The name of Hashem is a strong tower — the righteous runs into it and is set on high. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and he who finds a wife finds a great good.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
He who separates himself seeks his own desire, And snarls against all sound wisdom.
verse value 2474
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "seeks" (יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "against·all·wisdom" (בְּכׇל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·desire" (לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה), "he·who·separates·himself" (נִפְרָ֑ד), "against·all·wisdom" (בְּכׇל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·all·wisdom" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·who·separates·himself', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: לְֽ֭תַאֲוָה [to·desire] (442) + יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ [seeks] (412) + נִפְרָ֑ד [he·who·separates·himself] (334) + בְּכׇל־תּ֝וּשִׁיָּ֗ה [against·all·wisdom] (773) + יִתְגַּלָּֽע [bursts·out] (513) = 2474.
Rashi
He who is separated seeks lust He who is separated from the Holy One, blessed be He, not keeping His precepts, pursues the lust of his heart and his evil inclination, and finally... in all sound wisdom, he is exposed Among the wise, his disgrace will be revealed. Our Sages expounded this as referring to Lot, who separated from Abraham because of the lust of his heart, as it is stated (Gen. 13:11): “And Lot chose for himself the entire plain of the Jordan, etc.” This whole verse is stated concerning adultery. His end was that his shame was exposed in the synagogues and in the study halls, [when people read] (Deut. 23:4): “Neither an Ammonite nor a Moabite may enter [the congregation of the Lord].”
Ibn Ezra
"For desire" [le-ta'avah], "not" [lo] (18:1-2) — two verses joined together. The lamed of "le-ta'avah" functions like "ba'avur" [for the sake of]. "He who separates himself" — refers to one who moves, wanders, and separates from his place to seek wisdom, on account of the desire he has to learn; and he mingles with all men of sound wisdom and goes about with them.
Ralbag
"He seeks according to his desire" — Whoever seeks to confine his inquiry to the separate, simple thing toward which his desire rises engages in grasping every intelligible principle present in that particular matter, for this is the way of complete inquiry — namely, to raise the matter up to its foundations and to the simple causes from which it arose. Or he may mean by this: whoever seeks it for the sake of his bodily desire — if he inquires into intelligible things, he becomes confused regarding every single intelligible matter, even one that is among the easiest to understand, and the matter becomes intermingled for him with something else, on account of the scantiness of his inquiry into intelligible things and the greatness of his application to bodily desires.
Metzudat David
"Seeks his own desire, etc." — A Torah scholar who separates himself, withdrawing from the Torah because he wishes to follow the desire of his heart — behold, in every place where they engage in Torah study, his disgrace will be revealed, because he was once with them and has separated from them.
Metzudat Zion
'Sound wisdom' — the Torah is called by this name; and it is from the language of 'yesh' (existence/being), for it exists forever and does not revert to nothingness, as other things do. 'Snarls' — like 'yitgaleh' (reveals), with a heh.
Malbim
"He who separates himself seeks his own desire" — one who has already separated himself from desire and [yet] seeks it — such as an old man or a sick person who has already separated from desire, and who seeks and devises a stratagem to arouse desire in himself (by means of drugs and the like) — he "snarls against all sound wisdom" and weakens himself (from the language of teshut ko'ach, loss of strength), for this weakens his body with every manner of loss of strength. And it may also be explained: one who has separated himself from desire (such as the nezirim/ascetics who used to withdraw to the wilderness, to a place where there are no people) — their desire grows all the stronger, precisely from their craving the desire while it is not to be found with them; yet whenever it does happen to come before them, the desire bursts forth against them all the more.
A fool has no delight in understanding, But only that his heart may lay itself bare.
verse value 1759
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "but" (כִּ֝֗י, 2 letters) and the longest is "only·in·the·revealing·of" (אִֽם־בְּהִתְגַּלּ֥וֹת, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "not·delights" (לֹא־יַחְפֹּ֣ץ), "only·in·the·revealing·of" (אִֽם־בְּהִתְגַּלּ֥וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "but" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs); "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·understanding', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֹא־יַחְפֹּ֣ץ [not·delights] (219) + כְּ֭סִיל [fool] (120) + בִּתְבוּנָ֑ה [in·understanding] (465) + כִּ֝֗י [but] (30) + אִֽם־בְּהִתְגַּלּ֥וֹת [only·in·the·revealing·of] (887) + לִבּֽוֹ [his·heart] (38) = 1759.
Rashi
but in revealing his heart But in the revelation of his heart. He wishes to reveal what is in his heart.
Ibn Ezra
"And the fool does not delight" — in learning understanding, but rather delights in what his heart reveals, which is folly. For the heart is hidden, and it becomes known and is revealed through folly or through wisdom.
Ralbag
"He has no delight" — The fool has no delight in understanding, except at the time when his heart is laid bare, and his lack of knowledge; for only then does he think that he is full of understanding. But after this, he does not hasten to the study of wisdom.
Metzudat David
"In understanding" — to add understanding to what he already has. "That it may lay itself bare" — to make heard to the many the little wisdom he possesses, in order to boast of it.
Malbim
"A fool has no delight in understanding, but only that his heart may lay itself bare" — There is a difference between the kesil (the fool ruled by desire) and the aveil (the fool who doubts): the aveil is one who is in doubt about the laws of wisdom, and nevertheless he does desire understanding — for if he could understand everything through understanding, so that he would no longer be in doubt, he would desire this all the more. Not so the kesil, who knows the laws of wisdom and is not in doubt, but rather desire compels him, and through this he disputes with wisdom; he has no desire for understanding at all, but only for the images of desire that reveal themselves upon the heart. For according to the images of his heart, which are revealed from the depth of his soul, whether good or bad, he acts — even though he has understood that his images are not good.
When the wicked comes, there comes also contempt, And with ignominy reproach.
verse value 1237
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "comes" (בָּ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·wicked·comes" (בְּֽבוֹא־רָ֭שָׁע, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "when·wicked·comes" (בְּֽבוֹא־רָ֭שָׁע), "comes" (בָּ֣א), "also·contempt" (גַם־בּ֑וּז). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when·wicked·comes" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'also·contempt', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּֽבוֹא־רָ֭שָׁע [when·wicked·comes] (581) + בָּ֣א [comes] (3) + גַם־בּ֑וּז [also·contempt] (58) + וְֽעִם־קָל֥וֹן [and·with·shame] (302) + חֶרְפָּֽה [reproach] (293) = 1237.
Rashi
and with disdain disgrace comes. He who chooses disdain and adultery—it is a disgrace for him.
Ibn Ezra
"When comes" [be-vo] — alludes to the day of his birth. "There comes also contempt" — with him, in that he holds others in contempt; and with ignominy, in that he disgraces them, comes reproach, in that he reproaches them. And the sense is: ignominy leads to reproach, just as one transgression leads to another transgression.
Ralbag
"When the wicked comes" — When the wicked man comes, contempt comes with him also, for it is his way to hold people in contempt; and along with the disgrace and contempt that accompany him because of his shameful deeds, he reproaches others with those very same things, for by his own blemish he faults other people — with his very own disgrace.
Metzudat David
"There comes also contempt" — for it is his way to disgrace people. "And with ignominy" — with a man in whom there is much ignominy, for he brings reproach with him, since it is his way to reproach others with his own ignominy and to disqualify others by his own defect.
Metzudat Zion
'Contempt' (buz) — disgrace (bizayon).
Malbim
"When the wicked comes, there comes also contempt" — It is characteristic of righteousness to honor every person, while it is the way of wickedness to disgrace, as it is said, "the wicked one behaves vilely and shamefully," for in his eyes all people are despised. And if disgrace comes, it brings reproach along with it — disgrace (kalon) is the opposite of honor. And it is the way of the wicked to disgrace the honorable and to heap reproach upon the lowly.
The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters; A flowing brook, a fountain of wisdom.
verse value 1596
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "waters" (מַ֣יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "deep" (עֲ֭מֻקִּים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "torrent" (נַ֥חַל), "flowing" (נֹ֝בֵ֗עַ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "mouth·of·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "words·of" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'mouth·of·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מַ֣יִם [waters] (90) + עֲ֭מֻקִּים [deep] (260) + דִּבְרֵ֣י [words·of] (216) + פִי־אִ֑ישׁ [mouth·of·man] (401) + נַ֥חַל [torrent] (88) + נֹ֝בֵ֗עַ [flowing] (122) + מְק֣וֹר [spring·of] (346) + חׇכְמָֽה [wisdom] (73) = 1596.
Rashi
the wellspring of wisdom is like a flowing stream and like deep water. The words of a man’s mouth Heb. איש. Every instance of איש in Scripture is an expression of a mighty man, one who is great in might.
Ibn Ezra
"Deep waters" — which are cold and clear; so are the words of a wise man's mouth. And as "a flowing brook" [flows] continually, so is the source of his wisdom, which does not cease.
Ralbag
"Deep waters" — The words of the mouth of a wise man are like deep waters, which it is hard to reach the bottom of; and likewise it is hard to grasp fully the secret of the words of the mouth of a wise man, for they are like a stream that flows, and the flow continues from it always. So too the source of wisdom is found embedded in these words, and whatever they find in them, there still remains in them the power to find yet more. Or he may be alluding by this to the heart, which is the spring of words; so that whatever it causes to flow forth from them, there remains in it the power to bring forth yet more from them.
Metzudat David
"Deep waters, etc." — That is to say, the words of a man concerning other matters, which are not from the wisdom of the Torah, are like deep waters, which one who wishes to drink from must labor to draw up with a vessel, for the water does not come by itself to the mouth of the drinker. So too with other matters that are not from the wisdom of the Torah — one must labor on his own to understand them, for they will not assist him. But the wisdom of the Torah is like a flowing stream, which draws itself of its own accord to the mouth of the drinker if he draws near to it; so too the wisdom of the Torah gives understanding to those who engage in it.
Malbim
"The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters" — What a person speaks in words of wisdom is like one drawing up deep waters, for wisdom is very deep and hidden in the depths of the soul, and there is a great distance from the source to its emergence outward — from the depths up to the surface. And yet the source of wisdom is like a stream that flows continually without effort, for wisdom is embedded in the very nature of the soul and flows forth and spreads out from the soul — its wellsprings scatter outward. Only the nature of the body and the desires of the heart make it deep and conceal it, so that a person who wishes to speak and set forth words of wisdom must tie rope to rope, cord to cord, until he draws the water up from the depths and lifts it upward.
It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, So as to turn aside the righteous in judgment.
verse value 2544
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "to·respect" (שְׂאֵ֣ת, 3 letters) and the longest is "face·of·wicked" (פְּנֵי־רָשָׁ֣ע, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "face·of·wicked" (פְּנֵי־רָשָׁ֣ע). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "not·good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "face·of·wicked" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שְׂאֵ֣ת [to·respect] (701) + פְּנֵי־רָשָׁ֣ע [face·of·wicked] (710) + לֹא־ט֑וֹב [not·good] (48) + לְהַטּ֥וֹת [to·turn·aside] (450) + צַ֝דִּ֗יק [just] (204) + בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט [in·the·judgment] (431) = 2544.
Rashi
It is not good to be partial to the wicked As our Sages explained: It is not good for the wicked, that they are favored in this world and are requited in the next world. to subvert the righteous in judgment It is good for the righteous that the scale is weighed down for them to make them guilty in this world, where they are requited during their lifetime, and they merit the world to come. Its simple meaning, however, is according to its apparent meaning.
Ibn Ezra
"To respect" [se'et], "the lips of" [siftei], "mouth" [pi] (18:5-7) — three verses joined together. And the meaning is thus: it is not good to show favor to a wicked man in his judgment, nor likewise to a righteous man in his judgment who is [in fact] innocent. And "the lips of a fool" refer to that same wicked man mentioned [above], whose lips draw him into strife, and whose mouth brings him into strife on account of blows — that is, because it happens that he strikes his fellow and beats him; thus his mouth brings ruin upon himself, and his lips lay a snare for his soul, and it is not good to show him favor.
Ralbag
"To respect the person of the wicked" — It is not good to show favor to the wicked in judgment, so as to pervert the judgment of the righteous; for it happens that if the judge honors the wicked man in that judgment, the arguments of the righteous man who disputes with him are stopped up, because he thinks that the judge's opinion leans toward his opponent.
Metzudat David
"Showing favor" — One who shows favor to the wicked, acquitting him in judgment, his sin is doubled: for he has shown favor to the wicked, and thereby perverted the judgment of the righteous — and both of these are "not good." The phrase "not good" refers both backward and forward.
Malbim
"It is not good to respect the person of the wicked, so as to turn aside the righteous in judgment"; "A fool's lips enter into contention" — He has already said, "also to punish the righteous is not good," which is the question people ask about [divine] governance: why does Hashem punish the righteous? And in response to this he said, "he who restrains his words has knowledge; even a fool, if he stays silent, is considered wise." And he depicted that the fool (evil) sometimes stays silent and does not ask this question, because the fool (evil) disputes the laws of wisdom out of uncertainty about them, and not out of wickedness driven by desire — therefore he sometimes stays silent and does not ask these questions, since he has nothing clear to say about them, only doubts. But the fool (kesil) knows the laws of wisdom and disputes them because his desire compels him to seek occasions for wickedness, and his lips enter into contention, and he asks both of these questions: concerning the prosperity of the wicked he asks, "it is not good to respect the person of the wicked" — why does Hashem show favor to the wicked and not punish him, and why does the way of the wicked prosper? And likewise, "it is not good to turn aside the righteous in judgment" — why does Hashem bring suffering upon the righteous?
A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for strokes.
verse value 2107
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "lips·of" (שִׂפְתֵ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "for·strokes" (לְֽמַהֲלֻמ֥וֹת, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "enter" (יָבֹ֣אוּ), "in·contention" (בְרִ֑יב), "and·his·mouth" (וּ֝פִ֗יו). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "lips·of" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "enter" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·contention', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׂפְתֵ֣י [lips·of] (790) + כְ֭סִיל [fool] (120) + יָבֹ֣אוּ [enter] (19) + בְרִ֑יב [in·contention] (214) + וּ֝פִ֗יו [and·his·mouth] (102) + לְֽמַהֲלֻמ֥וֹת [for·strokes] (551) + יִקְרָֽא [calls] (311) = 2107.
Rashi
The lips of a fool will enter a quarrel All his matters come about with an expression of quarreling. and his mouth calls out for blows He calls pains to come upon himself.
Ralbag
"A fool's lips enter into strife" — and into controversy, for he speaks nothing but words of provocation, and his mouth calls for blows and strong beatings that break a person.
Metzudat David
"Enter into contention" — He does not speak calmly and peaceably, but only through strife and a raised voice; and his mouth invites upon himself great, crushing blows, for on account of such words he will be struck by people.
Metzudat Zion
'For strokes' — an expression of a shattering blow, as in 'and she struck Sisera' (Judges 5).
Malbim
"A fool's lips enter into contention, and his mouth calls for strokes" — The lips speak the external speech, while the mouth speaks the internal speech of wisdom. When the fool (kesil) asks this question with his outer lips, he already enters into contention against [divine] providence; and when he speaks with his mouth, in accordance with the depth of wisdom, the contention intensifies to the point of blows and strokes, for he wishes to prove from this that [divine] governance is contrary to the laws of wisdom.
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
verse value 2383
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "the·snare·of" (מוֹקֵ֥שׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "mouth·of·fool" (פִּֽי־כְ֭סִיל, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "mouth·of·fool" (פִּֽי־כְ֭סִיל), "and·his·lips" (וּ֝שְׂפָתָ֗יו). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "mouth·of·fool" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "and·his·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'destruction·to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: פִּֽי־כְ֭סִיל [mouth·of·fool] (210) + מְחִתָּה־ל֑וֹ [destruction·to·him] (489) + וּ֝שְׂפָתָ֗יו [and·his·lips] (802) + מוֹקֵ֥שׁ [the·snare·of] (446) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 2383.
Ralbag
"A fool's mouth" — The words of the fool bring ruin and destruction, and they are the snare of his soul, for he causes harm to himself from many angles. One reason is that through them he stirs up strife with people, and this becomes for him a cause of great evils. Another is that, on account of his foolishness, he often thinks to say what will help him when he disputes with his fellow, and the matter turns out to be the opposite. And another is that he reveals the matter which it would have been proper to conceal, and this becomes a cause of confusion and strife in his affairs and in the things he seeks.
Metzudat David
"Is his ruin" — He brings upon himself ruin and destruction. "The snare of his soul" — They (his lips) bring a snare upon his soul.
Malbim
"A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul" — The "ruin" (mechittah) is the breaking, and the "snare" (mokesh) precedes the ruin. That is to say: with his outer lips he makes for himself a snare, by which his soul is caught in the trapper's net; and with his mouth — which is the internal speech of wisdom — he completes the ruin. By his lips his soul is snared toward the pit of destruction, and by what he utters with his mouth, there will be ruin for his body as well, for Hashem will punish him with bodily punishment too.
The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
verse value 1658
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "and·they" (וְ֝הֵ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·things·swallowed" (כְּמִֽתְלַהֲמִ֑ים, 8 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "words·of" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·things·swallowed', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: דִּבְרֵ֣י [words·of] (216) + נִ֭רְגָּן [whisperer] (303) + כְּמִֽתְלַהֲמִ֑ים [like·things·swallowed] (585) + וְ֝הֵ֗ם [and·they] (51) + יָרְד֥וּ [go·down] (220) + חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן [chambers·of·belly] (283) = 1658.
Rashi
The words of a grumbler are like blows Heb. כמתלהמים.
Ibn Ezra
"The words of" [divrei], "also" [gam] (18:8-9) — two verses joined together. "Like burning/muffled things" [ke-mitlahamim] — like hidden and concealed words, from the words of the talebearer, which he speaks in secret; and "belly" is used like "heart"; and "also" comes to add: that from speaking gossip, he also becomes slack in his own work, in that he fails to do it, being occupied as a talebearer.
Ralbag
"The words of a whisperer" — The words of the person who complains over nothing arouse grievances, such as through the pretense of people who present themselves as beaten and broken so that other people will pity them. And behold, these words are very harsh to the one against whom they are directed, to the point that they go down into the chambers of his belly, and his heart is greatly stirred by them, for it is very hard for a person to be told that he said or did shameful things, when he knows that this is not true.
Metzudat David
"The words of a whisperer" — The words of a complainer are as harsh as crushing blows, and moreover they go down into the innermost parts of the belly, whereas blows are only on the surface of the body. He is using a figure of speech, as if to say: blows that are on the surface are easy to heal, unlike blows in the innermost parts of the belly — so too the words of the complainer are difficult to heal.
Metzudat Zion
'Whisperer' — one who complains/murmurs, as in 'and a whisperer separates close friends' (above, Proverbs 16). 'Dainty morsels' — an expression of a shattering blow; it is the transposition of the letters of 'halom' (to strike).
Malbim
"The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels" — From this question there arises the "whisperer/complainer" (nirgan), whose definition is one who continually complains about Hashem, [claiming] that He created him for his own harm, that the evils in the world outnumber the goods, and that it would have been better for him not to have been created. And in this he continually complains about Hashem's governance of him, feeling that He has abandoned him to chance. And his words are "as one being battered" (kemitlahamim), as though Hashem is constantly striking him and doing him harm. "And they go down into the innermost parts of the belly" — meaning, these harms and blows are not external to him but are found in the chambers of his belly and in the secret places of his thoughts: in his imagination he is always anxious and complaining, and he pictures to himself that he lacks everything that others have, and that all of Hashem's goodness is, in his mind, as though it were evil — like the parable of the blind men mentioned in Chovot HaLevavot (Duties of the Heart), and as is written in the Guide [for the Perplexed] concerning the verse, "God made man upright." In this way, the source of the evils is in himself and in his own imagination, and his own words are what strike and batter him — not blows from outside. For if he did not complain, he would find the opposite: that everything is for the good, and all is kindness and blessing, and he would rejoice in his portion, and his soul would delight in Hashem's salvation — for Hashem made man upright and prepared everything for his benefit.
Even one who is slack in his work Is brother to the one who is a destroyer.
verse value 2178
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 2178 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֭ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·his·work" (בִמְלַאכְתּ֑וֹ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "one·who·is·slack" (מִתְרַפֶּ֣ה), "to·master·of" (לְבַ֣עַל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "he" (root הוא, 21x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root מלאכת ("in·his·work") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·work', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: גַּ֭ם [also] (43) + מִתְרַפֶּ֣ה [one·who·is·slack] (725) + בִמְלַאכְתּ֑וֹ [in·his·work] (499) + אָ֥ח [brother] (9) + ה֝֗וּא [he] (12) + לְבַ֣עַל [to·master·of] (132) + מַשְׁחִֽית [ruin] (758) = 2178.
Rashi
Even one who is slack in his work If he is a Torah scholar who separated himself from the Torah. to the destroyer To Satan.
Ibn Ezra
"He is brother to the lord of destruction" — of whatever is in his possession; and he is called "brother" because he resembles him in the ruining of his work. And similarly, "he acts as a brother" — for by doing evil, one is brother to transgressions.
Ralbag
"Even one who is slack" — Even one who is lazy in his work, whatever craft he may be engaged in, is a companion to the master of the snare who sets a destructive trap to catch people. And this is so from three respects: because the owner of that craft relies on him doing his work faithfully, and does not perceive what develops from that worker's laziness, just as one who is caught in a snare does not perceive it until he is caught in it. And the second: that if he does the work for himself, his laziness in it will cause him not to find his sustenance, and he will have to become a destroyer for the sake of seeking food. And the third: that if this work is the work belonging to man qua man — namely, the attainment of the intelligibles — then his laziness in it will cause the intellect to be trapped in the snares of the body and its corruptions. This is the explanation of what has become clear to us now in this section, whose explanations we have set forth; and behold, the benefits derived from it are many, owing to the multiplicity of matters included in it, and this is very clear in each and every statement of it. However, in general terms, this section has encompassed the removal of folly, wickedness, laziness, foolishness, falsehood, deceit, hatred, irritability, excessive and unhelpful talk, distress, contempt for matters, and not listening to advice.
Metzudat David
"Even one who is slack" — Even one who is lazy in the work of Torah, and it lies loose in his hand, is a brother and companion to one who destroys the words of Torah with false opinions; for his end will be like him, in that he too will forget the words of Torah.
Malbim
"Even one who is slack in his work is brother to the one who is a destroyer" — [Consider] one who was assigned to do work for the kingdom: one built the structure and then destroyed it, while another sat and did not build at all — the punishment of both is the same, for either way they did not build what was assigned to them. The one who is slack and does nothing is "brother to," and comparable with, the one who did the work (that is, built it) and then destroyed it. Likewise, there is no difference between one who performed a commandment and then committed a transgression that extinguishes the commandment and destroys it, and one who sits and does nothing at all — neither commandment nor transgression — for both of them failed to do what was assigned to them. It may also be explained that this leads into what follows, "the name of Hashem is a strong tower": the name of Hashem is the tower that people build, and this is their assigned task — to magnify the name of Hashem and build His sanctuary. And there is one who builds and destroys, and one who does not build at all, and the punishment of both is the same. And this, too, is an answer concerning [the problem of] "the righteous one to whom evil happens," mentioned above.
The name of Hashem is a strong tower: The righteous runs into it, and is set up on high.
verse value 1399
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·name·of" (שֵׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "tower·of·strength" (מִגְדַּל־עֹ֭ז, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "tower·of·strength" (מִגְדַּל־עֹ֭ז), "in·it·runs" (בּֽוֹ־יָר֖וּץ), "and·is·set·on·high" (וְנִשְׂגָּֽב). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root שגב ("and·is·set·on·high") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִגְדַּל־עֹ֭ז [tower·of·strength] (154) + שֵׁ֣ם [the·name·of] (340) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + בּֽוֹ־יָר֖וּץ [in·it·runs] (314) + צַדִּ֣יק [just] (204) + וְנִשְׂגָּֽב [and·is·set·on·high] (361) = 1399.
Rashi
The name of the Lord is a tower of strength; the righteous runs into it and is strengthened Heb. ונשגב.
Ibn Ezra
"A tower of strength is the name of Hashem," "wealth," "before" (18:10-12) — three verses joined together. "Into it" [bo] — he runs by [Hashem's] name so that he will not stumble, or so that he will crush his enemy — even though it is vocalized with a shuruk, as in "by You I can run against a troop" (Psalm 18:30) — "and is set on high," at the time [an enemy] surrounds him, yet cannot prevail against him.
Ralbag
"The name of Hashem is a strong tower" — Behold, the name of Hashem is a strong tower, for through it there is strength and might for man, such that no evil thing can overcome him; and through it he takes refuge from every harm from without, for Hashem, blessed be He, to whom he cleaves, will save him because of the attachment of His providence to him. And man's attachment to Him comes from his apprehension, according to what is possible from the order of the intelligible existents toward Hashem, blessed be He, from whom the world's existence flowed forth when He created it, and in whom it continually stands — for this is His name, in the way that we explained in the book Wars of Hashem. And behold, the righteous person runs to the things he seeks by virtue of the support he has in the name, blessed be He, and finds himself aided by Hashem, blessed be He, until he finds himself far more strengthened in what he sought than he would have been had he exerted great effort seeking the proper means to attain that thing without trust in Hashem, blessed be He. And behold, this statement was fitting also from the perspective of the metaphor, for it is the way of running to weaken a person, and he meant that the righteous person, even while running, is exalted and strengthened — and this is the truth, as we have explained.
Metzudat David
"A tower" — Reliance on the name of Hashem is like a strong tower, and even more so; for one who takes strength in a tower sits there confined and cannot turn to go here or there, but through reliance on the name of Hashem the righteous man runs wherever he wishes, and is made strong there.
Malbim
(10-11) "The name of Hashem is a strong tower"; "The wealth of the rich man is his strong city" — Behold, the name of Hashem is truly a tower of strength, and the righteous person, who through his righteousness establishes this tower, runs into it, for he does all his deeds for the sake of Hashem's name and for His glory, and he is also raised high by it above his enemies, both spiritual and physical. But the rich man considers his wealth to be his strong city, and to him it is like an exalted wall — yet it exists only in his mas'kit (imagined image), meaning, in the imagery of his heart and his imagination it is an exalted wall; but he cannot run into this wall, nor be raised high by it, for it is only an imagining and not something real. For the acquisitions of this world are imagined acquisitions, founded only on the imagery of the imagination.
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And as a high wall in his own conceit.
verse value 2647
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "wealth" (ה֣וֹן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·like·a·wall" (וּכְחוֹמָ֥ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·like·a·wall" (וּכְחוֹמָ֥ה), "set·on·high" (נִ֝שְׂגָּבָ֗ה), "in·his·conceit" (בְּמַשְׂכִּתֽוֹ). 7 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·might', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: ה֣וֹן [wealth] (61) + עָ֭שִׁיר [rich] (580) + קִרְיַ֣ת [the·city·of] (710) + עֻזּ֑וֹ [his·might] (83) + וּכְחוֹמָ֥ה [and·like·a·wall] (85) + נִ֝שְׂגָּבָ֗ה [set·on·high] (360) + בְּמַשְׂכִּתֽוֹ [in·his·conceit] (768) = 2647.
Rashi
and like a strong wall his wealth is to him in his chambers. Since the house is paved with a floor of stones that cover the earth, it is called אבן משכית, a covering stone.
Ibn Ezra
"And as a wall" [ve-kachomah] — the kaf [of comparison] applies also to the earlier clause, and thus the meaning is: "like a tower of strength," so is the name of Hashem to the righteous in a time of trouble. "And the wealth of a rich man" — is imagined in his eyes to be like his city of strength, and he thinks he will be set on high by it, just as the righteous man is set on high by [Hashem's] name and by a wall raised up. He regards his wealth as though he were in his watchtower — Targum [Onkelos] renders "vayashkef" [he looked out] as "ve-istakei" [he gazed].
Ralbag
"The rich man's wealth" — Behold, wealth is to the rich man like a fortified city, for he trusts that it will be a source of strength for him, according to his own thinking and view; and to him, wealth is like an exalted wall, for with his wealth he can appease those who come to harm him. And behold, the difference between this strength and the previous strength is clear, for the previous strength is strength in an absolute sense, whereas this strength is not strength except in certain matters, and even in these it is a cause of evil, as was mentioned earlier, that the poor person does not heed rebuke. Therefore, wealth is strength only in the thinking of its owner, not according to the matter in itself.
Metzudat David
"Wealth" — Riches are to him like a strong city, for at times he can use them to redeem his life from death, by means of his treasure. The store that is in the chambers of his treasury is to him like a strong wall. The matter is doubled in the second half of the verse.
Metzudat Zion
'City' — from the language of 'kiryah' (town) and 'ir' (city). 'In his own conceit' — its meaning is that which is paved with a stone pavement; it is from the language of 'sechach' (covering) and 'kisui' (concealment), as in 'a figured stone' (Leviticus 26).
Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, And before honor goes humility.
verse value 1374
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "is·haughty" (יִגְבַּ֣הּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "before·breaking" (לִפְנֵי־שֶׁ֭בֶר, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "is·haughty" (יִגְבַּ֣הּ), "the·heart·of·a·man" (לֶב־אִ֑ישׁ). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·heart·of·a·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "before·breaking" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·heart·of·a·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לִפְנֵי־שֶׁ֭בֶר [before·breaking] (672) + יִגְבַּ֣הּ [is·haughty] (20) + לֶב־אִ֑ישׁ [the·heart·of·a·man] (343) + וְלִפְנֵ֖י [and·before] (176) + כָב֣וֹד [glory] (32) + עֲנָוָֽה [humility] (131) = 1374.
Ralbag
"Before destruction" — Behold, haughtiness of heart and pride are a cause of ruin and humiliation, while humility is a cause of honor; and this is clear with a little examination of the nature of these traits.
Metzudat David
"The heart... is haughty" — For the Omnipresent makes him great, so that his heart becomes haughty, in order that his pain be doubled when the breaking comes. "And before honor [goes] humility" — for honor is the reward of humility, and so humility precedes it.
Malbim
"Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty" — He has already said, "every haughty heart is an abomination to Hashem; though hand join hand, he shall not go unpunished," meaning that Hashem will punish him at once, and haughtiness of heart is a sign of the destruction that comes after it. And the rich man, whose wealth exists only in the imagery of his heart like an exalted wall, will be broken. But "humility goes before honor" — for the humble person, who takes refuge in the strong tower of the name of Hashem, who dwells with the crushed and the lowly of spirit, will merit honor.
He who gives answer before he hears, It is folly and confusion to him.
verse value 1819
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "a·word" (דָּ֭בָר, 3 letters) and the longest is "it·is·to·him" (הִיא־ל֝֗וֹ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "it·is·to·him" (הִיא־ל֝֗וֹ), "and·disgrace" (וּכְלִמָּֽה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·word" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "he·hears" (root שמע, 30x in Proverbs); "he·who·answers" (root שוב, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·hears', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מֵשִׁ֣יב [he·who·answers] (352) + דָּ֭בָר [a·word] (206) + בְּטֶ֣רֶם [before] (251) + יִשְׁמָ֑ע [he·hears] (420) + אִוֶּ֥לֶת [foolishness] (437) + הִיא־ל֝֗וֹ [it·is·to·him] (52) + וּכְלִמָּֽה [and·disgrace] (101) = 1819.
Ibn Ezra
"He who returns an answer" — to those who ask, before he understands — like "a nation whose language you do not understand" (Deuteronomy 28:49) — the folly will belong to him. Another interpretation: the folly is reckoned to him, along with the shame caused to him by the one who speaks with him, or by others.
Ralbag
"He who answers a matter" — Whoever answers a matter before he hears and understands the matter he is responding to, behold this is folly and disgrace to him, for shame will befall him because he did not answer properly. Therefore a person should understand matters before responding to them.
Metzudat David
"Before he hears" — Before he understands the words of the one asking. "It is to him" — To the one who answers it is counted as folly and shame, for he does not answer properly and fittingly.
Malbim
"He who gives answer before he hears — it is folly and confusion to him" — It is the way of wisdom to answer only with something clear, as it is written, "Say to Wisdom, 'You are my sister'" (Proverbs 7:4) — [meaning: speak only] if the matter is as clear to you as [the fact] that she is your sister, etc. Therefore one must hear the claimant's argument and all sides of his doubts, and [only then] decide the clear matter — and by this he gains honor from the listener. But if he answers before he hears all sides of the doubt, he answers with folly, that is, with doubt, and he gains confusion from the listener.
The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; But a broken spirit who can bear?
verse value 1436
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "spirit·of·man" (רֽוּחַ־אִ֭ישׁ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "spirit·of·man" (רֽוּחַ־אִ֭ישׁ), "sustains" (יְכַלְכֵּ֣ל), "his·disease" (מַחֲלֵ֑הוּ). The root רוח appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root מי ("who?") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·disease', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: רֽוּחַ־אִ֭ישׁ [spirit·of·man] (525) + יְכַלְכֵּ֣ל [sustains] (110) + מַחֲלֵ֑הוּ [his·disease] (89) + וְר֥וּחַ [and·spirit] (220) + נְ֝כֵאָ֗ה [stricken] (76) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יִשָּׂאֶֽנָּה [can·bear·it] (366) = 1436.
Rashi
A man’s spirit The spirit of a גבר, who is a mighty man, does not take worry to heart, but accepts with joy and love whatever befalls him. will sustain his illness He does not lose his strength.
Ibn Ezra
"Spirit," "heart" — two verses joined together. Explanation: "the spirit of a man will bear his sickness" and the conditions of the body — and this is the intellectual spirit; wisdom bears [i.e., endures] worries. "But a crushed spirit" — is the spirit that grieves and is vexed over the vanities of the world, when it cannot attain them; the grammatical form of "nekhe'ah" [crushed] is like that of "melei'ah" [full]. "Who can bear it" — when it is crushed; for it is the spirit that sustains the body, even though it is itself borne within it. And this crushed spirit will not learn wisdom; but a discerning heart, which bears its own sickness, will acquire knowledge through its understanding.
Ralbag
"The spirit of a man" — Behold, the spirit of a man not only sustains the healthy body, supports it, and orders its actions, but even when the body is sick, it sustains it. However, when the sickness is in the spirit itself, such that it becomes crushed and broken, who can bear it? There is no one who can bear it, for matter (the body) is governed by it (the spirit), not the governor. Therefore the body becomes afflicted through its (the spirit's) afflictions.
Metzudat David
"The spirit of a man" — The intellectual spirit that is within a man bears and sustains the sickness of the body, for it guides the body in its health, and all the more so in its sickness; but when the spirit itself is stricken and broken by sorrow and grief, who can bear it? For it is not the body that bears the spirit and sustains it — rather, it is the spirit that bears the body.
Metzudat Zion
'Will sustain' — an expression of bearing and enduring, as in 'the heavens, etc., cannot contain You' (I Kings 8). 'His infirmity' — from the language of illness. 'Broken' — shattered.
Malbim
"The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity" — The spirit is what bears the body, and even if the body has a great illness, the power of the spirit is great enough to sustain the illness; it gives the body strength to endure and to renew its vigor. But if the spirit is broken — which is an illness of the spirit — who can bear it? For then the illness reaches the body as well, as it is written, "a broken spirit dries up the bones" (Proverbs 17:22).
The heart of the prudent gets knowledge; And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
verse value 2237
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "the·heart·of" (לֵ֣ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "gets·knowledge" (יִקְנֶה־דָּ֑עַת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "gets·knowledge" (יִקְנֶה־דָּ֑עַת), "and·ear·of" (וְאֹ֥זֶן), "seeks·knowledge" (תְּבַקֶּשׁ־דָּֽעַת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "the·heart·of" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "discerning" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gets·knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֵ֣ב [the·heart·of] (32) + נָ֭בוֹן [discerning] (108) + יִקְנֶה־דָּ֑עַת [gets·knowledge] (639) + וְאֹ֥זֶן [and·ear·of] (64) + חֲ֝כָמִ֗ים [wise] (118) + תְּבַקֶּשׁ־דָּֽעַת [seeks·knowledge] (1276) = 2237.
Ibn Ezra
"And the ear of the wise" — those who patiently bear whatever befalls them seek to hear knowledge.
Ralbag
"The heart of the prudent gets knowledge" — The mind of the prudent person acquires the knowledge of holy things by himself, for through the abundance of his reasoning he draws one thing out of another; whereas the wise seek to hear this knowledge and learn it from those who know its details, for their understanding is too limited to grasp it on their own.
Metzudat David
"The heart of the prudent" — One who has a prudent heart acquires knowledge on his own, through the understanding of his heart; but the wise, who possess only what they have heard, their ear seeks and pursues knowledge, to hear it from someone else, for they have no understanding to comprehend on their own.
Malbim
"The heart of the prudent gets knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge" — The wise man [chacham] received the laws of wisdom by tradition, and he has no clear knowledge of them, for there is no [rational] proof for the laws of wisdom; he seeks knowledge only through his ear — he goes to prudent men to hear from them the reasons for the laws of wisdom as received by tradition. But the prudent man [navon], who understands one thing from another, acquires knowledge through his own heart, which understands one thing from another, and the knowledge becomes his own possession, so he has no need to seek it from others.
A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.
verse value 1188
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "for·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 1188 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "for·him" (ל֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "widens" (יַרְחִ֣יב, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "widens" (יַרְחִ֣יב), "leads·him" (יַנְחֶֽנּוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs); "and·before" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root מתן ("gift·of") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root גדול ("great") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַתָּ֣ן [gift·of] (490) + אָ֭דָם [man] (45) + יַרְחִ֣יב [widens] (230) + ל֑וֹ [for·him] (36) + וְלִפְנֵ֖י [and·before] (176) + גְדֹלִ֣ים [great] (87) + יַנְחֶֽנּוּ [leads·him] (124) = 1188.
Rashi
A man’s gift will make room [This is to be understood] according to its simple meaning, but, according to its midrashic interpretation, it deals with those who give (sic) charity, which widens his share in the future world, as well as during his lifetime, and it will lead him before the great, who say that he is esteemed.
Ibn Ezra
"A gift," "righteous" (18:16-17) — two verses joined together. "And a gift" — alludes to a bribe that one gives, which brings him out into a broad place from his distress. "And brings him before great men" — who are the takers of bribes, so that he will not fail before them in judgment.
Ralbag
"A man's gift" — Behold, the man who, in his affairs, needs to come before great men — if he gives them a gift, it will make room for him, and this gift will lead him before the great ones to accomplish his purposes.
Metzudat David
"A man's gift" — One who needs, in his affairs, to go before the great, the gift that he gives widens the way for him, and it leads him before the great.
Metzudat Zion
'Gift' — a present and a gift-offering.
Malbim
"A man's gift makes room for him" — There is a difference between a generous man [nadiv] and "a man of gifts" [ish matan]: the way of the man of gifts is to give gifts even to the wealthy and the great, and even though it may seem that he is squandering his money for nothing, at times it makes room for him — for it brings him before the great — and at a time of distress, they remember his gifts and exert themselves on his behalf.
He who pleads his cause first seems just; But his neighbor comes and searches him out.
verse value 1609
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "just" (צַדִּ֣יק, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·comes·his·neighbor" (וּבָֽא־רֵ֝עֵ֗הוּ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·first" (הָרִאשׁ֣וֹן), "in·his·case" (בְּרִיב֑וֹ), "and·comes·his·neighbor" (וּבָֽא־רֵ֝עֵ֗הוּ). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "and·comes·his·neighbor" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root חקר ("and·searches·him") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·case', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Just" — in that the great men will vindicate him. "The first" — is the one who gives the gift. "And comes" — even though his fellow comes and examines him in judgment, he will not be able to condemn him.
Ralbag
"The first to plead his case seems righteous" — Therefore it is fitting to give generously in this manner at the time of need; and there is a further benefit in this for him: being admitted before them before his opposing litigant is admitted, for it is the way of people to believe the account told to them first. Therefore, in the eyes of the judge, the first person to come before him will seem righteous in the words of his case, for the judge will believe his words; and when his fellow comes to tell him the opposite of those words, he will not believe him except after complete investigation. And it is for this reason that the Torah prohibited the judge from hearing the words of one litigant before his fellow litigant arrives, for this would cause the judge's opinion to be more inclined toward whoever he heard speak first. And it is as if the Sage also alluded to this in this verse.
Metzudat David
"Just" — The one who comes first in a dispute seems just in his cause, for he is able to give his words weight and bring them into the heart, since no one has yet spoken to the contrary; but when his fellow comes and states the contrary, he seems like a liar, and one must investigate his words at greater length.
Malbim
(Verses 17–19) "He who pleads his cause first [seems just]"... "the lot puts an end to disputes"... "a brother offended"... — [The verses] come to teach that one should not entrench himself in litigation and judgment, for the loss is greater than the gain, and it is better to reach a compromise; and in any case, in a matter of doubt, the parties should cast a lot between them, and the matter should stand according to the lot. It says: if you wish to litigate, and you think you will be vindicated before the judge — indeed, "he who pleads his cause first seems just," but then his fellow comes and examines him, and you do not know what he will argue against you and how he will refute your claims. Therefore it is better that "the lot puts an end to disputes" — for if there is uncertainty between you, and a dispute and litigation over who takes this portion and who takes that portion, it is settled by lot — even "between the mighty" [atzumim], where each one thinks his arguments are mighty and that justice is with him, the lot separates between them. But if you insist on coming specifically to judgment, there is "a brother offended, [more unyielding] than a stronghold city" — meaning, there is one who is entitled to a share of an inheritance, and he, in his own mind, is as confident of his right as [the strength of] a stronghold city, as it is written, "the wealth of the rich man is his stronghold city" (Proverbs 10:15); yet he is "offended from a stronghold city," meaning that he has been wronged and they are removing him from his inheritance, and the disputes and the litigation close him off like the bars of a castle that lock tightly and let no man enter — for through the dispute and the litigation it becomes even harder for him to attain his desire and to enter the city from which he was wronged. Therefore it is better to put an end to the matter by lot, as it is written, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing of it is from Hashem" (Proverbs 16:33).
The lot causes strife to cease, And parts asunder the contentious.
verse value 1748
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "and·between" (וּבֵ֖ין, 4 letters) and the longest is "strife" (מִ֭דְיָנִים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "causes·to·cease" (יַשְׁבִּ֣ית), "the·lot" (הַגּוֹרָ֑ל), "mighty" (עֲצוּמִ֣ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·between" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root שבת ("causes·to·cease") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·lot', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִ֭דְיָנִים [strife] (154) + יַשְׁבִּ֣ית [causes·to·cease] (722) + הַגּוֹרָ֑ל [the·lot] (244) + וּבֵ֖ין [and·between] (68) + עֲצוּמִ֣ים [mighty] (256) + יַפְרִֽיד [separates] (304) = 1748.
Rashi
and it separates contentious people Heb. עצומים, these are the litigants, as in (Isa. 41: 21): “‘present your strong points (עצמותיכם).’” As their pleas are strong, they are called עצומים, either an expression of strength or an expression of closing, as in (ibid. 33:15) “and closes (עצם) his eyes.”
Ibn Ezra
"Contentions," "brother" — two verses joined together. "One offended" [nifsha] — he is so called on account of the transgression that proceeds from him. And the word "bar" [bolt] includes the doors, and it mentions them because they have no strength or power except with the bolt, together with which a fortress is fortified. That is to say: between the mighty and strong, the lot causes a separation so that they will not fight — and even a brother who is more offended than a fortified city [is like] the offenders who rebelled against their king, as in the matter of "Libnah revolted" (2 Kings 8:22). And the contentions of a brother will be like the strength of a bolted fortress; the lot separates between them. And it says "brother" — because most quarrels are over the inheritance of brothers.
Ralbag
"The lot causes contentions to cease" — Behold, the lot nullifies disputes and strife among people in matters over which they might quarrel with one another, and it separates between the powerful and the strong, and protects them from harming one another.
Metzudat David
"Strife" — The lot annuls strife over the division of some matter, for through the lot each one's portion is clarified. "And between the mighty" — Between those who are strong in dispute, the lot makes a separation, so that they no longer contend from then on.
Metzudat Zion
'Causes to cease' — it nullifies, as in 'the oppressor has ceased' (Isaiah 14).
A brother offended is harder to be won than a strong city; And their contentions are like the bars of a castle.
verse value 2189
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "brother" (אָ֗ח, 2 letters) and the longest is "than·a·city·of·strength" (מִקִּרְיַת־עֹ֑ז, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "offended" (נִפְשָׁ֥ע), "than·a·city·of·strength" (מִקִּרְיַת־עֹ֑ז), "and·contentions" (וּ֝מִדְיָנִ֗ים). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'than·a·city·of·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Rashi
A rebellious brother...of a strong city There is a brother who rebels against his brother and loses a strong city, e.g. Lot against Abraham and Esau against Jacob. and the quarrels are like the bolt of a castle The quarrel between them separates them forever, like a bolt with which they lock the gates of a castle, so that no one should enter it.
Ralbag
"A brother offended" — The brother who was wronged by his brother — behold, even though he was wronged, he is better to his brother than a fortified city, to rescue him and help him in times of need, for he will not then remember what wrong was done to him, for he is his own self and flesh. And likewise, a person given to contention — that is, one who has stirred up strife against his brother — behold, he is to his brother like the bar of the castle that bolts wall to wall, which binds the walls together and holds up the building; so he is the cause of his brother's endurance and his support, and a guard against every destroyer that might rise against him with a strong hand.
Metzudat David
"A brother offended" — A brother who has been offended by his brother — nevertheless, when trouble comes upon him, he will take hold of the strength of his offending brother more than of a strong city, and the strife between them will not last; and behold, he is like a bar that locks the gates of a castle, which does not remain locked for long, because many people are accustomed to come through the gate of a castle.
Metzudat Zion
'Bars' — this is like a rod that is placed across the width of the door in order to lock it. 'Castle' — a king's palace.
A man’s belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; With the increase of his lips he shall be satisfied.
verse value 3557
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "from·fruit·of" (מִפְּרִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "mouth·of·man" (פִי־אִ֭ישׁ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "is·satisfied" (תִּשְׂבַּ֣ע), "his·belly" (בִּטְנ֑וֹ). The root שבע appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "mouth·of·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "his·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "is·satisfied" (root שבע, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·belly', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִפְּרִ֣י [from·fruit·of] (330) + פִי־אִ֭ישׁ [mouth·of·man] (401) + תִּשְׂבַּ֣ע [is·satisfied] (772) + בִּטְנ֑וֹ [his·belly] (67) + תְּבוּאַ֖ת [the·produce·of] (809) + שְׂפָתָ֣יו [his·lips] (796) + יִשְׂבָּֽע [is·satisfied] (382) = 3557.
Ibn Ezra
"From the fruit of," "death" (18:20-21) — two verses joined together.
Ralbag
"From the fruit of his mouth" — From the fruit of a man's words his belly shall be filled, whether for good or for evil; he shall be satisfied with the fruit of his lips. And the illustration is that one who speaks gently turns away wrath by the answer of his mouth, and eats the fruit of his words, which is that the evil is removed from him; while one who speaks harshly arouses wrath and quickly brings evil upon himself.
Metzudat David
"With the fruit" — From the words of his mouth his belly shall be filled — meaning, the reward corresponds to the deed, whether it is good or bad. "The increase" — With the words that come from his lips he shall be satisfied; the matter is doubled in the second half of the verse.
Malbim
"A man's belly shall be filled with the fruit of his mouth; with the increase of his lips he shall be satisfied" — We have already explained that "the mouth" [peh] alludes to speech in wisdom [chochmah], while "the lip" [safah] alludes to knowledge [da'at]. When wisdom is spoken by the mouth, it brings forth its fruit until his belly is filled; and "the increase" [tevu'ah] is the completed produce, which figuratively refers to knowledge — for then he knows the laws of wisdom with clear knowledge, until he brings it forth with his lips, which is the outward speech that constitutes "the increase of the fruit"; then he is satisfied a second time, from the increase of the knowledge. Thus wisdom and knowledge are eaten and one is satisfied by them, and once satisfied he need not eat further, for they are things received by tradition; and "the ear of the wise seeks knowledge," as above — and once he receives it, he is satisfied with what he has received and eats no more. But—
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And those who indulge it shall eat its fruit.
verse value 1307
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "death" (מָ֣וֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·hand·of·tongue" (בְּיַד־לָשׁ֑וֹן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·hand·of·tongue" (בְּיַד־לָשׁ֑וֹן), "and·those·who·love·it" (וְ֝אֹהֲבֶ֗יהָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·life" (root חי, 32x in Proverbs); "and·those·who·love·it" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs); "death" (root מות, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·hand·of·tongue', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מָ֣וֶת [death] (446) + וְ֭חַיִּים [and·life] (74) + בְּיַד־לָשׁ֑וֹן [in·hand·of·tongue] (402) + וְ֝אֹהֲבֶ֗יהָ [and·those·who·love·it] (29) + יֹאכַ֥ל [shall·eat] (61) + פִּרְיָֽהּ [its·fruit] (295) = 1307.
Rashi
and those who love it will eat its produce He who loves his tongue and accustoms it to [speaking words of] Torah, partakes of its reward in this world.
Ibn Ezra
"In the hand of" — [denotes] a place. "Shall eat its fruit" — corresponding to the produce of his lips; that is, if he speaks evil, death will come upon him, and for a good word, he will attain life.
Ralbag
"Death and life" — Death and life are in the power of the tongue, as we have mentioned; and whoever loves speech will without doubt eat its fruit, for good or for evil, as stated before.
Metzudat David
"In the power of the tongue" — Death and life are entrusted to the power of the tongue: if he speaks words of Torah he shall live, and if he speaks slander he shall die. "And those who love it" — One who loves to multiply words with it shall eat its fruit, whether good or bad.
Malbim
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it shall eat its fruit" — "The tongue" alludes to the exalted, rational speech that speaks through the syllogisms [heikeshim] of reason [tevunah], by which one understands how to derive one thing from another, and by which one judges between truth and falsehood — and upon this depend death and life: one who believes in the fundamentals of faith by means of the syllogisms of reason shall live, while one who walks in a crooked path and denies the existence of Hashem, providence, and reward and punishment shall die; and this depends on the power of the tongue, which is the faculty of understanding [binah]. "And those who love it shall eat its fruit" — he is never satisfied, but eats continually, for understanding has no limit, and he will always continue to derive one thing from another.
Whoever finds a wife finds a great good, And obtains favor of Hashem.
verse value 1193
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "finds" (מָצָ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·Hashem" (מֵיְהֹוָֽה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 131: finds, finds. The root מצא appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "finds" (root מצא, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'good', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מָצָ֣א [finds] (131) + אִ֭שָּׁה [a·wife] (306) + מָ֣צָא [finds] (131) + ט֑וֹב [good] (17) + וַיָּ֥פֶק [and·obtains] (196) + רָ֝צ֗וֹן [pleasure] (346) + מֵיְהֹוָֽה [from·Hashem] (66) = 1193.
Rashi
He who has found a wife has found good He who has found the Torah; and according to its apparent meaning, a good wife. and has obtained favor And has obtained. This is its simple meaning. Another explanation: A man who found a wife and found good, has obtained favor. That man obtains favor from the Holy One, blessed be He. [This is in the name of] Rabbi Joseph Kara.
Ibn Ezra
"Finds" — for he seeks her so that she may be a helper corresponding to him (Genesis 2:18), and he finds her — he finds good; Hashem brings about His goodness for him, on account of his cleaving to what Hashem has decreed for him.
Ralbag
"Whoever finds a wife" — Whoever finds a wife — that is, whoever has the powers of the soul at the level of a wife who serves her husband and loves him, so that they serve the intellect with all the effort of their power — that man has found a good thing, for through this he attains human perfection, and in this way he attains his desire and will from Hashem, for His providence cleaves to him.
Metzudat David
"Finds good" — For she helps him in his labor. "And obtains favor from Hashem" — For she saves him from sin.
Metzudat Zion
'And obtains' — he brings forth/extracts, as in 'he obtains understanding' (above, Proverbs 3).
Malbim
"Whoever finds a wife" — Whoever finds a wife, and finds good, and obtains favor: that is, he finds a good wife on his own part, and he also obtains favor on the wife's part, in that she desires him, and he attains good from her — "this is from Hashem," through Hashem's providence and goodness.
The poor uses entreaties; But the rich answers impudently.
verse value 2484
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 2484 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "answers" (יַעֲנֶ֥ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "supplications" (תַּחֲנוּנִ֥ים, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "supplications" (תַּחֲנוּנִ֥ים), "speaks·the·poor·man" (יְדַבֶּר־רָ֑שׁ), "and·the·rich" (וְ֝עָשִׁ֗יר). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "speaks·the·poor·man" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'speaks·the·poor·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: תַּחֲנוּנִ֥ים [supplications] (564) + יְדַבֶּר־רָ֑שׁ [speaks·the·poor·man] (716) + וְ֝עָשִׁ֗יר [and·the·rich] (586) + יַעֲנֶ֥ה [answers] (135) + עַזּֽוֹת [strong] (483) = 2484.
Rashi
A poor man speaks with supplications This one is accustomed to [speak] in this manner, and that one is accustomed to [speak] in that manner. He teaches you a rule of conduct; that although the rich man answers with impudence, the poor man should speak with supplications, and so is the matter of a teacher to a pupil.
Ibn Ezra
"The poor speaks supplications" — when he asks something of the rich man. "And impudently" — its meaning is harsh words.
Ralbag
"The poor uses entreaties" — Poverty is the cause that the tongue of the poor man seeks life, for he speaks entreaties; and in this way, not only does he not arouse disputes, but he even quiets strife and wrath away from himself. The rich man, however, trusts in his wealth, considering it his stronghold city, and therefore speaks with impudence; and this will be the cause of his downfall, for he will not be able to conduct himself properly with everyone, as one ought to conduct oneself with one's fellow, and this will be the cause of the removal of love from them.
Metzudat David
"Entreaties" — Even though the poor man speaks his words with entreaties and submission, nevertheless the rich man will sometimes answer him with words of impudence.
Metzudat Zion
'Impudently' — strong and harsh things.
Malbim
"The poor man speaks entreaties" — If the poor man speaks entreaties and pleads, then the rich man answers and subdues his own brazenness — for even though he is brazen by nature, he subdues his nature in order to fulfill the entreaties of the poor man.
There are friends that one has to his own hurt; But there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
verse value 1885
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 1885 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "there·is" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·be·harmed" (לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·be·harmed" (לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ), "sticking" (דָּבֵ֥ק). The root יש appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "friends" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "a·friend" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·be·harmed', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אִ֣ישׁ [there·is] (311) + רֵ֭עִים [friends] (320) + לְהִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ [to·be·harmed] (775) + וְיֵ֥שׁ [and·there·is] (316) + אֹ֝הֵ֗ב [a·friend] (8) + דָּבֵ֥ק [sticking] (106) + מֵאָֽח [than·a·brother] (49) = 1885.
Rashi
A man acquires friends with whom to associate A man who acquires friends for himself [will find] that the day will arrive when he will need them, and they will befriend him. Now, if you ask, “What of it?” there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother, for he will befriend him more than his kin and his brothers.
Ibn Ezra
"Friends" [re'im] — like "wicked, striving men," and the proof of this is the word "lehitro'ea" [to keep company]. Or it may be from the roots weak in the lamed, on the pattern of "ge'im" [proud ones], with "rea" on the pattern of "ga me'od" [exceedingly proud]. That is to say: a man loves friends so that they will keep him company and join with him, for there is a lover who clings closer than a brother.
Ralbag
"There are friends that one has to his own hurt" — One may indeed find a loving friend more attached to a person in time of need than a brother; therefore a person ought to acquire for himself many loving friends, and should not multiply mere companions, for among loving friends one may find one who loves to the utmost degree of love even though he is not merely a companion; whereas multiplying companions will be the cause that corrupts the companionship and fellowship of some toward others.
Metzudat David
"A man of friends" — A man loves friends so that they will associate with him and join with him, for at times one finds a friend attached to his beloved with a love of soul greater than that of a brother; and therefore he desires their company, for the good that sometimes comes of it.
Metzudat Zion
'To have friends' — from the language of 'rea' (friend) and 'chaver' (companion).
Malbim
"A man of [many] companions" — The investigators [i.e., the philosophers] have already said that one who acquires many friends has, in truth, not even one, for love is singular, and to the extent that it multiplies, it becomes diminished and divided. This is what is meant: whoever has many companions, it is only "to keep company" [le'hitro'e'a], meaning that it merely appears that he is a man of fellowship and companions — for this is the grammatical pattern of the hitpa'el [reflexive/apparent] conjugation, used for something that is only ostensible — but in truth he has no [real] companions. But there is [a case of] "a friend" — if he has one friend, then he "sticks closer than a brother" — and this is the true nature of love, that it grows greater than all [other] loves, even greater than the love of brothers.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim