongue depicts speech with understanding (binah) — and one whose tongue speaks perverse things, which are misleading syllogisms and false inquiries concerning God and matters of faith, so that he goes forth into heresy — this one, not only will he not find good, but he will also fall into evil, (Proverbs 23:27): "for a harlot is a deep pit" — referring to heresy/apostasy (minut).
He who begets a fool does it to his sorrow; And the father of a churl has no joy.
verse value 1134
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 1134 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·rejoices" (וְלֹא־יִ֝שְׂמַ֗ח, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "begets" (יֹלֵ֣ד), "to·grief" (לְת֣וּגָה), "and·not·rejoices" (וְלֹא־יִ֝שְׂמַ֗ח). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "and·not·rejoices" (root שמח, 21x in Proverbs); "father·of" (root אב, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֹלֵ֣ד [begets] (44) + כְּ֭סִיל [fool] (120) + לְת֣וּגָה [to·grief] (444) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + וְלֹא־יִ֝שְׂמַ֗ח [and·not·rejoices] (395) + אֲבִ֣י [father·of] (13) + נָבָֽל [churl] (82) = 1134.
Ibn Ezra
"A churl" [naval] — one who speaks vile things (nevalot).
Ralbag
"He who begets a fool" — The man who begets a fool begets him to his own sorrow, for his grief over him will grow great on account of his lack of understanding and the evil of his ways; and the base man who commits base deeds will not rejoice.
Metzudat David
"Does it to his sorrow" — He begot a child who will be a sorrow to him.
Metzudat Zion
'To his sorrow' — from the language of 'yagon' (grief).
Malbim
"He who begets a fool does it to his sorrow" — The fool is sometimes a person of great wisdom, only that his desire overpowers him, blinds his eyes, and leads him astray. There is a fool from birth, who is born with desire in his nature, and there is a fool through habit and instruction. Now, "a foolish son is vexation to his father" — nevertheless, if the folly is not innate, then even though [the father] will not rejoice in him, he will not be filled with grief, because he hopes that [the son] will be trained toward the good path and abandon his folly. But if he is born a fool from birth, so that he is a fool by nature, this is "to his sorrow," for there is no hope. "And the father of a churl has no joy" — The churl (naval), who is the opposite of the noble/generous person, is usually so through habit. And there are cases where his father, himself a churl, teaches and trains him to be a churl like himself, and rejoices in this. But "the father of a churl has no joy" — meaning that in the end he will not rejoice in this, because eventually it becomes known to him that his joy is [really] sorrow.
A merry heart is a good medicine; But a broken spirit dries the bones.
verse value 1685
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "healing" (גֵּהָ֑ה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "heart" (לֵ֣ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "dries·bone" (תְּיַבֶּשׁ־גָּֽרֶם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "makes·good" (יֵיטִ֣יב), "healing" (גֵּהָ֑ה), "dries·bone" (תְּיַבֶּשׁ־גָּֽרֶם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "joyful" (root שמח, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'healing', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֵ֣ב [heart] (32) + שָׂ֭מֵחַ [joyful] (348) + יֵיטִ֣יב [makes·good] (41) + גֵּהָ֑ה [healing] (13) + וְר֥וּחַ [and·spirit] (220) + נְ֝כֵאָ֗ה [stricken] (76) + תְּיַבֶּשׁ־גָּֽרֶם [dries·bone] (955) = 1685.
Rashi
A happy heart enhances one’s brilliance Heb. גהה. When a person is satisfied with his lot, his countenance shines.
Ibn Ezra
"Heart," "gehah" [a remedy] — the comparative kaf is missing; that is, understand it as though it were written "like a remedy." That is to say: the heart that is joyful in its lot will benefit the body like a remedy, because it is its nature to rejoice, as in "it will not heal you" (Hosea 5:13). But a spirit that is crushed and vexed over the vanities of the world dries up the bone, which is the essence of the body, and no remedy helps it.
Ralbag
"A merry heart" — From the joy of the heart, the good appearance of the body is renewed, because the blood and the natural heat spread through the parts of the body; whereas a downcast spirit, which is the opposite of joy of heart, dries the limbs, because the blood and the natural heat gather in the interior of the body. And he thereby explains that joy is praiseworthy and grief is reprehensible.
Metzudat David
"Is a good medicine" — Joy is beneficial to the body like a medicine, while a broken spirit dries up the marrow of the bones.
Metzudat Zion
'Medicine' — like 'ke-gehah' (as a healing), with the comparative letter kaf omitted; its meaning is healing, as in 'he cannot heal you of your wound' (Hosea 5:13). 'Broken' (nich'ah) — shattered (shevurah), as in 'and of broken heart' (Psalms 109). 'Bones' — bone, as in 'it breaks the bone' (below, Proverbs 25).
Malbim
"A merry heart is a good medicine (yeitiv geihah), but a broken spirit dries the bones" — I have already explained above (15:13) regarding what is said there, "A merry heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken" (Proverbs 15:13) — that there is a case of a merry heart together with a broken spirit: the heart, in its external aspect, is merry with the good of this world and with success, but its inner spirit is broken; and it is better to have sorrow of heart than to have one's spirit broken. Accordingly, [the verse] says that the merry heart only "does good to geihah" — that is, gevah, which is the external body, as in "a merry heart makes a cheerful face" — but "a broken spirit dries the bone," and the essential person is in his inner being.
A wicked man takes a gift out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice.
verse value 2642
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "present" (שֹׁ֣חַד, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·pervert" (לְ֝הַטּ֗וֹת, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "present" (שֹׁ֣חַד), "from·bosom" (מֵ֭חֵק). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "takes" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs); "judgment" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'takes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: שֹׁ֣חַד [present] (312) + מֵ֭חֵק [from·bosom] (148) + רָשָׁ֣ע [wicked] (570) + יִקָּ֑ח [takes] (118) + לְ֝הַטּ֗וֹת [to·pervert] (450) + אׇרְח֥וֹת [ways·of] (615) + מִשְׁפָּֽט [judgment] (429) = 2642.
Rashi
He will take a bribe from a wicked man’s bosom The Holy One, blessed be He, accepts words of humility and appeasement from the bosom of the wicked; i.e., in secret, between Him and them. to pervert the roads of justice To overturn his verdict from evil to good.
Ibn Ezra
"From the bosom" [mecheik] — hidden; that is, even though they are upright, he takes the bribe. "Et," "ka'as" [vexation] (17:24-17:25) — two verses joined together.
Ralbag
"A gift" [i.e., a bribe] — The wicked man takes a bribe "out of the bosom," meaning that he takes it in secret, in a hidden way, so that it not be known, and he takes it in order to pervert the paths of justice.
Metzudat David
"A gift, etc." — The wicked man takes a bribe from the bosom of the giver, given in great secrecy, in order to pervert the paths of justice and acquit him in judgment.
Malbim
"A wicked man takes a bribe out of the bosom, to pervert the paths of justice" — There are several kinds of bribery. There is one who takes a bribe from both sides in order to agree to adjudicate their case, as it says, "Her heads judge for a bribe" (Micah 3:11); or one who, by taking a bribe, brings about a compromise, as it says, "Everyone loves a bribe and chases after payments" (Isaiah 1:23); or [a bribe taken] in a matter where there is judicial discretion (shuda de-dayanei) and he tilts it to one side. But the wicked man takes a bribe in order to pervert the general paths of justice — as in the incident of that Sadducee who first said, "a son and a daughter inherit alike" (bera u-verata kachada yirtun), thereby perverting the general course of the law. And this [latter kind of] bribe he takes "from the bosom," in secret, whereas the first kinds of bribe are taken openly.
Wisdom is before the one who has understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
verse value 1470
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "understands" (מֵבִ֣ין, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·end·of·land" (בִּקְצֵה־אָֽרֶץ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "before" (אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י), "in·end·of·land" (בִּקְצֵה־אָֽרֶץ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "understands" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wisdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י [before] (541) + מֵבִ֣ין [understands] (102) + חׇכְמָ֑ה [wisdom] (73) + וְעֵינֵ֥י [and·eyes·of] (146) + כְ֝סִ֗יל [fool] (120) + בִּקְצֵה־אָֽרֶץ [in·end·of·land] (488) = 1470.
Rashi
Wisdom is directly in front of an understanding man The wisdom is directly in front of an understanding man. but the eyes of a fool are at the end of the earth saying, “Wisdom is inaccessible to me [lit. The wisdom is not found before me] because it is far from me. How will I be able to learn the Order Nezikin, which consists of thirty chapters; Tractate Kelim, consisting of thirty chapters; Tractate Shabbath, consisting of twenty-four chapters?” But, for the wise man, it is an easy matter: “Today I learn two chapters and tomorrow two chapters.” And he says, “This is what those who preceded me from time immemorial did.”
Ibn Ezra
"Before" [et penei] — refers to the wisdom that he learns from every person. "In the ends of the earth" — they [his eyes] roam about seeking wisdom, for he considers the people of his own place to be fools like himself; therefore he vexes his father by wanting to go far away.
Ralbag
"Before the face of him who understands is wisdom" — The one who understands finds wisdom before his face, for in whatever thing he perceives among existing things, he finds wondrous wisdom, when he inquires as to why it is the way it is. But the fool, when he seeks wisdom, his eyes are at the end of the earth, for he thinks that only there will it be found for him; and for this reason he is lazy in seeking it.
Metzudat David
"Before the face of" — Wisdom is present before the man of understanding, for he learns from every person; but the fool's eyes wander to the end of the earth, for he thinks there is no one in his own place to learn from, only the wise men who dwell far away.
Malbim
"Wisdom is before the face of him who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth" — The ways of wisdom are close to the nature of a person's soul, so long as it has not been defiled by the desires of this world and by the enticements of the heart's inclination, which oppose the ways of wisdom. And every person of understanding will see that wisdom stands before his face, engraved on the face of his soul — which is its divine form — like mirrors reflecting face to face; and when he looks at the face of his soul and its true form, he will find the form of wisdom engraved upon it. But the fool, whose soul has been defiled by desires, which have raised rust upon its face so that the imprints of wisdom have been erased from its form — like a mirror soiled with mud and mire in which the images can no longer be discerned — searches for wisdom "in the ends of the earth," as though it were something very distant from the nature of his soul and opposed to his nature, and, in his view, he must travel a long way with great toil until he finds it.
A foolish son is vexation to his father, And bitterness to her who bore him.
verse value 1143
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "son" (בֵּ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·her·who·bore·him" (לְיֽוֹלַדְתּֽוֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "vexation" (כַּ֣עַס), "and·bitterness" (וּ֝מֶ֗מֶר), "to·her·who·bore·him" (לְיֽוֹלַדְתּֽוֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "son" (root בן, 51x in Proverbs); "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "to·his·father" (root אב, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'fool', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: כַּ֣עַס [vexation] (150) + לְ֭אָבִיו [to·his·father] (49) + בֵּ֣ן [son] (52) + כְּסִ֑יל [fool] (120) + וּ֝מֶ֗מֶר [and·bitterness] (286) + לְיֽוֹלַדְתּֽוֹ [to·her·who·bore·him] (486) = 1143.
Rashi
A foolish son causes anger to his father [A foolish son] like Jeroboam causes anger to the Holy One, blessed be He. and bitterness to her who bore him To the people of Israel, whom he caused to sin.
Ralbag
"A vexation to his father" — The foolish son constantly vexes his father, and is bitterness to the one who bore him, for he will not accept their reproof. And this does not suffice him; rather he chooses evil so greatly — for one who is not good, also punishment — that he will even punish the righteous for his righteousness, and strike the noble for their uprightness, for anyone who does good is evil in his eyes.
Metzudat David
"Vexation" — A foolish son vexes his father and embitters his mother who bore him.
Metzudat Zion
'And bitterness' — from the language of 'merirut' (bitterness).
Malbim
"A foolish son is vexation to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him" — The foolish son, aside from causing his father grief because he sees him turn to bad conduct, also causes him vexation in that he embitters her who bore him — for her soul is bitter over his deeds, and because of this the father becomes vexed, whether over his wife's distress or over a quarrel he has with her on this account. And it says further on, "A foolish son is a calamity to his father, and the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping" (Proverbs 19:13).
To punish also the righteous is not good, Nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.
verse value 1938
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "nobles" (נְדִיבִ֣ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·punish" (עֲנ֣וֹשׁ), "to·strike" (לְהַכּ֖וֹת), "nobles" (נְדִיבִ֣ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·righteous" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "not·good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "for·uprightness" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root גם ("also") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root ענש ("to·punish") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: גַּ֤ם [also] (43) + עֲנ֣וֹשׁ [to·punish] (426) + לַצַּדִּ֣יק [to·the·righteous] (234) + לֹא־ט֑וֹב [not·good] (48) + לְהַכּ֖וֹת [to·strike] (461) + נְדִיבִ֣ים [nobles] (116) + עַל־יֹֽשֶׁר [for·uprightness] (610) = 1938.
Rashi
To punish also the righteous man is not good The Holy One, blessed be He, did not decide to obliterate the name of Israel from upon the earth, as it was not good in his sight to punish all of them. to strike the generous who possess uprightness To strike the good people among them, who were generous and possessing uprightness, as it is said (I Kings 19:18): “And I will leave over in Israel seven thousand—all the knees that did not kneel to the Baal.” the generous who possess uprightness Heb. נדיבים עלי ישר, an analogy of what is stated elsewhere (Isa. 32:8): “But the generous person plans generous deeds, and he, because of generous deeds, shall stand.” We find “a generous man because of generous deeds.”
Ibn Ezra
"Also, to punish the righteous is not good" — this is connected to the verse both before and after it, and "also" comes to include the bribe that a wicked man takes, after which the righteous man is punished. And likewise: to punish the righteous man in his judgment — the punishing is not good, for the infinitive here functions grammatically as a noun; and it is not good to strike the noble for their uprightness.
Metzudat David
"To punish also, etc." — That is to say, one who is not good so despises righteousness that he will even punish a righteous man for his righteousness, and will persist in striking the noble for their deed of uprightness, for in his eyes it is regarded as evil.
Malbim
(26-27-28) "To punish also the righteous is not good..."; "he who has knowledge restrains his words..."; "even a fool, if he keeps silent..." He states: Behold, there is a matter that, according to appearances, is not good and upright in [Divine] governance — namely, that Hashem punishes the righteous, and that He strikes the noble. From this is born the complaint of "the righteous man to whom it goes badly" — that His punishing the righteous is not good, and His striking the noble is "for uprightness," meaning: is this not an injustice within uprightness itself? He answers this: one who possesses knowledge "restrains his words" and does not ask this question, since he knows, through knowledge, that Hashem watches over [the world] and that no injustice proceeds from Him, for He is perfect in the utmost degree of perfection; and so he knows that Hashem's judgment is certainly true, and he will not investigate, nor will he let his words expose this difficulty. And one who is a person of understanding (ish tevunah) grasps the reasons for this [mode of] governance — that it is to repay him for some sin that he committed in this world, so as to benefit him in his end, and other such reasons that have been stated regarding this — and he is "of a cool spirit," for even in his inner spirit this question does not rage. But even the aveil (the fool who doubts everything), if he keeps silent and does not brazenly voice this question, is accounted wise — for by this he has already conducted himself according to the laws of wisdom, in that he does not utter such questions with his mouth, even though he is in doubt in his heart. And if he seals his lips completely, so that even in his outward speech no hint of such doubt is found in him, he is accounted a navon (person of discernment), and he is considered to have reached the level of contemplating this matter with binah (understanding), as it is said, "of a cool spirit is a man of understanding" (Proverbs 17:27).
He who spares his words has knowledge; And he who husbands his spirit is a man of discernment.
verse value 2759
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "knowledge" (דָּ֑עַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "precious·of·spirit" (יְקַר־ר֝֗וּחַ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "his·words" (אֲ֭מָרָיו), "precious·of·spirit" (יְקַר־ר֝֗וּחַ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man·of" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "his·words" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs); "knows" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
Rashi
keeps back his words He who has knowledge does not talk excessively. he whose breath is dear (Whose words are dear; Salonica ed.) He who keeps back his words is a man of understanding.
Ibn Ezra
"He who restrains" [choshekh], "also" [gam] — two verses joined together. He is teaching that the trait of silence is good. That is: one who restrains his words and is silent is a knowledgeable person, for "ruach" [spirit] means da'at [knowledge] — meaning that his opinion is precious. And the opposite of this is: "a fool pours out all his spirit" (Proverbs 29:11). "Also" [gam] — comes to add to "he who restrains his words": "even a fool, when he is silent, is considered wise" [verse 28].
Ralbag
"He who spares his words" — The man who knows knowledge withholds his words, in that he does not speak his words unnecessarily. And whoever is a man of discernment gives himself a precious spirit, and will not recline and associate excessively with men of stature, and will not multiply words, but his word will be precious — not that he does this out of pride, for that would be reprehensible.
Metzudat David
"He who spares his words" — He who refrains from idle words has knowledge. "Precious" — One whose breath from his mouth is precious and valued, and he is sparing with it, is a man of discernment; and the matter is stated twice [for emphasis].
Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is counted wise; And he who shuts his lips is esteemed as a man of understanding.
verse value 1990
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֤ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "keeps·silent" (מַ֭חֲרִישׁ, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "keeps·silent" (מַ֭חֲרִישׁ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "his·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "discerning" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'is·counted', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: גַּ֤ם [also] (43) + אֱוִ֣יל [fool] (47) + מַ֭חֲרִישׁ [keeps·silent] (558) + חָכָ֣ם [wise] (68) + יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב [is·counted] (320) + אֹטֵ֖ם [shuts] (50) + שְׂפָתָ֣יו [his·lips] (796) + נָבֽוֹן [discerning] (108) = 1990.
Ralbag
"Even a fool, when he holds his peace" — Good follows from withholding speech, for otherwise a man's folly would show through; and likewise, whoever shuts his lips and does not speak is regarded as discerning.
Metzudat David
"Even a fool, when he holds his peace" — One who is able to silence even the fool, so that he does not continue to speak his folly — this one who silences him is considered wise, for he has done a great thing. "He who shuts" — He who shuts the lips of the fool, that is, causes him to cease from his words, is called discerning; and the matter is stated twice.
Metzudat Zion
'Shuts' — an expression of sealing/stopping up, as in 'stops his ear' (Isaiah 33).
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim