Wine is a mocker, strong drink is riotous. The sluggard will not plow in winter; diverse weights and diverse measures are an abomination; and the spirit of man is the lamp of Hashem, searching all the inward parts.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is riotous; and whoever reels because of it is not wise.
verse value 1246
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "a·mocker" (לֵ֣ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·whoever·reels" (וְכׇל־שֹׁ֥גֶה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·wine" (הַ֭יַּיִן), "and·whoever·reels" (וְכׇל־שֹׁ֥גֶה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "is·wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strong·drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֵ֣ץ [a·mocker] (120) + הַ֭יַּיִן [the·wine] (75) + הֹמֶ֣ה [raging] (50) + שֵׁכָ֑ר [strong·drink] (520) + וְכׇל־שֹׁ֥גֶה [and·whoever·reels] (364) + בּ֝֗וֹ [in·it] (8) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יֶחְכָּֽם [is·wise] (78) = 1246.
Ibn Ezra
"Wine is a mocker" — the word "man" is elided [understand: the man of wine is a mocker]; he is boisterous; explanation: he cries out for them to give him drink. "Is not wise" — he does not learn wisdom by occupying himself with wine.
Metzudat David
"Wine is a mocker" — one who drinks wine becomes a mocker, and one who drinks strong drink will roar and cry out in his drunkenness; "and whoever errs because of it" — that is, whoever errs in his mind by thinking that since wine gives much clarity, therefore [wisdom will come] through drinking it — behold, in truth he will not become wise, for even though a small amount of it is good, a large amount of it is harmful.
Metzudat Zion
'Riotous' — an expression of shouting/outcry. 'Reels' — from the language of 'shegagah' (going astray).
Malbim
(Proverbs 20:1): "Wine is a mocker" — the mocker is one who scoffs at the laws of wisdom, for the laws of wisdom must be accepted with faith and an upright heart, since there is no [logical] proof for them. And this teaches that even one who has accepted the laws of wisdom, if he errs through wine, will not become wise, for wine is a mocker — it scoffs at the laws of wisdom, in that it rules over the heart and its imaginings, turning him away from the way of wisdom to reveling, and it all appears to him as level [i.e., proper]. Now, the mocker scoffs only at wisdom, not at knowledge; but "strong drink is riotous" — it does not scoff at knowledge at all, only through clamor, for by then his intellect has already been nullified, and he has become like beasts that clamor without knowledge.
The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion: He who provokes him to anger forfeits his life.
verse value 2144
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "growling" (נַ֣הַם, 3 letters) and the longest is "he·who·angers·him" (מִ֝תְעַבְּר֗וֹ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "terror·of" (אֵ֣ימַת), "he·who·angers·him" (מִ֝תְעַבְּר֗וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "king" (root מלך, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'king', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: נַ֣הַם [growling] (95) + כַּ֭כְּפִיר [like·the·young·lion] (330) + אֵ֣ימַת [terror·of] (451) + מֶ֑לֶךְ [king] (90) + מִ֝תְעַבְּר֗וֹ [he·who·angers·him] (718) + חוֹטֵ֥א [sins] (24) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 2144.
Rashi
Fear of a king is like a lion’s roar; he who provokes him Who angers him.
Ibn Ezra
"The roaring is like a young lion," "he who provokes him to anger" — [meaning] the one who quarrels with him is himself the sinner against his own life, because he does not accord honor to the monarchy.
Ralbag
"The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion" — Behold, the terror of the king who rules over man — that is, the human intellect, which is fitting to rule over the other faculties of the soul, and which was so ordered by Hashem, may He be blessed, on the day they were created — ought to be so powerful that it is as though it roars to tear its prey like a young lion. For in truth, whoever turns aside from serving it walks the path toward loss and destruction; and whoever is joined with it [i.e., accepts its rule] but does not wish to heed it sins against his own soul and destroys it, and his end will be [reduced] to nothing. Now, one who provokes it to anger is the possessor of desire (ba'al ha-ta'avah), for that appetitive faculty contends with the intellective faculty and leads it to ruin and loss.
Metzudat David
"The roaring" — like the roaring of the young lion, so is the terror of the king frightening to one at whom he is angry; and one who angers him forfeits his own soul, for he endangers himself and transgresses the words, "Fear Hashem, my son, and the king."
Metzudat Zion
'Roaring' — this is what the roar of the lion is called. 'Terror' — from the language of 'eimah' (dread) and fear. 'Provokes him to anger' — from the language of 'evrah' (wrath) and anger. 'Forfeits' — an expression of lacking/missing, as in 'slinging a stone at a hair's breadth and not missing' (Judges 20:16).
Malbim
"The terror of a king is like the roaring of a lion" — he has already said (Proverbs 19:12), "The wrath of a king is like the roaring of a lion" — that at a time of wrath, one should not draw near him, just as one should not draw near a young lion in its den at a time of its hunger, when it will certainly prey [on whoever approaches]. And here he says that even at a time of favor, when one is able to draw near him, one must beware of the terror of a king. The definition of "terror" is something that is feared because of its loftiness and great stature, and one must not transgress the laws of that terror — that the terror will warn [him] not to take him lightly, and not to make use of his scepter, and to be careful regarding one's fear of him. And whoever transgresses these laws is liable to death and sins against his own soul; and one who draws near to this terror without heeding it is like one who draws near a young lion in its den.
It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife; but every fool will be snarling.
verse value 1943
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·keep·aloof" (שֶׁ֣בֶת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·every·fool" (וְכׇל־אֱ֝וִ֗יל, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "from·strife" (מֵרִ֑יב), "and·every·fool" (וְכׇל־אֱ֝וִ֗יל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·the·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·strife', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: כָּב֣וֹד [honor] (32) + לָ֭אִישׁ [for·the·man] (341) + שֶׁ֣בֶת [to·keep·aloof] (702) + מֵרִ֑יב [from·strife] (252) + וְכׇל־אֱ֝וִ֗יל [and·every·fool] (103) + יִתְגַּלָּֽע [bursts·out] (513) = 1943.
Rashi
It is honor for a man to refrain from quarreling To rest from quarrel. and every fool who does not refrain from quarreling—his disgrace will be exposed.
Ibn Ezra
"An honor" — that the king will show honor to the man prone to quarrel, if he sits and desists from strife; therefore the lamed [of "la'ish"] has a kamatz [vowel], because he is definite/known — namely, the one who quarrels with him. "will break out" — will become embroiled in strife.
Ralbag
"It is an honor for a man" — to cease from strife, and this will be [true] of one who fears Hashem, for he has no desire for evil, and therefore all his thoughts will be good. But every fool becomes agitated and embroils himself in strife, and this is the cause that brings him down into evil; and this happens specifically with the fool, because he thinks that getting embroiled in strife is the good [course], on account of his lack of investigation into matters.
Metzudat David
"Honor" — abstaining from strife is an honor for a man, and every fool is exposed at the time of strife, for the more he multiplies words, the more his folly is revealed to all.
Metzudat Zion
'Will be snarling' — like 'yitgaleh' (reveals), with a heh.
Malbim
"It is an honor for a man to keep away from strife" — one who comes to quarrel because he was insulted should not consider it an honor for himself. Whether because through the quarrel he will be insulted even more and will not achieve his goal; or because the very fact that he is troubled by the insult shows that there is substance to the insult — either way, it will be more of an honor for him if he refrains from strife: whether because it shows that he is not troubled by it, as it is said, "the nobility of the Babylonians is their silence"; or because thereby he guards himself from disgrace, as it says, "Do not go out to strive hastily, lest [you know not] what to do in the end thereof" (Proverbs 25:8). And this is among the laws of wisdom — to restrain one's anger. But the fool who is uncertain about the laws of wisdom cannot restrain his spirit, and his base traits are revealed at once, as it is said, "A fool's vexation is known that very day" (Proverbs 12:16).
The sluggard will not plow when winter sets in; therefore he shall beg in harvest, and have nothing.
verse value 2214
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 2214 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "sluggish" (עָצֵ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "will·not·plow" (לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֑שׁ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "from·winter" (מֵ֭חֹרֶף), "will·not·plow" (לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֑שׁ), "and·begs" (וְשָׁאַ֖ל). The root שאל appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·nothing" (root אין, 36x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root שאל ("and·begs") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·not·plow', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Rashi
Because of the winter, a lazy man does not plow Because of the cold, a lazy man sits and does no work, neither does he engage in Torah.
Ibn Ezra
"By reason of winter" — the mem stands in place of a bet; that is, [it means] at the time of winter. "and he shall beg" — that he will beg from the harvesters, and they will give him nothing, because of his laziness.
Ralbag
"The sluggard will not plow because of the winter" — He states this in order to draw attention concerning the sluggard, [warning] against [failing] to seek the perfections, for in the end he will be left without attaining them. For the sluggard does not plow his ground and work it properly in the winter, and this is the cause that the fruit which he sowed in it will not be produced. Likewise, the sluggard does not exert himself at the outset of a matter to set his body in order by taking on discipline (musar), and therefore he is unable to attain wisdom — since he did not exert himself for that either — and this will be the cause that the intellect which Hashem, may He be blessed, placed within him will not yield its fruit.
Metzudat David
"Because of winter" — on account of the cold of winter, the sluggard will not plow his field, and at the time of harvest he asks for grain and there is none, for his field did not produce, since it was not plowed.
Malbim
"Because of the winter the sluggard will not plow; he shall beg at harvest and have nothing" — the time of plowing is in winter, when the air is cold; and the sluggard, who does not love to do work even at a time when it is proper for it, all the more so will he be lazy on account of the winter cold. And afterward, when harvest comes and the weather is good, he begs for food and has nothing. And this is a parable for a person who is lazy about gathering wisdom in the days of his youth, for that is the time to plow the plot of the soul, [clearing it] of the thorns and thistles and images of desire, and to sow in it the seed of wisdom and knowledge. But then the ferment of youth and its desires prevent him from this, and he is lazy; and afterward, in the days of his old age, when the ferment of youthful passions has subsided — since he did not prepare the soil of his soul for wisdom in its proper time, he will find no fruit. And so "winter" also alludes to the days of the life of the soul within the body, for that is the time of plowing and sowing, and at the time when the soul divests itself of the garment of matter, that is the time of harvest. And whoever did not toil on the eve of the Sabbath, what will he eat on the Sabbath?
Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water; but a man of understanding will draw it out.
verse value 1739
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֣יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·heart·of·man" (בְלֶב־אִ֑ישׁ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "draws·it·out" (יִדְלֶֽנָּה). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·heart·of·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·heart·of·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַ֣יִם [water] (90) + עֲ֭מֻקִּים [deep] (260) + עֵצָ֣ה [counsel] (165) + בְלֶב־אִ֑ישׁ [in·heart·of·man] (345) + וְאִ֖ישׁ [and·man·of] (317) + תְּבוּנָ֣ה [understanding] (463) + יִדְלֶֽנָּה [draws·it·out] (99) = 1739.
Rashi
Counsel in man’s heart is like deep water A halachah in a wise man’s heart is sealed. but a man of understanding will draw it out An understanding pupil comes and draws it out of his innards.
Ibn Ezra
"Deep waters" — missing a kaf [of comparison]; that is, like deep waters, which are cold and clear, and no foot has stirred them — so is the wisdom and counsel that is in a man's heart: pure and clear. "But a man" — another person, one who knows understanding, will draw the counsel out from his heart; that is, he will learn it from him.
Ralbag
"Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water" — Behold, the counsel that is in a man's heart potentially is not attained easily, but only after much investigation, for it is at the level of very deep water, from which it is difficult to reach what lies at the bottom. However, a man of understanding will draw the counsel out of his heart through the quality of his investigation and his thoroughness in it.
Metzudat David
"Deep waters" — it is the way of the wise man to conceal his counsel in the depth of his heart, and it is difficult for another to attain it; behold, it is like deep waters, from which it is impossible to draw up the lower waters; but a man of understanding will draw it out, for he first draws the upper waters and is afterward able to draw the lower ones. That is to say, he first investigates the branching matters until he understands the counsel hidden in the heart.
Metzudat Zion
'Will draw it out' — an expression of drawing water, as in 'he drew, indeed drew, for us' (Exodus 2:19).
Malbim
"Counsel in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" — counsel is to choose the good and beneficial option from among all the possible alternatives. Now, many thoughts flow like a stream of water over the surface of the heart, as it says, "Many are the thoughts in a man's heart" (Proverbs 19:21); but the counsel — which is to choose the good from among all the possible alternatives, leading to the desired goal — is hidden in the depth of the heart, in a source concealed in the depth of the great abyss. Now, there is counsel according to wisdom, and this is "the counsel of Hashem," who bequeathed the laws of wisdom, and one may receive this counsel from others, for among people wisdom is something received [by tradition]; and so it says, "and he who listens to counsel is wise," for "instruction shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise man" (Jeremiah 18:18). However, the counsel that is found within a person's own heart — that he understands from his own knowledge how to choose the good — this is very deep, and it cannot be drawn up from the depth of the soul except through the power of understanding, which understands one thing from another, and judges by the power of its understanding all the conflicting considerations, to see, from among the whole multitude of thoughts, which is the best of them all. And the investigation of understanding through logical inferences is like one who draws water from a deep place, tying rope to rope until he lowers his bucket to the spring; so too does he link inference to inference until he brings forth the truth by the power of understanding.
Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness; but a faithful man who can find?
verse value 1602
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. Verse gematria: 1602 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "faithfulness" (אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: proclaims, man. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "most·of·men" (רׇב־אָדָ֗ם). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "most·of·men" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs); "can·find" (root מצא, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·goodness', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: רׇב־אָדָ֗ם [most·of·men] (247) + יִ֭קְרָא [proclaims] (311) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + חַסְדּ֑וֹ [his·goodness] (78) + וְאִ֥ישׁ [and·man·of] (317) + אֱ֝מוּנִ֗ים [faithfulness] (147) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יִמְצָֽא [can·find] (141) = 1602.
Rashi
Many people call upon the man who promises them kindness There are many people who rely on their friends who promise them kindness, and they call them at the time of their straits. but who can find a trustworthy man? who promises and keeps his promise. who promises them kindness Heb. איש חסדו, lit. a man of his kindness, who promises him to do kindness.
Ibn Ezra
"Most men" — meaning, the majority of mankind, each one proclaims his own kindness; that is, he boasts that he does kindness, but he should not be called [truly faithful] — "who can find" him? Another interpretation: [a faithful man is] one who speaks the truth about himself.
Ralbag
"Most men" — You will find that many people proclaim, each one, his own kindness, by relating: 'I did such-and-such a kindness for so-and-so' — and on this account they consider themselves men of kindness. But even a faithful man, who does what is proper in his affairs alone, without kindness, is hard to find; and this is so because a person cannot be called a man of kindness on account of one act of kindness that he did, unless he conducts himself this way in all things, and likewise a person cannot be called a faithful man unless he is constant in this trait, doing truth and uprightness always. And it is possible that the intent here is that 'most men,' at the time of need, will call upon the person to whom he did a kindness, expecting that he will repay him his due; and it is hard to find, among those who received the kindness, a faithful man who is moved to repay the one who did him the kindness — rather, he acts a stranger toward him, as if he had not received any benefit from him. Therefore a person ought not to make flesh his arm, but should trust in Hashem. And it is possible that the vav in the word 'chasdo' [his kindness] is superfluous, and the intent would then be that the reader will already call 'most men' a man of kindness — that is, he will call one of them a man of kindness — but know that this is not so, for a man of kindness is hard to find, since even a faithful man is hard to find.
Metzudat David
"Most men" — most people will proclaim, each man, the kindness he does for others, and boast of it; but who can find among them a man of faithfulness, for many will lie.
Malbim
"Most men will proclaim each his own kindness, but a faithful man who can find?" — chesed (kindness) is what one does not out of obligation or promise, but only out of the generosity of the heart, whereas emunah (faithfulness) is what one does out of obligation or promise. And accordingly, it would be fitting that one who performs kindness would all the more so keep faithfulness — for if he volunteers to do that which he was not obligated to do, all the more so should he keep that which is obligatory and incumbent upon him. But in fact, by the nature of people, the opposite appears: that men of faithfulness are few — they do not readily fulfill what is incumbent upon them; rather, they defraud, deceive, and touch the property of others. However, when it comes to performing kindness, many are found to do it — and this is because they do not do good for its own sake, but for the sake of glory and praise, and one is praised all the more if he performs kindness, for by this his acts of kindness will be proclaimed. And so it says, "most men will proclaim each his own kindness" — with this, many will be found to perform kindness, so that each and every man's kindness will be proclaimed and publicized. But a faithful man is not found, for from this he would derive no honor and glory. And it also means: who can find a faithful man who performs a genuine act of kindness — that is, kindness done in private, without proclamation and wide publicity — for the root of every [ordinary] deed is the love of honor and reward.
He who walks in his integrity as a just man, happy are his children after him.
verse value 1951
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "in·his·integrity" (בְּתֻמּ֣וֹ, 4 letters) and the longest is "he·who·walks" (מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "he·who·walks" (מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ), "his·sons" (בָנָ֣יו), "after·him" (אַחֲרָֽיו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "his·sons" (root בן, 51x in Proverbs); "he·who·walks" (root הלך, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִתְהַלֵּ֣ךְ [he·who·walks] (495) + בְּתֻמּ֣וֹ [in·his·integrity] (448) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + אַשְׁרֵ֖י [happy] (511) + בָנָ֣יו [his·sons] (68) + אַחֲרָֽיו [after·him] (225) = 1951.
Ibn Ezra
"He who walks in his integrity" — he is called righteous. "Happy are his children after him" — because on account of his righteousness they will be honored, to the point that others will call them fortunate; behold, a man inherits from the goodness of his father.
Ralbag
"He who walks in his integrity" — The righteous man, who walks in integrity and uprightness in his character and in his opinions, and who is a faithful man in the way of truth — it is not enough that he himself is protected from evils; his children, too, will be watched over by Hashem on his account, since it is also his nature to direct his children toward the service of Hashem, may He be exalted, so that providence attaches to them as well, on their own account.
Metzudat David
"Happy are his children" — happy are his children after his death, for they will find shelter in the shade of his merit.
Malbim
"He who walks in his integrity as a just man, happy are his children after him" — The "just man" (tzaddik) is one who performs the act of righteousness, but is not yet "whole/complete" (tamim). For the definition of wholeness is that one does all his deeds for the sake of Hashem alone, not for the sake of honor, glory, and outward show — for if so, he will not stand firm in his righteousness at all times; and this follows what is said, "A man of faithfulness (ish emunim) — who can find?" (Proverbs 20:6) — so that even the just man is not necessarily whole in acting with faithfulness. But the just man who walks in his integrity (be-tummo), doing all his deeds for the sake of Heaven — and therefore it says "walks" (mit'halekh), which indicates constancy, that the whole/complete person never wavers, ever — even though he does not attain the illusory praise [that comes from acting for outward honor], nevertheless, happy are his children after him. For the reward of wholeness (since he did not wish to enjoy the reward of his own deeds) remains for his children, generation after generation.
A king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.
verse value 1373
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֗לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·the·throne·of·judgment" (עַל־כִּסֵּא־דִ֑ין, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "sitting" (יוֹשֵׁ֥ב), "on·the·throne·of·judgment" (עַל־כִּסֵּא־דִ֑ין), "all·evil" (כׇּל־רָֽע). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·his·eyes" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs); "king" (root מלך, 24x in Proverbs); "all·evil" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·the·throne·of·judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מֶ֗לֶךְ [king] (90) + יוֹשֵׁ֥ב [sitting] (318) + עַל־כִּסֵּא־דִ֑ין [on·the·throne·of·judgment] (245) + מְזָרֶ֖ה [scatters] (252) + בְעֵינָ֣יו [with·his·eyes] (148) + כׇּל־רָֽע [all·evil] (320) = 1373.
Rashi
A king sits upon a throne of judgment This may be explained as referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, or it may be explained as referring to the true judges.
Ibn Ezra
And a king who sits on his throne to render judgment—he winnows out all who are evil in his eyes, for then his throne stands firm.
Ralbag
"A king" — Behold, the king — that is, the intellect — when it sits on the throne of judgment to judge theoretical matters as is proper, and takes from the other, serving faculties what it needs to arrive at the truth in its inquiries, it scatters and disperses, through its contemplation, all evil in character and in opinions, for it is wary of misleading things, and by exercising its faculties it removes evil and repugnant desires. This, then, is one of the instruments that a faithful man needs, in order to be a faithful man in the way of truth. Now he goes on to explain that such a person is hard to find, as he mentioned before, and says: who is it who can boast that he is a faithful man in the way of truth — who can say, 'I have made my heart clean'? And he says: who is it that can boast and say, 'I have made my heart clean' with regard to opinions, and have escaped falsehood in them — this being something very difficult, on account of the many misleading factors that prevent the completion of inquiry in many matters. And who can say, 'I am pure from my sin,' with regard to bodily and civic matters, and that I have conducted myself in them only with uprightness and truth?
Metzudat David
"A king" — when Hashem sits on the throne of judgment, then all the evils of mankind are scattered and spread out before His eyes, even if they committed them in secret.
Metzudat Zion
'Scatters away' — an expression of spreading and laying out, as in 'for in vain the net is spread out' (above, Proverbs 1).
Malbim
(8-9) "A king who sits on the throne of judgment... Who can say, I have made my heart clean?" — The sage already said, "If you see oppression of the poor, and the perverting of justice and righteousness in a province, do not be amazed at the matter; for the high one is watched by a higher one" (Ecclesiastes 5:7) — meaning, if you see oppression and robbery and no justice in the province, know that the reason for this is that the supreme, high judge in the province does not personally oversee the administration of justice, but has delegated the conduct of justice to the deputy minister beneath him, and that minister delegated it to the one beneath him, so that the oppressed cannot bring their grievance to the king himself. For then it can happen that the lesser judges do not take care to render justice, either because they lack the authority, or because they turn after unjust gain and bribery. But if the king himself sits on the throne of judgment and administers justice in person, then he will certainly render justice for the oppressed, and the arm of the haughty will be broken. And here four conditions are stated: 1) That the king renders justice in person. 2) That he "sits" on the throne of judgment — the sitting on the throne indicates permanence. 3) That he sits on the "throne of din" — for there is a difference between a "throne of din" and a "throne of mishpat": mishpat is the conclusion of the judgment, the rendering of the verdict, whereas din is the hearing of the litigants' claims — meaning that he himself also hears the claim of the party to the dispute, rather than [it being heard only] through the judges' clerks and subordinate judges who hear the claims, since through that the supreme judge could be misled. 4) "He winnows out all evil with his eyes" — that besides [rendering] judgment, he oversees everywhere, and disperses and winnows out evil through the eyes of his supervision, going about in person among the people to watch over the evildoers, to cut off all workers of iniquity. When all these conditions are present, "who can say, I have made my heart clean?" — for could a person imagine that if he is innocent in his own heart he is already purified of his sin? Will he not fear and dread this great judge, who possesses absolute power, and whom bribery cannot sway? And all this is a parable for the great and awesome King, Hashem, blessed be He, who sits always on the throne of judgment, and watches with His eyes all the deeds of mankind through His constant, individual providence (hashgachah peratit) — and who would not fear this Judge, whether regarding the thoughts of his heart, which is why it says, "Who can say, I have made my heart clean?" — or regarding his actual deeds, which is why it says, "I am pure from my sin." And this is stated by way of illustration.
Who can say: ‘I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin’?
verse value 1882
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·can·say" (מִֽי־יֹ֭אמַר, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "who·can·say" (מִֽי־יֹ֭אמַר), "I·have·cleansed" (זִכִּ֣יתִי), "I·am·pure" (טָ֝הַ֗רְתִּי). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "who·can·say" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־יֹ֭אמַר [who·can·say] (301) + זִכִּ֣יתִי [I·have·cleansed] (447) + לִבִּ֑י [my·heart] (42) + טָ֝הַ֗רְתִּי [I·am·pure] (624) + מֵחַטָּאתִֽי [from·my·sin] (468) = 1882.
Ibn Ezra
"Who" — is this one who will say, "I have purified my heart from the iniquity of my youth, I am cleansed from the sin of my childhood"? And the meaning is: there is no man who always walks in his integrity and does not sin.
Metzudat David
"Who can say" — that is to say, since everything is revealed before Him, who could deny and say, "behold my heart is pure and clear, without the dross of sin, and I have already purified myself from my sin, for I have repented of it"?
Metzudat Zion
'I have made clean' — from the language of 'zach' (pure) and clean.
Various weights, and various measures, both of them alike are abomination to Hashem.
verse value 1662
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "a·stone" (אֶ֣בֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·both·of·them" (גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "an·ephah" (אֵיפָ֣ה), "and·an·ephah" (וְאֵיפָ֑ה). The root אבן appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "the·abomination·of" (root תועבה, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·an·ephah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֶ֣בֶן [a·stone] (53) + וָ֭אֶבֶן [and·a·stone] (59) + אֵיפָ֣ה [an·ephah] (96) + וְאֵיפָ֑ה [and·an·ephah] (102) + תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת [the·abomination·of] (878) + יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + גַּם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם [also·both·of·them] (448) = 1662.
Ralbag
"Various weights" — Behold, a weight smaller than is proper, or larger than is proper, and a measure smaller than is proper, or larger than is proper — both of these two things are an abomination to Hashem, in character and in opinions. This is because what is chosen and proper in character is equality and uprightness, without inclining to either of the two extremes, as has been explained in political philosophy; and what is chosen in opinions is not to fall short of the standard proper to each and every matter, nor to exaggerate beyond what is proper concerning it — as if to say: that which can bear a conclusive demonstration should not be curtailed, but one should rely on a demonstrative proof or on well-known premises; and that which cannot bear a conclusive demonstration, one should not seek such proof for it; and likewise one should not inquire into that for which there is no way to attain it, nor should one fall short of investigating that which can be attained. And since this is so, who is this, and where is he, who can boast of being a faithful man?
Metzudat David
"Stone and stone" [i.e., differing weights] — one who makes two weight-stones, a large one and a small one, shows the large one but weighs with the small one — behold, both of them are an abomination to Hashem, for even the large one was made only to deceive, and not to weigh with.
Metzudat Zion
'Ephah' — the name of a measure containing three se'ah.
Malbim
"Various weights, various measures" (literally, a stone and a stone, an efah and an efah) — This describes a matter that appears evil on its face but is not evil in what is concealed. For example: if the buyer has two stone-weights for weighing money — a large weight and a small weight — and the seller has two efah-measures for measuring, accordingly, the produce he sells — so that if he sells by the small measure, he pays for it with the small weight — then, although in this case he might say "I have made my heart clean," since what he gives is proportionate and fair, nevertheless he cannot say "I am pure from my sin" as far as outward appearance is concerned, for both are an abomination to Hashem — even though the two [dishonest measures] are matched against each other, the stone-weight against the efah-measure. For the Torah warned in general that you shall not have in your pouch a stone and a stone (Deuteronomy 25:13), under any circumstance and with no justification.
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
verse value 2042
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "a·child·is·known" (יִתְנַכֶּר־נָ֑עַר, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·his·deeds" (בְּ֭מַעֲלָלָיו), "a·child·is·known" (יִתְנַכֶּר־נָ֑עַר), "whether·pure" (אִם־זַ֖ךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·whether·right" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root נכר ("a·child·is·known") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'a·child·is·known', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: גַּ֣ם [also] (43) + בְּ֭מַעֲלָלָיו [in·his·deeds] (188) + יִתְנַכֶּר־נָ֑עַר [a·child·is·known] (1000) + אִם־זַ֖ךְ [whether·pure] (68) + וְאִם־יָשָׁ֣ר [and·whether·right] (557) + פׇּעֳלֽוֹ [his·work] (186) = 2042.
Ibn Ezra
"Even," "disguises himself" — the opposite of [plain] recognition; and so: "and he made himself a stranger to them" (Genesis 42:7). And the matter is that he disguises himself from [being known as] a child on account of his deeds. "Whether it be pure" — from sin, "and whether his work be right" — for the foolish child is known and recognized by his folly, whereas this one [the wise child] disguises himself through his good deeds, as though covering himself with them, so that those who observe his deeds will not recognize whether a child did them, since they are so pure and upright.
Ralbag
"Even by his doings" — Behold, even though a person's actions may be found, to the senses, good and upright, it is possible for him to act deceptively in them, so that his actions are outwardly good while his heart is set on evil. And behold, this man is called a 'lad' (na'ar), not a 'king' — meaning that the intellect within him is a servant, not a king.
Metzudat David
"Even by his doings, etc." — that is to say, even a child in years, even at a time when he does his deeds of his own knowledge and not merely as a habit taught by others' commands, is nevertheless able to disguise himself and bring doubt into people's hearts as to whether his deed is pure and upright; for small and great alike are liable to deceive and disguise themselves in their actions so that the truth about them will not be recognized.
Metzudat Zion
'By his doings' — by his deeds, as in 'which was done to me' (Lamentations 1:12). 'Is known' — from the language of 'nechar' and 'zar' (foreign, strange).
Malbim
"Even by his doings (ma'alalav) a child makes himself known, whether his work (po'olo) be pure and whether it be right" — There is a difference between po'al ("deed/work") and ma'alal ("doing"): the ma'alalim are the actions that stem from a person's psychological traits, such as actions that grow out of the trait of pride or of humility, cruelty or compassion, and the like. [Solomon] says: if you see a deed or an undertaking on the part of a child, and you do not know how to discern in what manner he did it, and you also wish to know from this the nature of the child and his future character, you can discern this through his traits and qualities. For example: Moses killed the Egyptian, and said to the wicked man, "Why do you strike your fellow?" — yet it was still not known whether he did this out of love of righteousness and uprightness, or out of a trait of vengeance and pride and the like. Scripture prefaced this by recounting his doings: "And Moses grew up, and went out to his brothers, and looked on their burdens" (Exodus 2:11) — this is his doings and his psychological traits, that he did not clothe himself with haughtiness and pride while he was in the king's court, but rather went out to his brothers, and became like one of them, and observed and shared in their burdens — this indicates his humility, his compassion, and his goodness. And so it became known that the judgment he executed upon the Egyptian was motivated by his uprightness and his love of justice. Likewise Joseph, who brought an evil report about his brothers — Scripture prefaced this by recounting his traits, that he shepherded the flock together with them, and that he was a lad with the sons of Bilhah, deferential to them, serving them, not haughty, not hating them — and that his bringing of the report was out of love for them, so that their father would reprove them. And through his doings, his deed was recognized to be pure and right.
The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Hashem has made even both of them.
verse value 2059
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "ear" (אֹ֣זֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "also·both·of·them" (גַם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·eye" (וְעַ֣יִן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "and·eye" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs); "has·made" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seeing', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֹ֣זֶן [ear] (58) + שֹׁ֭מַעַת [hearing] (810) + וְעַ֣יִן [and·eye] (136) + רֹאָ֑ה [seeing] (206) + יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה [Hashem] (26) + עָשָׂ֥ה [has·made] (375) + גַם־שְׁנֵיהֶֽם [also·both·of·them] (448) = 2059.
Rashi
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, etc. They are His handiwork, and He desires an ear that hears reproof and an eye that sees what will develop.
Ibn Ezra
"Ear," "do not," "bad" — [verses 12-14] are three connected units. Meaning: Hashem made the ear for hearing discipline and the eye for seeing reproof; therefore, "do not love sleep," for the eye was not created to sleep except for a set period, and afterward to see and choose the ways of discipline.
Ralbag
"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye" — Hashem made both of these, too, as instruments for attaining the truth, in opinions and in character. This is because these two senses are the most honored of the senses for deriving from them the first premises, together with the perceptions of sensible things; and they are, besides this, instruments by which a person gathers to himself the wisdom that other people have attained — for through the ear he hears their words and learns from them, and through the eye he sees their words in their books. Therefore these senses are among the greatest of the instruments enabling a person to become complete as a faithful man in character and in opinions — and, along with this, they are also instruments for sin, and this is evident from their nature.
Metzudat David
"The hearing ear" — that is to say, both the physical organ of the ear and the sense of hearing by which it hears, and likewise the physical organ of the eye and the sense of sight by which it sees — did not Hashem create both these organs and senses? And everything Hashem made, He made for His own purpose and for His service.
Malbim
"The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Hashem has made even both of them" — These two senses, sight and hearing, are the most helpful for [gaining] comprehension. And the ear precedes the eye, for first one receives through tradition and hearing, and afterward one sees with his eyes and it becomes clear to him that it is so — for if he does not first hear, he will not understand what he sees. And [only] after hearing and seeing does one come to true understanding, as it is said, "Hear indeed, but do not understand; and see indeed, but do not perceive" (Isaiah 6:9). And concerning this it says that Hashem made these two senses, and also that He made "even both of them," for each is distinct from the other, and a person must use both of these senses for the honor of their Maker: that he hear the words of the Torah and wisdom from the mouth of the sages, and that he see and discern the works of Hashem by way of examining the creatures, as it is said, "For I see Your heavens..." (Psalms 8:4).
Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you shall have bread in plenty.
verse value 2628
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2628 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "sleep" (שֵׁ֭נָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·love" (אַל־תֶּאֱהַ֣ב, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·love" (אַל־תֶּאֱהַ֣ב), "lest·you·be·impoverished" (פֶּן־תִּוָּרֵ֑שׁ), "open" (פְּקַ֖ח). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·eyes" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs); "do·not·love" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs); "be·sated·with·bread" (root שבע, 28x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root ירש ("lest·you·be·impoverished") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lest·you·be·impoverished', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַל־תֶּאֱהַ֣ב [do·not·love] (439) + שֵׁ֭נָה [sleep] (355) + פֶּן־תִּוָּרֵ֑שׁ [lest·you·be·impoverished] (1036) + פְּקַ֖ח [open] (188) + עֵינֶ֣יךָ [your·eyes] (160) + שְֽׂבַֽע־לָֽחֶם [be·sated·with·bread] (450) = 2628.
Rashi
lest you become poor Heb. תורש you become poor (רש).
Ibn Ezra
"Open your eyes" — from sleep, for then you will be sated with bread. And observe the buyer, who says of the merchandise, "bad, bad!" and disparages it, so that he may buy it cheaply; but once he has gone off by himself with the purchase, then he boasts and glories in himself, saying that he knows how to buy something fine — and in truth it is so, for there is gold and abundant pearls for the one who has "lips of knowledge," who knows the business of trade.
Ralbag
"Love not sleep" — Do not be lazy and love sleep after the manner of the lazy, for this will be the cause of your losing your wealth and becoming poor; but if you open your eyes with diligence, you will be satisfied with bread and pleasant sustenance in matters of opinion. Whereas through laziness, not only will you fail to attain perfection, but even the starting points that you already possess from sense-perception you will lose and destroy, and you will derive no benefit from them.
Metzudat David
"Lest you come to poverty" — for during sleep you cease from labor. "Open" [your eyes] — open your eyes to lessen the closing of the eyes in sleep, and then you shall have bread in plenty; and this is said as a parable regarding engagement in Torah study.
Metzudat Zion
'Lest you come to poverty' — from the language of 'rash' (destitute) and poor. 'Open' (pakeach) — opened (patuach), as in 'his eyes are opened' (Job 27).
Malbim
"Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you shall have bread in plenty" — Its plain sense speaks by way of a parable: that the gathering of wealth requires diligence and alacrity, and one who loves sleep comes to poverty, and one who shuts his eyes in sleep will not have his fill of bread. This is borrowed from the figure of speech that a drunkard is never satisfied. But from the phrase "open your eyes" it is clear that there is a deeper, figurative sense [melitzah] in it, for the verb pakach ("to open") is not said of the opening of the eyes of sight, but only of the opening of the eyes of the intellect. And one finds this figurative "sleep" even at a time when a person is awake and his physical eyes are open — if his spiritual soul is asleep and the slumber of the physical has fallen upon it, and the eyes of his intellect are shut from looking toward God. This connects to what is said, "The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, Hashem has made even both of them" (Proverbs 20:12) — for in saying "even both of them," there is a hint that the ear and the eye each have a twofold aspect: that there is also a spiritual ear and an intellectual eye, concerning which the language of "hearing" is used for the understanding of the intellect, and "hearing the voice of God," and the language of "seeing" is used for the seeing of the intellect, [as in] "and my heart saw much wisdom and knowledge" (Ecclesiastes 1:16) — and Hashem made even both of them, in that through sight and hearing in the external, physical sense, one also hears and sees in the internal, intellectual sense. And just as it is not good if a person always sleeps and does not engage his physical ear and eye — for then he will come to poverty and his body will not have its allotted bread in plenty — so too must one open his eyes, for the opening spoken of here is essentially concerning the spiritual eyes: that if he loves the sleep of the intellect, he will come to poverty and lose the possession of the soul, which is Torah and wisdom; but if he opens the eyes of his intellect, then his soul will be satisfied with its allotted bread, through which he will live the eternal and spiritual life.
’It is bad, it is bad’, says the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasts.
verse value 1520
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֝֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "bad" (רַ֣ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·buyer" (הַקּוֹנֶ֑ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 270: bad, bad. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·buyer" (הַקּוֹנֶ֑ה), "and·going·away" (וְאֹזֵ֥ל), "boasts" (יִתְהַלָּֽל). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "bad" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "says" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·buyer', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: רַ֣ע [bad] (270) + רַ֭ע [bad] (270) + יֹאמַ֣ר [says] (251) + הַקּוֹנֶ֑ה [the·buyer] (166) + וְאֹזֵ֥ל [and·going·away] (44) + ל֝֗וֹ [to·him] (36) + אָ֣ז [then] (8) + יִתְהַלָּֽל [boasts] (475) = 1520.
Rashi
“It is bad, it is bad,” says the buyer If one acquires Torah through poverty and the pains of hunger, he says, “Woe is to me for this evil and for this trouble,” but when he goes away full of wisdom... then he boasts about the pain he suffered. but when he goes away Heb. ואזל, but when he goes away.
Ralbag
"'It is bad, it is bad,' says the buyer" — Behold, the matter of acquiring wisdom is not like that of acquiring other things. For with other acquisitions, since their price is money, it happens that at the time of acquiring that acquisition it seems bad to him while it is still his, and once he no longer has it he considers it good. But the opposite of this is found regarding the acquisition of wisdom, for a person does not consider it good except after he has attained it. And so it is said: there is gold, and an abundance of rubies, but there is no precious vessel like lips of knowledge — for other acquisitions are esteemed on account of their superior value, but this is not so with lips of knowledge, for they are good above all things, and they are what direct, in the fullest sense, toward finding desirable things, since in this way the opinions of others are gathered to a person. And it is possible that the intent here is that one who attains some of the intelligibles that serve as an introduction for him will then praise all the intelligible acquisitions that he had previously disparaged; and it would seem that this praise is what is meant by 'there is gold, and an abundance of rubies, but a precious vessel are lips of knowledge' — for they lead to the acquisition of something more delightful than gold and than abundant fine gold.
Metzudat David
"'It is bad, it is bad'" — such is the way of one who acquires the wisdom of Torah through suffering and hardship: he complains at the time about the difficulty of the hardship, but afterward he boasts to himself about the suffering he endured, for "according to the effort is the reward".
Metzudat Zion
'He is gone' — an expression of going/departing, as in 'the waters are gone from the sea' (Job 14).
Malbim
"'It is bad, it is bad,' says the buyer" — He states, in the way of the world, that a buyer who comes to purchase something will say of the item that it is bad; but after he has bought it, and it has passed out of the seller's possession into his own, then he praises the item he bought. This is because at first he was weighing the price being asked for the item, which is also "bad" in his eyes to pay out, so he says it is bad relative to its price; but after he has already paid its price, then it rises in his esteem, since he bought it for a great price. And all of this is a parable corresponding to what was said above, "do not love sleep," for Torah is acquired through little sleep and little pleasure. And even though at first, at the time of acquiring wisdom, one says "it is bad, it is bad" — because he reckons against it the price he must pay for it, namely the labor of the body and the forgoing of sleep and pleasure — afterward, once he has acquired wisdom, he praises it. And [the next verse] explains his words further.
There is gold, and a multitude of rubies; but the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.
verse value 2412
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 2412 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "there·is" (יֵ֣שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·a·multitude·of·rubies" (וְרׇב־פְּנִינִ֑ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 310: there·is, valuable. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·a·multitude·of·rubies" (וְרׇב־פְּנִינִ֑ים), "and·a·vessel·of" (וּכְלִ֥י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "lips·of·knowledge" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "and·a·multitude·of·rubies" (root רב, 26x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·a·multitude·of·rubies', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יֵ֣שׁ [there·is] (310) + זָ֭הָב [gold] (14) + וְרׇב־פְּנִינִ֑ים [and·a·multitude·of·rubies] (448) + וּכְלִ֥י [and·a·vessel·of] (66) + יְ֝קָ֗ר [valuable] (310) + שִׂפְתֵי־דָֽעַת [lips·of·knowledge] (1264) = 2412.
Metzudat David
"There is gold" — behold, there is enough gold in the world, and many rubies; since, then, there is much of them, they are not so valuable. But "the lips of knowledge" are like a precious vessel — that is, like vessels made from precious stones, whose value is great both intrinsically and because of the craftsmanship of their form, and which are things not commonly found.
Metzudat Zion
'Rubies' — these are pearls, gems (margaliyot).
Malbim
"There is gold" — For this acquisition that he acquired through his labor, namely "lips of knowledge" (for the definition of da'at, knowledge, is that he has, from wisdom, a clear knowledge, like something grasped through the senses — to which reference was made above in the phrase "the seeing eye and the hearing ear Hashem has made," as mentioned; and through opening his eyes he attains "lips of knowledge," meaning a clear knowledge, which is da'at, and that it be so familiar to him as to come readily "from the lip outward" — for it is consistently explained that "lips" allude to da'at) — behold, "lips of knowledge" is a very precious vessel, the like of which there is none in the world. For if one purchased and paid a price of gold and pearls, this is not so precious, for there is much gold in existence and there are many pearls, and they are plentiful in the world; but "lips of knowledge" is a precious vessel that is not found at all.
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger; and hold him in pledge that is surety for an alien woman.
verse value 1400
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Verse gematria: 1400 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "stranger" (זָ֑ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "take·his·garment" (לְֽקַח־בִּ֭גְדוֹ, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "take·his·garment" (לְֽקַח־בִּ֭גְדוֹ). The root נכרי appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "take·his·garment" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'stranger', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Take" — seize it as a pledge; it is in the imperative form.
Ralbag
"Take his garment" — Behold, whoever stands surety for a stranger — that is, one who is drawn after the faculty that is aroused to bodily desires — strip him of all his possessions, to exact payment from him. For the intellect is the guarantor on behalf of 'the stranger' and on behalf of 'the alien woman,' who is the desiring soul, as was stated earlier, at the beginning of this book: 'take his pledge, to exact payment' — for the intellect is the one who receives the punishment, in that it attains no pleasure from these repugnant acts, as was stated before.
Metzudat David
"Take his garment" — take as a pledge the garment of the guarantor, and you shall not be at fault in this, for he made himself a guarantor for the stranger of his own accord, and thereby subjugated himself to this. "And hold in pledge" — [as for] "an alien woman," he repeats the matter, to say: whether one stood surety for a man or on behalf of a poor, storm-tossed woman, [the law is the same].
Metzudat Zion
'Hold him in pledge' — an expression of collateral, as in 'if you take a pledge at all' (Exodus 22:25).
Malbim
"Take his garment, that is surety for a stranger" — There is a difference between a "stranger" [zar] and an "alien" [nochri]: * A "stranger" [zar] may even be from this land, when he is not one of his household or from his town, * whereas an "alien" [nochri] is from another land. He states: * If he is surety for a stranger [zar], take his garment, but do not touch his body if he has nothing; * but if he is surety for an alien woman [nochriyah], take him himself in pledge, for he has transgressed more. And it has a symbolic meaning [nimshal], hinted at by the word "alien woman" [nochriyah] — for according to the parable she is a "strange harlot," as in, "to guard you from the strange woman, from the alien woman who flatters with her words" (Proverbs 7:5). And according to the symbolic meaning, this and that speak of false beliefs and the beliefs of idol worshippers — for one who holds false wisdoms in place of the wisdom of Torah and ethics plays the harlot with a stranger. And here he alludes to it by the term "suretyship" [arvut], for the guarantor takes upon himself responsibility for the borrower; so too he takes upon himself responsibility for the external belief with which he consorts, to roll off from it every creditor who presses claims against it with difficulties and doubts: * And he who is surety for a "stranger" [zar] — that is, a view that lies outside the wisdom of Torah and its roots (but nevertheless is not "alien," in that it contains no idolatrous belief or foreign worship) — one shall take from him his garment, the garment of glory and ornaments of gold that Israel wore at Mount Horeb, * but he who is surety for the "alien woman" [nochriyah], which is idol worship and foreign gods, they shall take him himself in pledge, for then he is cut off from the congregation of Hashem, and his portion goes over to the alien one to whom he sold himself in suretyship; and therefore this verse comes a second time further on (Proverbs 27:13).
Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sweet" (עָרֵ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "will·be·filled·his·mouth" (יִמָּֽלֵא־פִ֥יהוּ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "will·be·filled·his·mouth" (יִמָּֽלֵא־פִ֥יהוּ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "bread·of" (root לחם, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עָרֵ֣ב [sweet] (272) + לָ֭אִישׁ [to·the·man] (341) + לֶ֣חֶם [bread·of] (78) + שָׁ֑קֶר [lie] (600) + וְ֝אַחַ֗ר [and·afterward] (215) + יִמָּֽלֵא־פִ֥יהוּ [will·be·filled·his·mouth] (182) + חָצָֽץ [gravel] (188) = 1876.
Rashi
Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man Adultery with a married woman. but afterwards his mouth will be filled with gravel Heb. חצץ, fine pebbles. Similarly, (Lam. 3:16): “And He has made my teeth grind on gravel (בחצץ).”
Ibn Ezra
"Sweet," "bread of falsehood" — [referring to one] who testified falsely for its sake.
Ralbag
"Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man" — At the start of one's consideration of it, it is as if to say: if a person errs and imagines that there is no reward and punishment — but afterward, that pleasant food will turn to gravel for him, having no benefit for nourishment, and along with this his teeth, with which he eats it, will be broken.
Metzudat David
"Sweet" — stolen food is sweet to a man's palate, but in the end it turns in his mouth into gravel that breaks the teeth and does not satisfy — that is, his flesh shall continue to grow lean instead of fat.
Metzudat Zion
'Is sweet' — an expression of sweetness, as in 'and the offering...shall be pleasant to Hashem' (Malachi 3:4). 'Gravel' — fine stones, as in 'he has broken my teeth with gravel' (Lamentations 3:16).
Malbim
"Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man" — According to the parable: one who eats bread of falsehood, that is, bread that comes through robbery, deceit, fraud, and the like — at first it seems sweet to his mouth, for it comes to him without labor; but afterward his mouth shall be filled with gravel and arrows, for he will be punished by the judges or by the hand of Heaven. And according to the symbolic meaning, this continues from above: one who clings to external beliefs, heresy, and sectarianism desires to have food for the appetite of his soul. Behold, this bread that feeds his spiritual soul — which is "bread of falsehood," from false beliefs — at first seems sweet to his palate, as it says, "For the lips of a strange woman drip honey" (Proverbs 5:3); but afterward his mouth shall be filled with gravel and arrows — firebrands and the death of the soul. And his "mouth" alludes to wisdom, meaning that it is full of false wisdom, which are arrows to the spiritual soul.
Every purpose is established by counsel; and with good advice carry on war.
verse value 2751
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "make" (עֲשֵׂ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·strategies" (וּ֝בְתַחְבֻּל֗וֹת, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·counsel" (בְּעֵצָ֣ה), "and·in·strategies" (וּ֝בְתַחְבֻּל֗וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "make" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root מלחמה ("battle") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'is·established', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַ֭חֲשָׁבוֹת [thoughts] (756) + בְּעֵצָ֣ה [in·counsel] (167) + תִכּ֑וֹן [is·established] (476) + וּ֝בְתַחְבֻּל֗וֹת [and·in·strategies] (854) + עֲשֵׂ֣ה [make] (375) + מִלְחָמָֽה [battle] (123) = 2751.
Rashi
Plans with counsel will be established, and with strategies wage war If you come to wage war against Satan, come with strategies of repentance, prayer and fasting.
Ibn Ezra
"Purposes," "is established" — every plan is established through counsel that one takes with his companion, or [it means] what he intended to do becomes confirmed.
Ralbag
"Plans are established by counsel" — Behold, the conflicting thoughts that come to a person, on account of which he becomes confused about the matter — behold, complete counsel that settles this for him establishes for him the correct thought. And this happens when he gathers all these thoughts and distinguishes the correct from the incorrect through thorough investigation and extensive deliberation. And if it happens that there are two conflicting thoughts, wage war with strategies against the thought that removes the person from his perfection, and by this you will be delivered from the confusion in these great matters, which the conflicting thoughts that arise in them bring about, causing confusion regarding them. Or he may mean by this, concerning the thoughts that lead a person to sin: wage war against them with counsel that you understand, and with strategies, in a way that subdues those evil thoughts.
Metzudat David
"Purposes [established] by counsel" — plans made through the counsel of advisers will be firm and will endure; and if you wage war against someone, wage it with abundant strategy, for certainly your opponent, too, has many plans made by counsel — and therefore it is necessary to act with all the more wisdom.
Malbim
"Purposes are established by counsel, and with wise guidance make war" — We have already explained this above (12:14), that the entire multitude of thoughts a person thinks about the various possible options are called "thoughts" (machashavot), and they are like a rushing torrent of water. And when he chooses one among the possible options to act upon in accordance with the goal, it is called "counsel" (etzah), and then the thoughts have a foundation and a basis and no longer drift about on the wings of the wind. This is the meaning of "Purposes are established by counsel" — for this, one piece of counsel suffices. In war, however, one needs "wise guidance" (tachbulot), which is the linking together of many counsels, because the one fighting against you also has counsels of his own. And there we explained that this is why in war it is good to have many advisors, so that they may advise on the various strategies for every direction from which the enemy might turn. And we have already explained above (15:22) the verse "Without counsel purposes are frustrated, but in the multitude of counselors they are established" — that if counsel is not kept secret it will not reach its goal, and so one also needs many advisors so that they may advise also on how the counsel might be spoiled through the revealing of the secret. Therefore it says here:
He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore meddle not with the one who opens wide his lips.
verse value 2855
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "reveals·secret" (גּֽוֹלֶה־סּ֭וֹד, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "reveals·secret" (גּֽוֹלֶה־סּ֭וֹד), "and·to·one·who·opens·wide" (וּלְפֹתֶ֥ה), "meddle" (תִתְעָרָֽב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "his·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "walking·of" (root הלך, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'slander', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: גּֽוֹלֶה־סּ֭וֹד [reveals·secret] (114) + הוֹלֵ֣ךְ [walking·of] (61) + רָכִ֑יל [slander] (260) + וּלְפֹתֶ֥ה [and·to·one·who·opens·wide] (521) + שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו [his·lips] (796) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִתְעָרָֽב [meddle] (1072) = 2855.
Rashi
with one who divulges secrets, one who gossips, or with one who entices with his lips who speaks smoothly to seduce you and entice you.
Ibn Ezra
"And one who opens wide [his lips]" — [meaning] one whom others have enticed [to talk]. "Do not meddle" — for he will reveal your secret, since he is the talebearer.
Ralbag
"One who reveals a secret" — Do not associate with one who reveals a secret and goes about as a talebearer, for this is a cause of great harm in political/communal affairs; nor with one who speaks foolish words and incites with his lips to turn you away from the good path. And it is possible that by this he means: one who reveals the secret concerning the confusion present in conflicting thoughts that arise at the outset [of an inquiry], from which one must escape by counsel that one weighs carefully and by strategies — such a person is at the level of one who goes about as a talebearer, who ruins the world through his talebearing. So too, this one brings confusion into the hearts of people whose understanding is too limited to emerge from it, and thereby brings upon them great loss in their beliefs. Therefore, be careful not to associate with one who opens his lips wide to speak of these matters, for in these inquiries there is such danger that a person should not permit himself to investigate them with another, nor even by himself, except at a time when the true beliefs — both the Torah-based and the speculative — have become firmly established in his heart, for then he will escape this danger.
Metzudat David
"'Reveals secrets,' etc." — do not mix and associate with one whose nature is to reveal secrets and who cannot restrain himself from concealing anything; nor with one who goes about as a talebearer with deliberate intent; nor with one whose words are foolish, who, on account of foolishness, reveals a secret unwittingly.
Metzudat Zion
'The one who opens wide his lips' — from the language of 'peti' (simpleton) and fool. 'Meddle' — from the language of 'ta'arovet' (mixture).
Malbim
"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore meddle not with the one who opens wide his lips" — Since the essential thing is the counsel, and it is spoiled through the revealing of the secret, one must be very careful of those who habitually reveal secrets. These are three: 1) one who by his nature reveals secrets and is not trustworthy in spirit; 2) one who goes about as a talebearer, for it is also his way to reveal secrets through his talebearing; 3) "one who opens wide his lips" — one who speaks foolish words with his lips, and out of his habit of talking excessively will not guard his secrets, because of his foolishness. With all of these, do not meddle, for through them your counsel will be spoiled.
Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in the blackest darkness.
verse value 1688
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "his·lamp" (נֵ֝ר֗וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·pupil·of" (בֶּאֱשׁ֥וּן, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "curses" (מְ֭קַלֵּל), "his·lamp" (נֵ֝ר֗וֹ), "in·pupil·of" (בֶּאֱשׁ֥וּן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·father" (root אב, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words.
Rashi
If one curses...his lamp will flicker in the blackest darkness When the darkness becomes blacker and blacker—when evil befalls him.
Ibn Ezra
"His lamp" — alludes to his soul; "shall be extinguished" corresponds to "he shall surely be put to death." "In the blackest darkness" — a doubled expression; meaning that he will die in darkness, or the darkness is a metaphor for troubles.
Ralbag
"Whoever curses his father or his mother" — Whoever curses his father or mother, his lamp will be extinguished, and he will remain in the blackness of darkness. And this is so because this prevents him from receiving moral instruction from them, and this is a cause that withholds from him all perfection — besides which, this is something that accustoms him not to recognize the good done by one who has done him good, and who was the cause of his existence and his upbringing in some way; and from this he will proceed further, to the point of denying Hashem, who created him and from whom all the good things that came to him flowed — besides which, this is something that will corrupt the order of society, for a person will not be moved to do good to another except because of his hope that the other will recognize the good he has done him.
Metzudat David
"His lamp shall be put out" — his soul shall be extinguished in the blackness of darkness; that is, when the day of reward comes, the time when the soul of the righteous shall shine — and since he compared the soul to a lamp, he compared the reward to the time when a lamp's light is needed.
Metzudat Zion
'Shall be put out' — an expression of springing and leaping, as in 'they are extinguished like a fire of thorns' (Psalms 118:12); and it refers to the extinguishing of a lamp, for the flame is repelled and springs off the wick. 'In the blackest' — an expression of blackness and darkness; and so too, 'in the blackness of night' (above, Proverbs 7).
Malbim
"Whoever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in the blackest darkness" — One who curses his father and mother, his parents, may be depicted in two ways. 1) A man for whom life is a burden, who thinks in his heart that the evils in the world outweigh the good (as the Guide [Moreh Nevuchim] cited that this was the view of certain sects), and that therefore existence is for the bad and non-existence would be better for him; and he curses his father and mother, who were the cause of his existence in this evil life. Of him it says that "his lamp shall be put out in the blackest darkness," for a person's lamp is his fortune (mazal) and his success shining upon his head, and even one whose lamp is dim or extinguished still has some light — like one whose lamp has gone out at night but who sees by the light of the moon, which is the hope that is in the heart of every man. But this man's lamp is put out, and he remains in the blackest darkness with no light of hope or expectation at all, as it is written, "the lamp of the wicked shall be put out," and "the wicked shall be silent in darkness." And there is another manner in which one curses his father and mother: on account of the inheritance, wanting them to die sooner so that he may inherit their estate quickly, and therefore the lives of his parents are burdensome to him. And of this it says [this verse].
An estate may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but its end shall not be blessed.
verse value 2897
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "at·the·beginning" (בָּרִאשׁוֹנָ֑ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "gotten·hastily" (מְבֹהֶ֣לֶת), "at·the·beginning" (בָּרִאשׁוֹנָ֑ה), "will·be·blessed" (תְבֹרָֽךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·the·beginning', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words.
Rashi
An inheritance may be acquired hastily in the beginning Which one hastened to take hurriedly, e.g. the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben, who hastened to take their share on the other side of the Jordan, and they spoke hastily, as it is said (Num. 32:16): “We want to build sheepfolds for our cattle here and cities for our children.” They made the main thing of secondary import, for they placed their flocks before their children. but its end will not be blessed For they were exiled many years before the rest of the tribes, as is explained in Seder Olam (ch. 22), and in the Midrash of Rabbi Tanhuma (see Mattoth 7): “In the second year of Ahaz, the Lord aroused the desire of the king of Assyria, etc. (I Chron. 5:26),” but the rest of the tribes were exiled in the sixth year of Hezekiah, which is the ninth year of Hoshea the son of Elah.
Ibn Ezra
"Gotten hastily at the beginning" — through robbery. "And its end" — that being stolen, it will not be blessed. And the meaning is: the rains of blessing will not fall upon it. And it is written "mevuchelet" with a chet, to convey that an inheritance gained through robbery is despised and abhorred to Hashem — from [the root of] "she loathed it."
Ralbag
"An estate hastily gotten" — Behold, the success of an inheritance is hasty at the outset, for it comes to a person immediately and without labor; therefore you find that its end shall not be blessed, because since the heir did not labor for it, it is not precious in his eyes, and he does not strive much to preserve it, and in this way he easily destroys his inheritance — and this is a very well-known fact regarding inheritance and estates. Now, he has drawn attention here to the fact that the acquisitions of wisdom for which a person labors more in attaining them are more precious than the concepts that are attained with ease, and the achievement that comes from them is greater; whereas those who wish to attain understanding without labor, investigation, and diligence — behold, its end shall not be blessed, for this will cause them to err in their understanding, and they will not acquire success from them but rather the opposite.
Metzudat David
"An estate [gotten] hastily" — an estate that comes to a man at first in haste, hurriedly and suddenly — although its owners rejoice in it, behold, its end shall not be blessed, for the evil eye has power over it, and there is no sign of blessing in it.
Malbim
"An estate may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but its end shall not be blessed" — For money from inheritance or from a chance find has no blessing in it, as our Sages, of blessed memory, said; for only an acquisition that comes through effort is blessed, not one that comes by chance. And all the more so an inheritance that comes before its time, which is like the manner of a chance find, is not blessed, for two reasons: 1) because it is an inheritance; 2) because it is gotten hastily at the outset, before its time. Therefore "its end shall not be blessed," and in this manner he will have no success with his inheritance.
Say not you: ‘I will requite evil’; wait for Hashem, and He will save you.
verse value 1921
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָֽךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "I·will·requite·evil" (אֲשַׁלְּמָה־רָ֑ע, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "I·will·requite·evil" (אֲשַׁלְּמָה־רָ֑ע), "wait" (קַוֵּ֥ה), "and·will·save" (וְיֹ֣שַֽׁע). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "do·not·say" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·requite·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַל־תֹּאמַ֥ר [do·not·say] (672) + אֲשַׁלְּמָה־רָ֑ע [I·will·requite·evil] (646) + קַוֵּ֥ה [wait] (111) + לַ֝יהֹוָ֗ה [to·Hashem] (56) + וְיֹ֣שַֽׁע [and·will·save] (386) + לָֽךְ [to·you] (50) = 1921.
Ibn Ezra
"Do not" — the heh of "ashalemah" [I will requite] is joined by a maqaf to the resh of "ra" [evil], and so the interpretation is: do not say [that you intend] to repay evil to those who do evil to you. "Wait for Hashem" — for He has the power to repay him, and He will save you from their hand.
Ralbag
"Do not say, I will repay evil" — to one who has done me evil, for this is not the way of a faithful man, for he does not desire to do evil; rather, hope for Hashem, and He will save you from the hand of your enemies. And do not ask of Him to do evil to them, but rather that He save you, for this is the request that is fitting for you, without harm coming to another.
Metzudat David
"'I will requite evil'" — [one might think to say this] regarding one who has transgressed against me, so that he not continue further to transgress against me. "Wait" — rather, wait for Hashem, and He will save you from the hand of those who come to transgress against you.
Malbim
(20:22-23) "Say not you: 'I will requite evil'..." "...an abomination to Hashem, a stone and a stone..." — If a person has wronged you in commerce, deceiving you and selling you counterfeit merchandise, do not say that you will pay him back with counterfeit money as he did to you, thinking that in this way your loss will be restored. This is the meaning of "I will requite evil" — do not say so; rather, "wait for Hashem, and He will save you," and He will fill your lack. And [Solomon] brings a parable for this: if he sold to you by a false weight, using "a stone and a stone" (that is, two different weights), and you wish to sell back to him in turn with "balances of deceit," know that "a stone and a stone" are "an abomination to Hashem," and repaying with balances of deceit is likewise not good, for Hashem warned against this in every manner, as we have already said above, "A stone and a stone, an efah and an efah, both alike are an abomination to Hashem."
Various weights are an abomination to Hashem; and a false balance is not good.
verse value 1463
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "stone" (אֶ֣בֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·scales·of" (וּמֹאזְנֵ֖י, 6 letters). The root אבן appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "not·good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "the·abomination·of" (root תועבה, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·stone', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת [the·abomination·of] (878) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + אֶ֣בֶן [stone] (53) + וָאָ֑בֶן [and·stone] (59) + וּמֹאזְנֵ֖י [and·scales·of] (114) + מִרְמָ֣ה [deceit] (285) + לֹא־טֽוֹב [not·good] (48) = 1463.
Ralbag
"An abomination to Hashem" — Behold, "divers weights are an abomination to Hashem" means: if you have differing weights among your measures, to treat some people according to one standard and others according to a different standard — rather, it is fitting that you treat all of them by one standard, namely, the pursuit of goodness, uprightness, and perfection. Therefore it is not fitting that your desire be to harm some of them and to benefit others, but rather your aim should be to benefit all of them, and by this you will walk in the ways of Hashem. For this reason too, it is not good in the eyes of Hashem to weigh with false balances, that is, to use differing weights with which to weigh.
Metzudat David
"Divers weights" (lit. "a stone and a stone") — a large weight-stone and a small one: he shows the large one, and weighs with the small one. "And a balance" — balances made in order to deceive with them, to weigh less than is due, are not good in the eyes of Hashem; and he repeats the matter in what he stated, [for emphasis].
A man’s goings are of Hashem; how then can man look to his way?
verse value 883
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "and·man" (וְ֝אָדָ֗ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "steps·of·man" (מִצְעֲדֵי־גָ֑בֶר, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "steps·of·man" (מִצְעֲדֵי־גָ֑בֶר), "how·will·he·understand" (מַה־יָּבִ֥ין). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "his·way" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "how·will·he·understand" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'steps·of·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מֵיְהֹוָ֥ה [from·Hashem] (66) + מִצְעֲדֵי־גָ֑בֶר [steps·of·man] (419) + וְ֝אָדָ֗ם [and·man] (51) + מַה־יָּבִ֥ין [how·will·he·understand] (117) + דַּרְכּֽוֹ [his·way] (230) = 883.
Ibn Ezra
"Of Hashem," "a snare" — [verses 24-25] are two connected units. "His steps" — the steps that he takes in walking. "But man" — does not understand the time of his going, until Hashem leads him and causes him to dwell [as He wills] — for "the steps of a man are from Him"; and He sets a snare in his walking for the one who utters rashly and [then] eats what is holy; and after he has been snared, he takes vows, [resolving] to inquire in the morning like a fool — [then] he shall be delivered from the snare. And "utters rashly" (yala) is related to "your swallowing" (bilekha) — as in "they gulp (ye'al'u) blood" — like "swallows" (yivla).
Ralbag
"A man's steps are from Hashem" — Behold, a man's steps on the path he walks are from Hashem, for divine assistance must accompany him at every single step. "And how can a man understand his way?" — by himself, if divine assistance does not accompany him — behold, his way is not in man's [control]. And this is evident in political/practical matters, for many times obstacles arise on his path, or aids that he did not anticipate; and this is even more evident in speculative matters, for even though some of the principles [of knowledge] are derived from the senses, their acquisition, and the attainment of each investigation, and the paths and orders that guide him to it, are not completed except through what flows to them from Hashem, may He be exalted — as we explained in our commentary on the Book of the Soul [Sefer HaNefesh] and on Song of Songs, and in the first treatise of the Book of the Wars of Hashem (Milchamot Hashem).
Metzudat David
"Are of Hashem" — the steps of a man's feet are from Hashem, but as for man himself — "how can he understand his way"? That is, he does not know it at all, similar to "and what are we?" (Exodus 17).
Metzudat Zion
'Goings' — from the treading of the foot, as in 'and it came to pass, when they marched' (II Samuel 6).
Malbim
"A man's goings are of Hashem; how then can man look to his way?" — I have already explained (above, 16:9) that although the choice of which way to go is in man's hand — to go right or left — nevertheless, since the movement of the feet comes from Hashem and His power, He can withhold it from man's hand so that he does not go in the way he chose (as it is written, "A man's heart deviseth his way, but Hashem directeth his steps"). If so, how can man understand his own way? For even though it seems to him that his way is good, and he agrees to the good way according to his own understanding, it is of no avail, since the essential matter depends on the hand of Hashem, who completes the deed — and this is hidden from man many times, for he will sometimes see an obstruction in his way that seems to him to be for the bad, when in truth "his steps are of Hashem." And how can man, whose understanding is too limited to grasp it, understand?
It is a snare to a man rashly to say: ‘Holy’, and after vows to make inquiry.
verse value 1856
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָ֭דָם, 3 letters) and the longest is "vows" (נְדָרִ֣ים, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "speaks·rashly" (יָ֣לַע), "holy" (קֹ֑דֶשׁ), "vows" (נְדָרִ֣ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'holy', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מוֹקֵ֣שׁ [snare·of] (446) + אָ֭דָם [man] (45) + יָ֣לַע [speaks·rashly] (110) + קֹ֑דֶשׁ [holy] (404) + וְאַחַ֖ר [and·after] (215) + נְדָרִ֣ים [vows] (304) + לְבַקֵּֽר [to·make·inquiry] (332) = 1856.
Rashi
When a man is trapped, he impairs his sanctity Heb. ילע. When a man stumbles and is trapped in sins, he impairs his sanctity, as in (Obadiah verse 16) “and they shall drink and be stunned (ולעו).” and he must seek vows Man must seek sacrifices to vow and to bring and to beg for his life.
Ralbag
"A snare" — a person, through his sin, swallows up and destroys the holiness that flows to him from Hashem, for He causes it to flow to all who are prepared to receive it. And this [sin] is the reason to examine, consider, and investigate — regarding vows — what was the cause that prevented them from reaching the goal intended for them. And this is because, were it not for his snare, which caused his intentions to fail, his thoughts would be sound and his vows would be fulfilled.
Metzudat David
"A snare to a man" — the stumbling-block, the snare of transgression, destroys the holiness of man; and his remedy is to make inquiry regarding vows and to sacrifice to Hashem, to seek [atonement] for his soul.
Metzudat Zion
'Rashly' — an expression of ruin and confusion, as in 'therefore my words have been rash' (Job 6:3). 'To make inquiry' — an expression of examination and investigation, as in 'it shall not be examined' (Leviticus 13).
Malbim
"It is a snare to a man rashly to say: 'Holy', and after vows to make inquiry" — Among the snares in which a man is trapped is the transgression of the lips, as it is written, "In the transgression of the lips is an evil snare." A man must guard his lips from preparing a snare for himself. One of these snares is if he rashly says "Holy" — if he hastens to consecrate something without considering carefully. And likewise a person who makes inquiry after his vows and multiplies his vows will easily stumble — whether in the consecrated item, by trespassing against it, or in his vow, by delaying it.
A wise king sifts the wicked, and turns the wheel over them.
verse value 1640
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "king" (מֶ֣לֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "wicked" (רְ֭שָׁעִים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·turns" (וַיָּ֖שֶׁב), "over·them" (עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם), "wheel" (אוֹפָֽן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "king" (root מלך, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מְזָרֶ֣ה [sifts] (252) + רְ֭שָׁעִים [wicked] (620) + מֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (90) + חָכָ֑ם [wise] (68) + וַיָּ֖שֶׁב [and·turns] (318) + עֲלֵיהֶ֣ם [over·them] (155) + אוֹפָֽן [wheel] (137) = 1640.
Rashi
scatters the wicked Pharaoh and his host. The Wise King The Holy One, blessed be He. and turns the wheel over them The wheel of their traits He turned over them. “And drove it heavily (Ex. 14:25),” corresponding to (ibid. 8: 11) “and he made his heart heavy.”
Ibn Ezra
"Sifts" — to oppress them; and he has already brought the wheel of a cart over them to thresh them, meaning he crushes them, and afterward removes them from before him.
Ralbag
"[A wise king] sifts [the wicked]" — Behold, the wise king — the wicked fear him and scatter here and there, and the wheel of the chariot which they had turned in order to go and destroy others, he turns back upon them, until they are caught in the net that they hid, and fall into the pit they dug. And it is possible that the intent of "a wise king" is the one who rules over man, namely the intellect; and with his wisdom he winnows and scatters the wicked, who are the possessors of corrupt opinions, and he causes them to turn back from those opinions and not complete the path to which they were turning, and by this he saves them from this great evil. And this he does either for himself, if he himself had begun to be drawn toward and take pride in these opinions, or for another, by guiding him to recognize where he errs in them.
Metzudat David
"Sifts" — it is the way of a wise king to scatter the wicked, so that they not be gathered in one company to sweeten wicked counsel [among themselves]; and he repays them measure for measure — like a wheel that turns and returns to its place, so does the punishment return upon the deed, so that they be chastised.
Metzudat Zion
'Sifts' — an expression of scattering, as in 'He who scattered Israel will gather him' (Jeremiah 38). 'The wheel' (ofan) — wheel (galgal).
Malbim
(20:26-27) "A wise king sifts the wicked..." "...the lamp of Hashem..." — Flesh and blood, even the wisest of men, if he wishes to ascertain the truth and determine whether the wicked have committed some sin or not, needs stratagems: by scattering the wicked and separating them, seating each one in a separate confinement, and there imposing upon them a manner that was a kind of torment, whereby they would torture the sinner so that he would confess his deeds — they would roll a wheel [device] over his body, and out of the greatness of the pain he would be forced to confess. And since it could be that out of the suffering he might confess to a falsehood, [the king] would scatter the suspected wicked, each into a separate cell, and torment them by the manner [of the wheel] that he brought back upon them repeatedly, until he ascertained the truth. But Hashem, blessed be He, has no need of these stratagems, for the soul of man is "the lamp of God" that shines for Him to know by it in the secret places of darkness — with this lamp He searches all the chambers of the belly to know all hidden things, as it is said: "And if you say, 'Who testifies against me?' — a person's own soul testifies against him."
The spirit of man is the lamp of Hashem, searching all the inward parts.
verse value 1832
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·lamp·of" (נֵ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·chambers·of·belly" (כׇּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "breath·of" (נִשְׁמַ֣ת), "searching" (חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ), "all·chambers·of·belly" (כׇּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'man', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: נֵ֣ר [the·lamp·of] (250) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + נִשְׁמַ֣ת [breath·of] (790) + אָדָ֑ם [man] (45) + חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ [searching] (388) + כׇּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן [all·chambers·of·belly] (333) = 1832.
Rashi
Man’s soul is the Lord’s lamp The soul in his midst testifies concerning him in judgment.
Ibn Ezra
"The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man" — by way of metaphor, for the soul is emanated from His light, and its resting place is from above, and from there it gives light to the spirit and to the soul through its intellect, and they are illumined by its light; therefore it is called "His lamp," as though it searches within the chambers of the belly — and this alludes to the heart, which is the chamber of thoughts. Another interpretation: "the lamp of Hashem" — alludes to the light of his intellect; that is, "the lamp of God searches the soul of man" and searches all the chambers of the belly; and Hashem, when He searches the heart of the king and knows what the heart of the wicked is thinking, then He sends His kindness and truth to guard the king from distress, and Hashem supports his throne, on account of the kindness that the king performs.
Ralbag
"The lamp of Hashem" — In order to explain who this king is, he stated that the soul of man — which is the intellect — is the lamp of Hashem, and it searches all the depths among existing things, to grasp their secret insofar as possible, with the help of Hashem (may He be blessed), by virtue of the light and splendor He causes to shine upon it; through it, it will grasp the truth of speculative matters.
Metzudat David
"The lamp of Hashem" — just as it is the way of a man to search in the darkness by means of a lamp, so does Hashem search all the thoughts of the innermost chambers by means of the soul of man, for it knows everything and testifies concerning him in judgment.
Mercy and truth preserve the king; and his throne is upheld by mercy.
verse value 1216
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "mercy" (חֶ֣סֶד, 3 letters) and the longest is "preserve·king" (יִצְּרוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "preserve·king" (יִצְּרוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ), "and·supports" (וְסָעַ֖ד). The root חסד appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'preserve·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: חֶ֣סֶד [mercy] (72) + וֶ֭אֱמֶת [and·truth] (447) + יִצְּרוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ [preserve·king] (396) + וְסָעַ֖ד [and·supports] (140) + בַּחֶ֣סֶד [in·the·mercy] (74) + כִּסְאֽוֹ [his·throne] (87) = 1216.
Ralbag
"Mercy and truth preserve the king" — For through the kindness that he does for his people, their hearts will be drawn to him, and this is like a support for his throne, for through this they will exalt him over themselves and raise him up, and they will submit to his service; and through truth the establishment of the people and the kingdom will be perfected. Now he has thereby alluded to the king that rules over man, mentioned earlier, and he has pointed out through this that it is not the intent of one who seeks perfection to destroy his body and afflict his flesh, as the fools think; rather, he must show kindness by attending to the health of his body and his limbs, and through this he will be preserved, and the proper assistance will come to him from them, for when they become ill, he too becomes ill, in that they will then be unable to render him the proper service he needs from them in the matters he investigates. And in this manner too his throne and his elevation over them will be strengthened, for they will serve him out of love; but if he burdens them with his yoke so that they cannot bear it, this will be a cause for rebellion against him.
Metzudat David
"Mercy and truth" — which the king performs, preserve him, for through this his friends multiply and guard his life. "And is upheld" — through the mercy that he performed, the throne of his kingdom is supported, to stand firm in its place.
Malbim
"Mercy and truth preserve the king; and his throne is upheld by mercy" — his words are founded upon the words of his father (Psalms 61:8): "Mercy and truth, may they preserve him." * Truth is what is done according to the line of strict justice, * and mercy is what is done out of the attribute of mercy, And: * When the king conducts himself only by the attribute of truth, he is not properly guarded, for the bitter of soul, upon whom he poured out the wrath of judgment, will attack him; but if at times he relents out of mercy, the people will love him. * Likewise, if he conducts himself only with mercy, the fear of judgment will not fall upon them, and in this too he will not be secure, "But mercy and truth" — if he conducts himself with both of them, they preserve the king, to the point that he needs no other guard for his head besides them. And also with regard to governance, which is attributed to the throne — although the essence of the throne is established upon justice, nevertheless it will not stand on justice alone, and it is necessary also to conduct oneself at times with mercy; and this is what upholds the throne, so that it endures. And as an example, what is stated in Isaiah (Isaiah 9:6): "to establish it and to uphold it, with justice and with righteousness" — see there.
The glory of young men is their strength; and the beauty of old men is the hoary head.
verse value 2154
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "their·strength" (כֹּחָ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "young·men" (בַּחוּרִ֣ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "young·men" (בַּחוּרִ֣ים), "their·strength" (כֹּחָ֑ם), "and·beauty·of" (וַהֲדַ֖ר). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root הדר ("and·beauty·of") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת [glory·of] (1081) + בַּחוּרִ֣ים [young·men] (266) + כֹּחָ֑ם [their·strength] (68) + וַהֲדַ֖ר [and·beauty·of] (215) + זְקֵנִ֣ים [old·men] (207) + שֵׂיבָֽה [age] (317) = 2154.
Rashi
The glory of young men is their strength Just as the glory of young men is their strength, so is the beauty of elders their hoary head.
Ibn Ezra
"Glory," "stripes" — [verses 29-30] are two connected units. "Stripes" — [wounds] by which a person becomes marked/bound.
Ralbag
"The glory of young men" — Behold, just as the glory of young men is their strength, for then — that is, in the days of youth — they are at the height of the greatness of vigor, so too the glory of the wise is the attainment of old age for them, for then true opinions become settled in their hearts, for the reasons we mentioned previously.
Metzudat David
"Glory" — just as the strength of young men is a glory to them, so is the gray hair of old men an adornment to them.
Malbim
(29-30) "The glory of young men is their strength," etc.; "wounds and bruises," etc. — he says: Behold, the seminal fluid is the strength of the body, and one who guards this strength and engages in intercourse only at the proper time, with the proper partner, in the proper manner, preserves his strength in his youth, and old age does not spring upon him before its time; but one who chases after illicit relations loses his strength in his youth, and old age springs upon him. And if he wears himself away through transgression to excess, external wounds and internal pains come upon him. And this is what it says: behold, young men glory in their strength that is preserved in them; and also "the beauty of old men" is the gray hair — for old age that comes before its time is not beautiful, only if it comes together with gray hair, which is the old age that comes about through the cause of graying and length of days. But conversely, "it is worn away through evil" — meaning the wearing-away and dissolving of the powers of his body through evil, which is licentiousness and the spilling of seed, for this is called "evil," as it says, "And Er, Judah's firstborn, was evil in the eyes of Hashem" — bruises and wounds come upon him from without, for bruises and a wound together are dangerous, as it says in Isaiah 1; and also blows to the chambers of the belly come upon him, so that the stomach, the intestines, the appetite for food, and the organs of digestion become damaged.
Sharp wounds cleanse away evil; So do stripes that reach the inward parts.
verse value 3379
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "bruise" (פֶּ֭צַע, 3 letters) and the longest is "chambers·of·belly" (חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "bruises·of" (חַבֻּר֣וֹת), "bruise" (פֶּ֭צַע), "a·cleansing" (תַּמְר֣וּק). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root חבר ("bruises·of") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root פצע ("bruise") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words.
Rashi
Contusions and wounds come for outpouring in evil Our Sages expounded: Whoever “pours himself” out into sinful things, will ultimately come to wounds and contusions. and plagues in the innermost parts This is dropsy.
Ibn Ezra
"A wound" — from which blood comes out. "Cleansing" (tamruk) — of the same sense as "her ointments" (tamrukeha), "they have furbished the spears" (mareku), "it shall be scoured and rinsed" (moraq ve-shutaf), and it is of the pattern of "tagmul" [recompense]; that is, just as the glory of young men is their strength, and the hoary head of old men, through wisdom, is their splendor by which others honor them, so the stripes of a wound are likewise a glory, serving as a "cleansing" for an evil man, removing his evil ways; and likewise blows that reach the chambers of the belly — they are the "cleansings" of the wicked.
Ralbag
"Bruises of a wound" — Behold, some ills cannot be healed except by something harmful; and this is seen in that the cleansing and purging of the bruises of a wound occurs through something harmful, as if to say that something is placed on them which consumes the flesh, so that it will be exposed and there will be a place from which the pus can emerge; and with blows that expose the inner chambers of that wound, in order to cleanse all its putrefaction. And it is likewise fitting, correspondingly, to conduct oneself in the healing of the illnesses of character traits and opinions, for one who possesses an inferior character trait will be healed of it by accustoming himself to act in the opposite of that disposition, and the opposite of all its components, so that he will be cleansed of it completely; and even though the opposite of that disposition is also improper, he should conduct himself with it until his illness departs. And similarly, one who holds corrupt opinions needs to examine all the sources that directed him toward this error, and depart from them; and even though it may happen from this that he will need to investigate matters that it is not the way of man to investigate, one who comes to heal him, in order to remove his illness from him, will not refrain from this.
Metzudat David
"Wounds" (lit. "bruises, a wound") — the bruises and wounds are what purify a wicked man, removing from him the turbidity of sin, for through these he receives his punishment and the sin departs. "And blows" — also blows in the innermost chambers purify the sin.
Metzudat Zion
'Cleanse away' — an expression of cleansing and brightening, as in 'the spears are polished' (Jeremiah 46).
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim