The king's heart is in the hand of Hashem as the watercourses — He turns it wherever He will. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Hashem than sacrifice, and there is no wisdom and no counsel against Hashem.
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The king’s heart is in the hand of Hashem, as the watercourses: He turns it wherever He will.
verse value 1291
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "desires" (יַחְפֹּ֣ץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "channels·of·water" (פַּלְגֵי־מַ֣יִם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "heart·of·king" (לֶב־מֶ֭לֶךְ), "in·the·hand·of·Hashem" (בְּיַד־יְהֹוָ֑ה), "upon·all·that" (עַֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·hand·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "heart·of·king" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "upon·all·that" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·hand·of·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: פַּלְגֵי־מַ֣יִם [channels·of·water] (213) + לֶב־מֶ֭לֶךְ [heart·of·king] (122) + בְּיַד־יְהֹוָ֑ה [in·the·hand·of·Hashem] (42) + עַֽל־כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר [upon·all·that] (651) + יַחְפֹּ֣ץ [desires] (188) + יַטֶּֽנּוּ [turns·it] (75) = 1291.
Ibn Ezra
"Watercourses" — missing a kaf [of comparison]. "Wherever He desires" — Hashem inclines the heart of the king.
Ralbag
"Channels of water" — Behold, the heart of the king and his will are in the hand of Hashem, like channels of water which can be diverted to wherever is desired; so Hashem inclines the heart of the king to whatever He desires. Now he has thereby pointed out that the actions of the king and his thoughts are determined by Hashem, and that he is like an agent of Hashem in what he does regarding the affairs of the kingdom; and all of this is from the rightness of divine wisdom, for if the king's action in these matters were given over entirely to his own choice, in the manner of one whose actions are given over to his own choice, this matter would be an extraordinary danger to the people under that king. And therefore Hashem did not leave this entire governance to the king, for "the high one watches over the high one" (Ecclesiastes 5:7). And for this reason Elihu said, "from a hypocrite's reigning, from the snares of the people" (Job 34:30), as if to say that it is because of their snares that a hypocrite comes to reign. And for this reason Hashem attributes to Himself the judgment that comes from the judges, in saying, "for I will not justify the wicked" (Exodus 23:7), as we explained there. Now the primary intent of this statement is to point to the king that rules over man, mentioned earlier, and he informed us thereby that there is no sin in it itself, for its desire is always, of itself, toward the good; and therefore he said that the will of the king is in the hand of Hashem, like channels of water, to incline it to whatever He desires; sins, however, occur to man on account of the other faculties.
Metzudat David
"Watercourses" — just as channels of water are in the hand of man, to divert them to the desired place by digging trenches, so is the heart of the king in the hand of Hashem, to divert it wherever He wishes.
Metzudat Zion
'The watercourses' — a water conduit.
Malbim
"Streams of water — the king's heart is in the hand of Hashem" — although the heart of an individual person is given into his own domain, and free choice is in his hand, this is not so for the heart of the king, since the wellbeing of the community depends upon his choices; and if he chooses an evil path he will destroy many and mighty ones. Therefore this collective heart of his is in the hand of Hashem, and with regard to matters of the community he is devoid of choice. And it is likened to streams of water: for the waters, as they descend from ancient mountains and from many sources, gather together and become a flowing river... Therefore people take pains to dig a channel for them and divert them to the places that need them, and to straighten them and turn them away from places that do not need them — and all the more so from places that they would damage and flood — since this is a need of the community. So too the heart of the king: since from his actions the affairs of the community branch out — whether toward the rod or toward mercy, whether toward war or toward peace — they are in the hand of Hashem, and He inclines them according to His will, in the governance of the community. If they are meritorious He inclines it for good, and the reverse if not. And He does not wait to change the completed outcome of the king's action according to His will; rather, already at the very start of the heart's inclination He turns it to His will, just as streams of water are diverted at the very start of their branching off.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes; But Hashem weighs the hearts.
verse value 2183
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "straight" (יָשָׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "every·way·of·man" (כׇּֽל־דֶּרֶךְ־אִ֭ישׁ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "every·way·of·man" (כׇּֽל־דֶּרֶךְ־אִ֭ישׁ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "every·way·of·man" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "in·his·eyes" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כׇּֽל־דֶּרֶךְ־אִ֭ישׁ [every·way·of·man] (585) + יָשָׁ֣ר [straight] (510) + בְּעֵינָ֑יו [in·his·eyes] (148) + וְתֹכֵ֖ן [and·weighs] (476) + לִבּ֣וֹת [hearts] (438) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2183.
Rashi
Man’s every way is straight in his own eyes, but the Lord counts Heb. ותכן.
Ibn Ezra
"Every," "doing" — [verses 2-3] are two connected units. Interpretation: "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes" — [but] Hashem sees, and He weighs the hearts, to accomplish His will; therefore we understand accordingly, and "his eyes" allude to his intellect; and the doing of righteousness and justice is more chosen by Hashem than an altar-offering.
Ralbag
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes" — For in each of the ways some good can be found — whether beneficial, or pleasant, or honorable, or triumphant, or other matters he considers to be good; but the One who straightens hearts and rectifies them so that they reach the true good is Hashem, for in attaining this good, and in the treading toward it, divine assistance is needed, because of the multitude of obstacles that hinder man from treading toward it, since it is not possible to attain it except by means of the emanation that flows from Hashem.
Metzudat David
"Right in his own eyes" — for he does not see fault in himself. "And [Hashem] weighs" — Hashem is within his heart, and He knows whether his way is right or not.
Metzudat Zion
'Weighs' — from the language of 'toch' (an inner part, midst).
Malbim
"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but Hashem weighs the hearts" — above (16:2) it said, "Every way of a man is pure in his own eyes, but Hashem weighs the spirits." There, "pure" is the opposite of dross, and "right" is the opposite of crookedness. Straightness pertains to understanding, and the straight way is the shortest way between two given points — for example, the way of humility, generosity, and compassion is the straight way. But sometimes one must act in the opposite manner, such as with pride and cruelty toward the enemies of Hashem, and a person errs in this according to the inclination of his heart, imagining that this is "straight" because his heart and his will incline toward it. But Hashem weighs the hearts, and He knows the character of the heart and levels its circuits. And there is one who does not err and walks in straightness, but is not pure — meaning, he acts for the sake of external motives — and this depends on the spirit, which impresses its images upon the heart, for the spirit is deeper than the heart. Therefore it says there, "Hashem weighs the spirits."
To do righteousness and justice Is more acceptable to Hashem than sacrifice.
verse value 1382
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "to·do" (עֲ֭שֹׂה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·justice" (וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "than·sacrifice" (מִזָּֽבַח). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "to·do" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "and·justice" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·justice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֲ֭שֹׂה [to·do] (375) + צְדָקָ֣ה [righteousness] (199) + וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט [and·justice] (435) + נִבְחָ֖ר [is·chosen] (260) + לַיהֹוָ֣ה [to·Hashem] (56) + מִזָּֽבַח [than·sacrifice] (57) = 1382.
Ralbag
"To do righteousness" — The performance of uprightness and justice in political and speculative matters is more preferred by Hashem than the offering of a sacrifice, for these things confer perfection intrinsically; whereas a sacrifice, even though it contains allusions toward acquiring perfection, as we explained in our commentary on the words of the Torah, does so only by way of hint and sign, not intrinsically. And he has also alluded, in this verse, to what Samuel pointed out in saying, "Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, to hearken than the fat of rams" (I Samuel 15:22), and to what Solomon said, "and to draw near to hear is better than the fools' giving of sacrifice" (Ecclesiastes 4:17). And the intent of this is that one who conducts himself with righteousness and justice, in that he keeps the ways of the Torah, is more preferred by Hashem than one who sins and offers a sacrifice for his sin.
Metzudat David
"To do" — the doing of righteousness and justice is more preferred in the eyes of Hashem than the bringing of a sacrifice.
Malbim
"To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Hashem than sacrifice" — because they used to think that the bringing of sacrifices was, in itself, service pleasing to Hashem, and so they exerted themselves and multiplied the bringing of sacrifices. And the prophets already rebuked much concerning this, to show that sacrifices are not ends in themselves but only means — for through them one displays the submission of being ready to sacrifice oneself and give up one's life for the sanctity of Hashem, and to heed His words and His commandments, which He commanded concerning justice and righteousness — which include the commandments between man and his fellow and between man and the Omnipresent, and that is the end. If so, doing righteousness and justice is more acceptable than sacrifice, since sacrifice is only a means to them, and the end is preferable to the means. And it also comes to explain what he said (Proverbs 21:2), "Every way of a man is right in his own eyes..." — for the man who multiplies the bringing of sacrifices imagines that he has fulfilled the commandments of Hashem, but in truth this is not the straight way, which is the shortest way; rather, this is a long way to reach the city — that is, justice and righteousness. For the shortest way is for him to do justice and righteousness themselves, without the roundabout way, which is the sacrifices — for the act itself is not what is desired, but rather the heart, the thought, and the intention; concerning this it said, "...but Hashem weighs the hearts."
A haughty look, and a proud heart— The tillage of the wicked is sin.
verse value 1962
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. Verse gematria: 1962 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "tillage·of" (נִ֖ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "haughtiness·of·eyes" (רוּם־עֵ֭ינַיִם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "haughtiness·of·eyes" (רוּם־עֵ֭ינַיִם), "and·wide·of·heart" (וּרְחַב־לֵ֑ב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·wide·of·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: רוּם־עֵ֭ינַיִם [haughtiness·of·eyes] (426) + וּרְחַב־לֵ֑ב [and·wide·of·heart] (248) + נִ֖ר [tillage·of] (250) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + חַטָּֽאת [sin] (418) = 1962.
Rashi
Haughty eyes A haughty spirit. and unlimited lust The desire to satisfy the lusts of his heart; that is the tillage of the wicked. Their “plowing” and their thoughts is their sin.
Ibn Ezra
"Haughty" — of the pattern of "sug"; that is, "haughty" [describes one] who raises his eyes in pride, the opposite of "downcast eyes." "And a wide heart" — that he widens it to endure troubles, and fears Hashem. "Tillage" — missing a yod, and its sense is that the wicked tills and plows in order to commit sin — this is the matter of all three of them.
Ralbag
"Haughtiness of eyes" — Behold, one who lifts up his eyes to examine what human capacity is not meant to attain — even though he is broad of mind, and by virtue of his breadth of mind he is equipped to grasp deep inquiries — this very examination is the "tillage of the wicked" in evils and their plowing, in that they do not first consider where it will lead them in the inquiry, and whether it is possible for them to grasp its truth or not; and this is a sinful deficiency, not a gain and an increase in the level of intellect, as it is said, "Be not overly wise; why should you be desolate?" (Ecclesiastes 7:16).
Metzudat David
"Haughty eyes" — it is the way of the arrogant to raise their eyes upward, unlike the humble, who lower their eyes down to the ground. "And a broad heart" — this refers to the seeking of many pleasures and the desire for them. "The tillage of the wicked" — are not these things the thoughts of the wicked? And they are accounted as sin.
Metzudat Zion
'Tillage' — an expression of plowing, as in 'plow for yourselves a plowing' (Jeremiah 4); and it is used metaphorically for thought, just as the language of plowing is borrowed for it, as it is written, 'do not plow (plot) evil against your neighbor' (above, Proverbs 3).
Malbim
"Haughty eyes, and a proud heart" — "haughty eyes" is when a person becomes arrogant through theoretical reason, imagining that he grasps everything and rendering judgment on matters that are above human understanding and on what lies beyond nature; through this he arrives at heresy and denial of the Divine. "A proud heart" is when one's heart desires without limit, and there is no end to his desires. Both of these are "the tillage of the wicked is sin" — the "tillage" (nir) is what is plowed in a field in order to uproot the thorns and remove everything that hinders the seed from sprouting. Now the wicked sow sin in the furrows of their heart, but it is possible that the seed will not grow, whether through theoretical reason or through practical reason. But "haughty eyes" is the plowing that clears away theoretical reason as an obstacle — that is, it removes the restraint that would otherwise come through one's fearing Hashem and understanding His truth — and "a proud heart" is the plowing that clears away practical reason as an obstacle, for the desire of the heart drives him toward sin.
The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; But every one who is hasty hastens only to want.
verse value 2269
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "diligent" (חָ֭רוּץ, 4 letters) and the longest is "only·to·need" (אַךְ־לְמַחְסֽוֹר, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "only·to·advantage" (אַךְ־לְמוֹתָ֑ר), "and·all·hasty" (וְכׇל־אָ֝֗ץ). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'only·to·advantage', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת [thoughts·of] (756) + חָ֭רוּץ [diligent] (304) + אַךְ־לְמוֹתָ֑ר [only·to·advantage] (697) + וְכׇל־אָ֝֗ץ [and·all·hasty] (147) + אַךְ־לְמַחְסֽוֹר [only·to·need] (365) = 2269.
Rashi
The plans of a diligent man Heb. חרוץ, an honest man who walks in truth and according to the established judgment. lead only to advantage They come to prosperity and profit. whereas every hasty one One who forces the time.
Ibn Ezra
"Thoughts" — [refers to] a diligent man. "Only to surplus" — that he has advantage/gain through his engaging in commerce; but [this phrase] serves only to diminish [in comparison with] the deeds of the wicked mentioned [above]. "And every hasty one" — similar in sense to "hasty of feet," who rushes toward evil; because want comes upon him, he is hasty and hurried — and this too serves only to diminish the surplus of the diligent.
Ralbag
"The thoughts of the diligent" — Behold, the thoughts of the diligent and the zealous person, all of which are determined and derived from the very outset of the matter when he begins his actions, all tend toward gain and an increase of good, for he conducts his affairs according to what is proper, and therefore he attains the goals toward which he is directed. But anyone who hastens to perform his actions without investigation and deliberation as to whether it is proper for him to do them or not, and how it is proper to do them — nothing will come to him from them except deficiency, not gain and increase of good. And it is as if he has thereby explained that, regarding the broad-minded man who lifted his eyes to examine what is not fitting, the cause of his error in this was that he was hasty in this inquiry, without first ascertaining whether attaining it is possible, and how.
Metzudat David
"Tend only [to plenteousness]" — there is nothing futile in them, but they bring some gain. "And every one who is hasty" — one who rushes in his actions — there is no gain in them, but rather they bring some additional loss.
Metzudat Zion
'Diligent' — industrious and upright. 'Hasty' — an expression of speed, as in 'and it did not hasten to come' (Joshua 10:13).
Malbim
"The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty" — "the diligent" (charutz) is one who is swift in his actions; yet nevertheless, among the conditions of diligence is thought and deliberation, that one should not do anything out of urgency, but should first consider every possible aspect, and do it in the best way, the way closest to gain. And even though through this he delays in his action, he will always attain a surplus thereby, because through this he chooses the best means to the goal. But every one who rushes (atz) — that is, who presses the moment and the matter to act at once, without consideration or thought — always [comes] only to want, for swiftness, although it is good in action, is not good in thought, which requires delay and forethought beforehand.
The getting of treasures by a lying tongue Is a vapor driven to and fro; they [that seek them] seek death.
verse value 2934
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. Verse gematria: 2934 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "getting·of" (פֹּ֣עַל, 3 letters) and the longest is "seekers·of·death" (מְבַקְשֵׁי־מָֽוֶת, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "treasures" (אֹ֭צָרוֹת), "in·tongue·of" (בִּלְשׁ֣וֹן), "vapor" (הֶ֥בֶל). 7 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lie', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: פֹּ֣עַל [getting·of] (180) + אֹ֭צָרוֹת [treasures] (697) + בִּלְשׁ֣וֹן [in·tongue·of] (388) + שָׁ֑קֶר [lie] (600) + הֶ֥בֶל [vapor] (37) + נִ֝דָּ֗ף [driven] (134) + מְבַקְשֵׁי־מָֽוֶת [seekers·of·death] (898) = 2934.
Rashi
Gathering treasures to increase wealth. with a lying tongue is like a driven vapor, etc. They are snares of death (seekers of death) for him.
Ibn Ezra
"Getting," "robbery," "froward" — [verses 6-8] are three connected units. And so it is: "he gets" [wealth] for himself — that he acquires the wealth of treasures by means of a lying tongue, [meaning] one who testified falsely. "A vapor driven" — the gain of the multitude will vanish, or the gain itself is called "vapor," because it is gathered through vanity and falsehood; therefore it will be driven away, and they [who do so] are "seekers of death," those who testify falsely; and likewise "robbery" — that they rob others and place the plunder in their treasuries — He shall saw them off, from [the root of] "sawed things" — "with a saw" — meaning He shall break them.
Ralbag
"The getting of treasures" — This is frequent in speculative/theoretical matters that proceed from a false premise: the premise upon which they are founded is vapor and a fleeting thing that cannot possibly endure at all, and the "treasures" [built upon it] are seekers of death and loss, for paths of life are not attained through them; they themselves are vapor and a thing without [true] existence, and therefore loss of the soul and destruction come from them.
Metzudat David
"The getting [of treasures]" — one who gathers treasures by means of a lying tongue — these are a fleeting vapor, for they shall not endure in his possession; and they [who seek them] shall further seek death, for these treasures are a cause of death by their means.
Metzudat Zion
'Driven to and fro' — an expression of pushing and being driven, as in 'the wind drives it away' (Psalms 1).
Malbim
"The getting of treasures" — one who produces treasures by means of a lying tongue, that is, through false testimony, through forging documents, through counterfeiting coins, and the like — even though he thereby produces treasures, it is vanity (hevel) in itself, for there is no substance in these treasures; and it is "driven" (nidaf), in that it does not endure, for a wind will drive it away; and the treasures belong to "those who seek death," for at the time his forgery becomes known he becomes liable to death.
The violence of the wicked shall drag them away; Because they refuse to do justly.
verse value 2545
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "havoc·of·wicked" (שֹׁד־רְשָׁעִ֥ים, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "havoc·of·wicked" (שֹׁד־רְשָׁעִ֥ים), "will·drag·them" (יְגוֹרֵ֑ם), "refuse" (מֵ֝אֲנ֗וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs); "to·do" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "judgment" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·drag·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: שֹׁד־רְשָׁעִ֥ים [havoc·of·wicked] (924) + יְגוֹרֵ֑ם [will·drag·them] (259) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + מֵ֝אֲנ֗וּ [refuse] (97) + לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת [to·do] (806) + מִשְׁפָּֽט [judgment] (429) = 2545.
Rashi
The plunder of the wicked frightens them Heb. יגורם, [like] יגור אותם.
Ralbag
"Violence" — The wicked, in their opinions, are those from whom the thoughts and premises that direct one toward truth have been plundered, to the point that this became the cause of their holding false views at the level of first principles. This error binds them in its bondage and prevents them from finding the truth in what follows from those premises, and this was a cause of their erring in all matters. This loss befell them in their opinions because they were unwilling to exercise proper judgment in their inquiry into the premises, in a manner that would let them settle upon truth.
Metzudat David
"The violence" — the robbery itself shall bring fear upon them, because they refused to do justice, to return the stolen goods to their owners.
Metzudat Zion
'Shall drag them away' — from the language of 'magor' (dread) and fear; and so too, 'the dread of the wicked' (above, Proverbs 10).
Malbim
"The violence of the wicked shall drag them away" — he already said above, "the dread of the wicked — it shall come upon him" (Proverbs 10:24), that the wicked person is always afraid. Here he explains that the plunder and the ruin prepared to come upon them will terrify them, for their heart foretells to them what is destined to come upon them, because they refused to act justly, [choosing] only plunder and murder. And it may be said that this refers back to what he said, that one "who produces treasures" by "a lying tongue" is "a vapor driven away" belonging to "those who seek death" — that through this the plunder comes to befall them, and they stumble into it. It may also be explained that "shod" (plunder) is related to the sense of "shoded" (plunderer) — that on account of what they plunder, they themselves become filled with dread, for the transgression casts fear upon the one who commits it.
The way of man is froward and strange; But as for the pure, his work is right.
verse value 1682
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "way·of" (דֶּ֣רֶךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "crooked" (הֲפַכְפַּ֬ךְ, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "crooked" (הֲפַכְפַּ֬ךְ), "and·strange" (וָזָ֑ר), "and·pure" (וְ֝זַ֗ךְ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "straight" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·strange', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲפַכְפַּ֬ךְ [crooked] (205) + דֶּ֣רֶךְ [way·of] (224) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + וָזָ֑ר [and·strange] (213) + וְ֝זַ֗ךְ [and·pure] (33) + יָשָׁ֥ר [straight] (510) + פׇּעֳלֽוֹ [his·work] (186) = 1682.
Rashi
A man’s way is changeable and he is strange A man who is strange, turning away from the commandment—his way is changeable.
Ibn Ezra
"Froward" — is a descriptive term for a "way," and it is the opposite of straight/upright; that is, "froward" is the way of a man, and [also] the way of a stranger.
Ralbag
"The way of man is froward and strange" — Because of this, the way of each of them is froward and strange when they examine what follows from [false] premises, for they are forced to confuse their own inquiry and posit things that are strange and contrary to the truth, in order to safeguard their [false] roots and premises. But the man who is pure and free of error in his roots and premises has no need to distort his examination of what follows from the premises; he need only proceed with honesty and righteousness.
Metzudat David
"Froward" — one who turns about in his deeds, at one time thus and at another time the opposite: at one time he has his own way, and at another time he is estranged from the way; but the pure man's work is right at all times, without change.
Malbim
"The way of man is froward and strange" — this refers back to what was said above, explaining the reason that "the violence of the wicked shall drag them away": because they refused to act justly, "the way of man" is froward and strange to them. That is to say: man is founded by his nature to walk in the way of justice, and not to rob or do violence, and to love truth and righteousness, and by this people are sustained in political/social order. But these wicked ones, and likewise the possessors of a lying tongue that he mentioned — the way of man that is implanted in him by nature is froward and strange to them, for they walk in a way opposite to the way toward which human nature is disposed: they distance themselves from justice toward plunder, from truth toward falsehood, and the straight way is foreign to them. And through this they come to dread the plunder [that awaits them], for the entire human collective is opposed to these wicked ones whose way is froward and strange. "But as for the pure, his work is right" — "the pure" (zach) is one who is clean of dross, and this term applies to the purity of the desires within practical reason, while "right" (yashar) pertains to theoretical reason. "The pure" pertains to wisdom (chochmah), and "the right" pertains to understanding (binah). One who is not pure in his character traits, and sins against the laws of wisdom, cannot be "right," for desire will turn him from the way of rightness to its opposite — since, because his way is made foreign by desire, he becomes froward; but if he is pure, he will walk in rightness, for understanding is, by nature, in accord with rightness.
It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop, Than in a house in common with a contentious woman.
verse value 2908
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "good" (ט֗וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·corner·of·roof" (עַל־פִּנַּת־גָּ֑ג, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·dwell" (לָשֶׁ֥בֶת). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "and·house·of" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs); "than·woman·of" (root אשה, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·corner·of·roof', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: ט֗וֹב [good] (17) + לָשֶׁ֥בֶת [to·dwell] (732) + עַל־פִּנַּת־גָּ֑ג [upon·corner·of·roof] (636) + מֵאֵ֥שֶׁת [than·woman·of] (741) + מִ֝דְיָנִ֗ים [contentions] (154) + וּבֵ֥ית [and·house·of] (418) + חָֽבֶר [association] (210) = 2908.
Rashi
and the house of a friend That he enters his friend’s house to converse with his wife. And the Midrash Aggadah states: He prophesied that the Shechinah would ultimately leave Israel, who is like a quarrelsome wife. and the house of a friend A house in which they associate friends with the Holy One, blessed be He; for example, the image that Manasseh erected in the Temple of the Lord.
Ibn Ezra
"It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop" — For when the house falls, the corner remains standing, since it is the strength of the structure; and it is better to dwell on it alone, enduring the wind, than enduring a contentious woman. "Chaver" [shared/joined] — is a noun, for the adjectival form would be accented on the last syllable (milra), meaning "a house of her companionship," that is, that he would have a house in which to join together with her.
Ralbag
"It is better to dwell" — It is better for a man to dwell alone in the corner of a roof, without shelter, buffeted by storm, rain, and downpour, than to dwell with a contentious woman — even though in that latter case he is in a house with a whole gathering of people around him — for it is very hard to bear the contentiousness of a woman. And he hinted, by this statement, that it is good for a man to have, for his folly [i.e., his mundane, practical deficiencies], help from the woman who was created together with him to serve him, and to remain solitary rather than have some other man assist him in his [intellectual] attainment, with none but her to shield him from hindrances — rather than that the woman created to serve him should be perpetually quarreling with him. For neither of the two can repair what has become twisted between them, and helpers will be of no avail to him unless he is at peace with her, in a way that she submits to serving him. And this is quite clear.
Metzudat David
"In a corner of the housetop" — without shelter from storm and rain, and alone, without the company of people. "Than with a [contentious] woman" — rather than dwelling with a contentious woman, even in a house with the company of people.
Metzudat Zion
'A corner' — corners, angles. 'In common' — a company of people; and so too, 'a company of priests' (Hosea 6).
Malbim
"It is better to dwell" — although it is [generally] good to dwell in a house of company, meaning a house where there is fellowship, with loved ones, companions, and friends, and it is not good to dwell in solitude — nevertheless, one who has a contentious wife, it is not good for him to dwell in a house of company, for she will quarrel with the companions until they turn into enemies toward him, or she will stir up strife between them, or she will disgrace him before them; and then it is better to dwell on a corner of the roof, apart from the companions. And in verse 19 [Solomon] states that it is better to dwell in a desert land than with a contentious and angry wife — for if she is quick to anger, then even dwelling on a corner of the roof within the city is not good, and one must flee from before her to the desert. And this verse is repeated below (25:24), and will be explained there.
The soul of the wicked desires evil; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes.
verse value 2210
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 2210 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "soul" (נֶ֣פֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "desires·evil" (אִוְּתָה־רָ֑ע, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "desires·evil" (אִוְּתָה־רָ֑ע), "not·be·favored" (לֹֽא־יֻחַ֖ן). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "his·neighbor" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'desires·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: נֶ֣פֶשׁ [soul] (430) + רָ֭שָׁע [wicked] (570) + אִוְּתָה־רָ֑ע [desires·evil] (682) + לֹֽא־יֻחַ֖ן [not·be·favored] (99) + בְּעֵינָ֣יו [in·his·eyes] (148) + רֵעֵֽהוּ [his·neighbor] (281) = 2210.
Ibn Ezra
"The soul of the wicked desires it" — to do evil, and his companion finds no favor in his eyes [i.e., he shows his neighbor no favor].
Ralbag
"The soul of the wicked" — Behold, it has been made clear to you that the soul of the wicked desires nothing but evil, for his fellow finds no favor in his eyes; whereas if the way of the wicked were good in his own eyes, it would be fitting for him to love everyone who attaches himself to that way, just as men of virtue love one another.
Metzudat David
"Desires evil" — the wicked man's deeds are not [performed] because he mistakenly thinks his deeds are good; rather, he knows their evil, and yet his soul desires it. Therefore, his neighbor — [even if] wicked like himself — finds no favor in his eyes, unless that neighbor considers it to be good. If so, it would be fitting to love one's neighbor, as is the practice of the righteous.
Metzudat Zion
'Finds favor' — from the language of 'chen' (favor).
Malbim
"The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes" — although the philosopher (choker) explained that love is found between equals, and it would seem fitting that love should be found among the wicked [since they are alike], the Sage explains that the wicked man's fellow finds no favor in his eyes, because "the soul of the wicked desires evil." And this is so for two reasons: (1) every wicked person has an inclination toward a different evil — this one commits adultery, that one steals, and so on — so they are not alike in their desires; (2) even regarding the evil in which he is alike with his fellow, he does not [truly] want the evil, for he knows that it is not approved by the [rational] will and by rational choice; rather, he merely desires the evil, and his desire compels him toward it, even though he knows that it is evil and that it is disgraceful. And therefore his wicked fellow is despised in his eyes, because he knows that he too is a person governed by [base] desire and by evil.
When the scorner is punished, the thoughtless is made wise; And when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge.
verse value 2173
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "to·wise" (לְ֝חָכָ֗ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "becomes·wise·thoughtless" (יֶחְכַּם־פֶּ֑תִי, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "when·punishing·of·scorner" (בַּֽעֲנׇשׁ־לֵ֭ץ), "becomes·wise·thoughtless" (יֶחְכַּם־פֶּ֑תִי), "and·when·instructed" (וּבְהַשְׂכִּ֥יל). The root חכם appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "becomes·wise·thoughtless" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "takes·knowledge" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'becomes·wise·thoughtless', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: בַּֽעֲנׇשׁ־לֵ֭ץ [when·punishing·of·scorner] (542) + יֶחְכַּם־פֶּ֑תִי [becomes·wise·thoughtless] (568) + וּבְהַשְׂכִּ֥יל [and·when·instructed] (373) + לְ֝חָכָ֗ם [to·wise] (98) + יִקַּח־דָּֽעַת [takes·knowledge] (592) = 2173.
Rashi
When a scorner is punished, a fool gains wisdom Through the chastisements of scorners, fools gain wisdom and return [to God] in repentance.
Ibn Ezra
"Be'anosh" [when he is punished] — that the court punishes him, and it is a transitive verb, like "ve'anshu oto" ("and they shall fine him"); or, "be'anosh," in the sense of when punishment is given to him — then the simple person learns wisdom. "U-vehaskil" [and when instructed] — is a transitive verb, acting to give understanding to another. "He receives knowledge" — in his heart.
Ralbag
"When the scorner is punished, the thoughtless is made wise" — When punishment comes upon the scorner for his words of scorn, then the thoughtless one — who is enticed by everything — becomes wise and understands that this way is not good; and when it is seen that the wise man's ways succeed, he then strives to acquire knowledge.
Metzudat David
"When [the scorner] is punished" — at the time punishment comes upon the scorner, if it does not benefit him himself, it benefits the simple person devoid of understanding, for he becomes wise, because he fears for himself. "And when [the wise] is instructed" — but as for the wise man, even when he studies words of wisdom, he himself receives benefit and gains additional knowledge beyond what he already possessed.
Malbim
"When the scorner is punished, the simple is made wise; and when the wise is instructed, he receives knowledge" — above (19:25) he said, "Strike the scorner, and the simple will become shrewd; and reprove one who has understanding, and he will understand knowledge." There is a difference between shrewdness (armah) and wisdom (chochmah): in wisdom one accepts the laws of wisdom in order to conduct himself by them, whereas shrewdness is merely human [practical cunning]. If one strikes the scorner, the simple will become shrewd and will know how to be cautious through cunning; but "when the scorner is punished" — that is, the punishment that comes upon him through the courts or at the hand of Heaven, such that it is recognized that the punishment is on account of the sin — then "the simple is made wise," for then he will accept the laws of wisdom, because then he will understand that there is reward and punishment, and that the laws of wisdom are from God. But the wise man, who has already accepted the laws of wisdom — only that the laws of wisdom are not known with the clear knowledge that things perceived by the senses have, which is called da'at (knowledge) — through the wise man's grasping, by means of the punishments of the scorner, how Hashem punishes measure for measure the one who scoffs at the laws of wisdom (which he attains through the power of intellect, which also comprehends matters of wisdom), he then "receives knowledge," and knows the ways of wisdom with a clear knowledge like the knowledge of things perceived by the senses.
The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked; Overthrowing the wicked to their ruin.
verse value 2746
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "wicked" (רָשָׁ֑ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "considers" (מַשְׂכִּ֣יל, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·house·of" (לְבֵ֣ית), "overthrowing" (מְסַלֵּ֖ף). The root רשע appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "to·the·ruin" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wicked', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: מַשְׂכִּ֣יל [considers] (400) + צַ֭דִּיק [just] (204) + לְבֵ֣ית [to·house·of] (442) + רָשָׁ֑ע [wicked] (570) + מְסַלֵּ֖ף [overthrowing] (210) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + לָרָֽע [to·the·ruin] (300) = 2746.
Rashi
The Righteous One considers The Righteous One of the world sets His heart to destroy the house of the wicked, e.g. the remembrance of Amalek.
Ibn Ezra
"Maskil" [wisely considers] — he teaches understanding to the house of the wicked, like "a man and his house," and "house" alludes to the sons. Another interpretation: "maskil" stands alone [as an intransitive verb], and the sense is: he learns understanding on account of the house of wickedness that the wicked do, and "mesalef" [overturns] is a term of cursing, meaning that Hashem will overturn them and destroy them; and this is correct.
Ralbag
"The righteous man prospers in respect to the house of the wicked" — The righteous man who prospers in the house of the wicked man: this happens either when he dwells in that man's house, for then Hashem blesses that house for the sake of the righteous man; or when this good has clung to the wicked from their forebears, among whom there was a righteous man on whose account good comes to this wicked person. Now this matter becomes a cause for the wicked to be perverted and led onto an evil path, for they think that this good came to the wicked man on account of his wickedness. And by this the thoughtless person likewise errs, for he is persuaded by whatever seems good to him at first thought.
Metzudat David
"The Righteous One considers" — when a righteous man resides in the house of a wicked man, this righteous man causes the house of the wicked man to prosper, for it is blessed on his account; and this becomes a cause leading the wicked astray to do evil, for he thinks that his house was blessed on his own account, and that his deeds are good in the eyes of Hashem.
Metzudat Zion
'Considers' — an expression of success; for one who succeeds in his deeds appears to people as one who acts with intelligence. 'Overthrowing' — twisting/perverting, as in 'and he perverts the words of the treacherous' (below, Proverbs 22).
Malbim
(Proverbs 21:12): "The righteous one considers the house of the wicked" — Even at the time when the house of the wicked stands firmly established in tranquility — which is hinted at by the fact that [Scripture] still calls it "the house of the wicked" [despite its prosperity] — the righteous one considers and contemplates the reason for this: it is because through this [prosperity] He leads the wicked further astray toward evil, so that by this means they go on doing more evil — for had He punished them immediately, they would have been afraid to do evil. It also means to say that through their tranquility their punishment is hastened, as it is written (Deuteronomy 7:10): "and repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them." And this [prosperity] brings about evils, in accordance with most of the reasons given for the prosperity of the wicked — that it is all in order to hasten his ruin and repay his punishment.
Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, He also shall cry himself, but shall not be answered.
verse value 1303
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "he·who·stops" (אֹטֵ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·cry·of·poor" (מִזַּעֲקַת־דָּ֑ל, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "from·cry·of·poor" (מִזַּעֲקַת־דָּ֑ל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "also·he" (root הוא, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·cry·of·poor', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֹטֵ֣ם [he·who·stops] (50) + אׇ֭זְנוֹ [his·ear] (64) + מִזַּעֲקַת־דָּ֑ל [from·cry·of·poor] (651) + גַּֽם־ה֥וּא [also·he] (55) + יִ֝קְרָ֗א [will·cry] (311) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יֵעָנֶֽה [be·answered] (135) = 1303.
Ibn Ezra
"Otem" [stops up] — closes [his ear] from the cry of the poor man who cries out to him because of his oppression. "He also shall cry" — to Hashem, or to people, in his time of distress.
Ralbag
"Whoever stops his ear" — Behold, whoever stops his ear so as not to hear the cry of the poor, to show him favor from what God has placed in his hand — Hashem will return his recompense upon him, reducing him to poverty; he will cry out and not be answered, meaning that people will show him no compassion, and this is measure for measure. And it is possible that he means by this that such a person will also call out to Hashem and cry to Him in his own time of distress, and his prayer will not be heard, for Hashem will deal with him in the same manner that he deals with others.
Metzudat David
"Stops" — Whoever stops his ear from hearing the cry of the poor man who cries out because of his oppressors, his recompense will be that he too will cry out in his time of distress for help, and there will be none to answer him.
Metzudat Zion
'Stops' (otem) — seals up (sotem).
Malbim
"Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor [dal]" — There is a difference between the "dal" and the "rash": the "dal" is one who has become impoverished, losing his possessions, and this usually happens through oppression and violence, and he cries out to the judges to save the oppressed from the hand of his oppressors. And the judge who stops his ears and does not save him, though it is within his power to do so — his punishment will be that he too will be oppressed, and he will cry out and not be answered — whether by the judgment of Heaven, measure for measure, or by the judgment of earth, that just as he did not render justice, so he will be crushed in the gate with no one to save him.
A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a present in the bosom strong wrath.
verse value 1911
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. Verse gematria: 1911 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "gift" (מַתָּ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "subdues·anger" (יִכְפֶּה־אָ֑ף, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·the·secret" (בַּ֭סֵּתֶר), "subdues·anger" (יִכְפֶּה־אָ֑ף), "and·present" (וְשֹׁ֥חַד). 7 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'subdues·anger', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מַתָּ֣ן [gift] (490) + בַּ֭סֵּתֶר [in·the·secret] (662) + יִכְפֶּה־אָ֑ף [subdues·anger] (196) + וְשֹׁ֥חַד [and·present] (318) + בַּ֝חֵ֗ק [in·the·bosom] (110) + חֵמָ֥ה [wrath] (53) + עַזָּֽה [strong] (82) = 1911.
Rashi
A gift in secret Charity. and a bribe in the pocket This too refers to charity. It will appease even strong wrath.
Ibn Ezra
"Yichpeh" [pacifies] — meaning "lowers," like "yichpof" (bends down), like [the paired forms] "shogeg" and "mashgeh," "ha-mechokek" and "mechukah"; and it is a transitive verb, and it stands in place of two [clauses], meaning: "a bribe brought into the bosom," that is, in secret — it "pacifies" strong wrath. And in this interpretation he mentions that if his outcry does not avail him, he will give a gift and a bribe, for these lower the anger and the wrath, since it is their nature to rise up against a person, and the bribe lowers them and calms them.
Ralbag
"A gift in secret" — Behold, the gift that a man gives in secret to someone angry at him subdues the anger and wrath that person holds against him; and the bribe given "in the bosom" — that is, in secret — subdues fierce wrath and quells it.
Metzudat David
"A gift" — He who gives a gift in secret to one whose anger has been kindled against him — behold, this gift will cover over the anger, and it will no longer be seen. "And a bribe in the bosom" — He who gives a bribe in the bosom, meaning in secret, then he thereby subdues fierce and strong wrath. The matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
'Pacifies' — an expression of covering; and in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory: 'He held the mountain over them like an overturned cask' (Shabbat 88).
Malbim
"A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe in the bosom, fierce wrath" — He says that money given in secret is sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. For if it is a "matan" [gift] given in secret — "matan" denoting a gift given not in exchange for anything, such as the money given to a poor person, or the gift given to officers and wealthy men — this pacifies anger: a gift of charity pacifies anger above, and a gift to a judge or officer pacifies anger below. But the money given in secret in order to act through perverting justice and twisting judgment — this is called "shochad" [bribe], given "into the bosom" of the judge — this arouses fierce wrath, whether above, or below, when the matter becomes known to the king of the land.
To do justly is joy to the righteous, But ruin to the workers of iniquity.
verse value 2528
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "iniquity" (אָֽוֶן, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·the·righteous" (לַ֭צַּדִּיק, 5 letters). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·righteous" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "to·do" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "judgment" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'judgment', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: שִׂמְחָ֣ה [joy] (353) + לַ֭צַּדִּיק [to·the·righteous] (234) + עֲשׂ֣וֹת [to·do] (776) + מִשְׁפָּ֑ט [judgment] (429) + וּ֝מְחִתָּ֗ה [and·destruction] (459) + לְפֹ֣עֲלֵי [to·workers·of] (220) + אָֽוֶן [iniquity] (57) = 2528.
Rashi
It is a joy for a righteous man to do judgment It is a joy for the Holy One, blessed be He, to inflict judgment upon the righteous in order to bestow upon them the life of the world to come, for the Holy One, blessed be He, brings pains upon them in order that they merit the world to come. In this manner, it is expounded in Midrash Psalms (3:1). and a ruin It is [a ruin] for those who commit violence Because they do not put their hearts to repent and the pains do not avail them, but they suffer to no avail.
Ibn Ezra
"Joy" — that the joy of salvation comes to him, when he does justice. "And ruin" — comes to the workers of iniquity.
Ralbag
"Joy to the righteous" — When justice and judgment are carried out in the land, this matter is a joy to the righteous man, for then his heart is confident that he will not be caught in the net of the government, since he is careful to avoid doing evil; and this same matter is ruin and terror to the workers of iniquity, for then they greatly fear that they will be punished for the evil of their deeds.
Metzudat David
"Joy" — The righteous man rejoices when he executes justice; and the doing of ruin is a joy to the workers of iniquity.
Metzudat Zion
'But ruin' — an expression of breaking.
Malbim
"To do justice is joy to the righteous, but ruin to the workers of iniquity" — The righteous one is one who conducts himself according to the laws of righteousness, and the "workers of iniquity" are those who engage the strength of the arm to oppress and commit violence, which is the opposite of righteousness. And at the time when Hashem extends the line of judgment, to judge according to one's deeds, or at the time when judgment is executed below by the judges of the land, then the righteous one rejoices, for he desires justice and knows that he will be vindicated when he is judged, while for the workers of iniquity the judgment will be a ruin to them.
The man who strays out of the way of understanding Shall rest in the congregation of the shades.
verse value 1687
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֗ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "shades" (רְפָאִ֣ים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "strays" (תּ֭וֹעֶה), "shades" (רְפָאִ֣ים), "will·rest" (יָנֽוּחַ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·the·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'understanding', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָדָ֗ם [man] (45) + תּ֭וֹעֶה [strays] (481) + מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ [from·the·way·of] (264) + הַשְׂכֵּ֑ל [understanding] (355) + בִּקְהַ֖ל [in·the·assembly·of] (137) + רְפָאִ֣ים [shades] (331) + יָנֽוּחַ [will·rest] (74) = 1687.
Rashi
A man who strays from the way of understanding From the Torah. in the congregation of the shades in the congregation of Gehinnom.
Ibn Ezra
"To'eh" [strays] — for wisdom is the straight path, and one who abandons it strays into evil deeds. "From the way of understanding" — and it ["understanding"] is either an adjective (a descriptive noun) or a verbal noun. "Refa'im" — the dead. "Shall rest" — that he will no longer stray; or, that there his resting place will be, and he will have no portion with the righteous — and this is correct.
Ralbag
"A man who strays" — The man who strays from the way of understanding, erring in his opinions, will come, by his own lot, to rest with the gathering of people who die together in sudden death, dying along with them; or else the meaning is that he belongs to the gathering of people treading the path toward death and destruction, for they rejoice in his opinions, since through them the gates are opened for them to satisfy their desires.
Metzudat David
"From the way of understanding" — from the way of the Torah. "In the congregation" — meaning, after death, when he will be in the congregation of the dead, then he will rest and no longer stray; but all the days of his life he goes on straying more and more each day.
Metzudat Zion
'The shades' — these are the dead, who have grown slack and weakened.
Malbim
"The man who strays from the way of understanding [sekhel] shall rest in the congregation of the shades [refa'im]" — There is a difference between sekhel and chochmah [wisdom] and binah [discernment] and the other faculties of the soul: sekhel is the keen faculty that a person possesses to attain knowledge of divinity, of spiritual matters, and of wonders — things that binah has no way of attaining through syllogisms and proofs, nor that da'at [knowledge] can attain through perception of the senses. And by means of this faculty one attains [an understanding of] Divine providence and all the beliefs that depend upon divinity, and usually the holy spirit [ru'ach hakodesh] accompanies this, and then it is called "good sekhel," as it is written: "and Your good spirit You gave to instruct them" (Nehemiah 9:20). And the man who strays from the way of sekhel strays in matters of divine belief, like one who denies providence, the knowledge of Hashem, His governance, and His wonders — these are the heretics [minim], who have no share in the World to Come and for whom there is no remedy — "and he shall rest in the congregation of the shades," for he descends to Gehinnom.
He who loves pleasure shall be a poor man; He who loves wine and oil shall not be rich.
verse value 2081
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "wine·and·oil" (יַֽיִן־וָ֝שֶׁ֗מֶן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 8: loves, loves. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "wine·and·oil" (יַֽיִן־וָ֝שֶׁ֗מֶן), "will·become·rich" (יַעֲשִֽׁיר). The root אהב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "a·man·of" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "loves" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'joy', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: אִ֣ישׁ [a·man·of] (311) + מַ֭חְסוֹר [need] (314) + אֹהֵ֣ב [loves] (8) + שִׂמְחָ֑ה [joy] (353) + אֹהֵ֥ב [loves] (8) + יַֽיִן־וָ֝שֶׁ֗מֶן [wine·and·oil] (466) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יַעֲשִֽׁיר [will·become·rich] (590) = 2081.
Rashi
shall be a poor man He who loves the joy of always banqueting.
Ibn Ezra
"A man who loves pleasure" — the pleasure of food and drink — he is a man of want. And the meaning is: he will lack everything; and this is [the sense of] "one who loves wine and oil" to consume it "shall not be rich," that is, he will not amass wealth.
Ralbag
"A man of want" — Whoever loves bodily pleasures, delighting in his desires, is a man of want, for through these desires he loses his wealth; and whoever loves wine, and is boisterous in delighting in such things, will likewise not become rich, for the very same reason. And this is the evil that befalls those of this disposition even in bodily matters, to the point that it becomes a cause preventing the man from acquiring any perfection of the soul whatsoever. This too was hinted at in the phrase "a man of want" and in the phrase "shall not be rich," for the most severe want is want of intellect, and the greatest wealth is perfection in the objects of the intellect.
Metzudat David
"A man of want, etc." — He who loves the pleasure of eating and drinking will be a man of want, meaning, lacking in every good thing. "He who loves wine, etc." — The matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
"[He shall be] a man of want" — Whoever loves pleasure so as to rejoice constantly is a man of want, for pleasure does not last continually. Anything over which a person rejoices at first, when he first attains it, will, after he has seen it or possessed it for a few days, no longer bring him joy, and he will want to see in its place something new to give him joy — so he is perpetually lacking. But one who loves wine and oil, to drink and to anoint his flesh with delicacies — this one will not become rich, for his wealth will be consumed; and besides being a man of want, his wealth too will be consumed, whereas for one who [merely] loves pleasure, it is conceivable that his wealth will not be consumed.
The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; And the faithless comes in the stead of the upright.
verse value 2493
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "ransom" (כֹּ֣פֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "for·the·righteous" (לַצַּדִּ֣יק, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "for·the·righteous" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "upright" (root ישר, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wicked', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כֹּ֣פֶר [ransom] (300) + לַצַּדִּ֣יק [for·the·righteous] (234) + רָשָׁ֑ע [wicked] (570) + וְתַ֖חַת [and·in·the·stead·of] (814) + יְשָׁרִ֣ים [upright] (560) + בּוֹגֵֽד [faithless] (15) = 2493.
Rashi
A wicked man shall be ransom for a righteous man, and a treacherous one instead of the upright A righteous man is rescued, and a wicked man comes in his stead (above 11:8), such as Mordecai and Haman.
Ibn Ezra
"Kofer" [ransom] — meaning that the righteous man is saved from the troubles that descend, and the wicked man falls in his place.
Ralbag
"A ransom for the righteous" — When it was fitting, from the standpoint of general providence, that some evil befall the righteous man, Hashem, may He be blessed, sets the wicked man as his ransom, and sets the treacherous man as a ransom for the upright. This is so because, from the providence attached to the righteous and the upright, it follows that they are saved; and since the benefit of that evil consists in the destruction of the wicked through it — as is mentioned in the Book of Job, and further explained there — Hashem brings the wicked man and the treacherous man to that very evil.
Metzudat David
"A ransom" — If death was decreed upon the righteous man and the decree was annulled, the attribute of judgment is not appeased until a wicked man is given as ransom for his life. "And instead of, etc." — The matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
"The wicked is a ransom [kofer] for the righteous" — "Tachat" ["in place of"] applies to the category [of one] who is liable "a life for a life," whereas "kofer" [ransom] applies to that which is not of the category liable [for death], such that one may atone even with money and thereby attain atonement. He means: when Hashem judges the world, He judges between the righteous and the wicked, and the one who comes out wicked in his judgment atones through his death for the righteous one — (for "righteous" and "wicked" are relative terms, defined in relation to one another within that same judgment; and even if the righteous one came out liable, he would be vindicated in relation to the wicked one, and would be atoned for by him). And "the faithless one comes in the stead of the upright," for the "yashar" [upright one] is not a relative term, but is himself upright and does not need ransom or atonement; rather, in worldly matters it can be conceived that the faithless one wishes to kill the upright, and he himself comes in their place, a life for a life, and they are saved — as it is written: "The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them, but the faithless shall be caught in their own mischief" (Proverbs 11:6).
It is better to dwell in a desert land, Than with a contentious and fretful woman.
verse value 2459
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "good" (ט֗וֹב, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·a·land·of·desert" (בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִדְבָּ֑ר, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·a·land·of·desert" (בְּאֶֽרֶץ־מִדְבָּ֑ר). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "from·a·woman·of" (root אשה, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·a·land·of·desert', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Rashi
It is better to dwell in a desert land This too was stated regarding the withdrawal of the Shechinah.
Ibn Ezra
"It is better to dwell in a desert land" — enduring drought and frost, rather than [enduring] a contentious woman, that is, a woman who angers her husband.
Ralbag
"It is better" — It is better for a man to dwell in a desert land than to dwell in a house with a contentious woman, one who is filled with anger, constantly angry at her husband and quarreling with him. And by this he made clear that anger, too, is repugnant, just as rejoicing in bodily pleasures is repugnant.
Metzudat David
"In a desert land" — in a place where there are no people. "Than [with] a woman" — than to dwell in an inhabited place with a contentious woman and constant anger.
Malbim
"It is better to dwell in a desert land than with a contentious and fretful woman" — He already said above that it is better to dwell on the corner of a roof than with a contentious woman, provided she is not [also] full of anger but only stirs up strife with her neighbors and household members — one need only distance himself from company, and dwell with her on the corner of the roof, where she will find no one to quarrel with. But if she is [also] full of anger, she will provoke him even there, and he must flee from her to the desert.
There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise; But a foolish man swallows it up.
verse value 1265
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "wise" (חָכָ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "swallows·it" (יְבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "treasure" (אוֹצָ֤ר), "desirable" (נֶחְמָ֣ד), "in·the·dwelling·of" (בִּנְוֵ֣ה). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "and·foolish" (root כסיל, 49x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אוֹצָ֤ר [treasure] (297) + נֶחְמָ֣ד [desirable] (102) + וָ֭שֶׁמֶן [and·oil] (396) + בִּנְוֵ֣ה [in·the·dwelling·of] (63) + חָכָ֑ם [wise] (68) + וּכְסִ֖יל [and·foolish] (126) + אָדָ֣ם [man] (45) + יְבַלְּעֶֽנּוּ [swallows·it] (168) = 1265.
Rashi
but man’s foolishness Heb. וכסיל אדם foolishness of a man.
Ibn Ezra
"Otzar" [treasure] — a general term for whatever a person stores up of good foods; and he mentions oil alone, for it is praised above all of them, in that by it God and men are honored, because of its good richness — they made it chief among the trees; and the proof is that the wise man stores it and does not [immediately] eat it. "And a fool" — in contrast to the wise man, for as soon as he acquires it he swallows it up. And if "kesil" [fool] is in construct with "adam" [man], it is a noun of essence (shem ha-ayin), similar to "one who sacrifices, a man"; or alternatively, the man himself is the fool — and both [readings] are valid.
Ralbag
"A desirable treasure" — Behold, in the dwelling of the wise man there comes to be desirable treasure and oil, because of the providence attached to him, together with the fact that he guards his possessions and squanders none of them except what is necessary. But the fool — if he had such a treasure — a man would come and swallow it up, and the fool himself would not eat from it.
Metzudat David
"Treasure, etc." — It is the way of the wise man to store up in his treasury desirable things and good oil, to be preserved for the time of need; but the foolish among men, while it is still in his hand — before he has even set it down — swallows it up, and does not worry whether he will find any for the time of need.
Metzudat Zion
'In the dwelling' — in the abode. 'Swallows it up' — from the language of 'beli'ah' (swallowing).
Malbim
"There is desirable treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise" — He states, in keeping with the parable, that the wise man does not lose his treasured possession and his treasure, but guards it, so that a desirable treasure like gold and spices, and good oil which is likewise kept in the treasury (as it is written: "and he showed them the gold and the good oil that was in his treasuries," cf. II Kings 20:13), is found in his dwelling; but a foolish man swallows up and destroys the treasure. And in the metaphorical sense — whether with regard to the physical treasure and oil, [meaning] that the wise man devises plans so that the treasure will remain permanently in his dwelling, and this comes about by giving it to charity for the poor and performing acts of kindness with it, so that this remains his forever, as it is said: "My forebears stored up below, but I have stored up above; my forebears stored in a place where the hand [of others] has power over it," etc. (Bava Batra 11a) — but the foolish man who retains it for himself will swallow it up, for in the end strangers will inherit his wealth and nothing will remain in his possession after his death. And likewise it comes as a metaphor for the spiritual desirable treasure and oil — that the qualities of the soul, and the oil of holy anointing which alludes to the holy spirit and the attainment of intellectual understanding, this will remain in the dwelling of the wise one, for the wise man is one who walks according to the laws of wisdom; but the fool, who deviates from the laws of wisdom because of his desire, will swallow up the treasure and destroy it. And [Scripture] goes on to explain what the treasure and the oil are.
He who follows after righteousness and mercy Finds life, prosperity, and honor.
verse value 1007
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "pursues" (רֹ֭דֵף, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·honor" (וְכָבֽוֹד, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 199: righteousness, prosperity. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "pursues" (רֹ֭דֵף). The root צדק appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "life" (root חי, 32x in Proverbs); "finds" (root מצא, 28x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·mercy', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: רֹ֭דֵף [pursues] (284) + צְדָקָ֣ה [righteousness] (199) + וָחָ֑סֶד [and·mercy] (78) + יִמְצָ֥א [finds] (141) + חַ֝יִּ֗ים [life] (68) + צְדָקָ֥ה [prosperity] (199) + וְכָבֽוֹד [and·honor] (38) = 1007.
Ibn Ezra
"Rodef" [follows] — that he hastens to do righteousness as though pursuing it; "he finds life" — that his days are lengthened; he finds his need from the God of his salvation. "And honor" — that people will honor him, or that Hashem will grant him honor, that is, wealth, from [the same root as] "very heavy [i.e., rich]."
Ralbag
"He who pursues righteousness" — Whoever pursues righteousness and uprightness in character traits and in opinions, and pursues doing kindness to others and benefiting them, finds bodily and spiritual life, and finds righteousness and uprightness in his opinions; and from these, honor follows for him, as he says, "the wise shall inherit honor." This is because, on account of the uprightness of his opinions, he will refute every tongue that rises against him in judgment.
Metzudat David
"He who pursues" — He who pursues the doing of righteousness and kindness with people will himself also find, from Hashem, life, righteousness, and honor.
Malbim
"He who pursues righteousness and kindness" — for the wise man pursues 'righteousness' (tzedakah), which is a commandment between man and the Omnipresent, and 'kindness' (chesed), which is an act of lovingkindness between man and his fellow. Through kindness, a desirable treasure and oil remain in his hand — materially; and through righteousness, a desirable treasure and oil remain in his hand — spiritually. And thereby, after he comes to the world of recompense, he will find there 'life' — that is, eternal life. And 'supreme righteousness,' as I have defined it, is the good that Hashem does in accordance with His own great righteousness, without end. And 'honor' is the bliss of the eternal soul, which is called 'honor' in the holy Scriptures. And the future good reward is the true honor in which the righteous sit with their crowns upon their heads, etc.
A wise man scales the city of the mighty, And brings down the stronghold in which it trusts.
verse value 1069
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "the·stronghold·of" (עֹ֣ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "mighty" (גִּ֭בֹּרִים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "mighty" (גִּ֭בֹּרִים), "the·stronghold·of" (עֹ֣ז), "its·trust" (מִבְטֶחָֽהֿ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עִ֣יר [the·city·of] (280) + גִּ֭בֹּרִים [mighty] (255) + עָלָ֣ה [scales] (105) + חָכָ֑ם [wise] (68) + וַ֝יֹּ֗רֶד [and·brings·down] (220) + עֹ֣ז [the·stronghold·of] (77) + מִבְטֶחָֽהֿ [its·trust] (64) = 1069.
Rashi
A wise man ascended to a city of mighty men This refers to Moses, our teacher, who went up among the angels, who are mighty in strength. (and brought down, etc. The Torah.)
Ibn Ezra
"A wise man scaled the city of the mighty" — to teach that wisdom is better than might. "Oz" [strength] — alludes to walls, as in the phrase, "until your walls come down." "Its stronghold" — [meaning] that the mighty men trusted in it.
Ralbag
"The city of the mighty" — Behold, the wise man scaled the city of the mighty and conquered it by his wisdom, for wisdom is better than might, as is stated in the book of Ecclesiastes, and this applies to him; and he brought down the strength of the city and the fortress in which they trusted. Now [Solomon] hereby testifies to the stature of wisdom and the good that comes from it, even in matters of might. And this indeed will be true for the wise man, both by virtue of his wisdom and by virtue of the attachment of divine providence to him.
Metzudat David
"The city of the mighty" — He comes to praise wisdom above might, and says: behold, the wise man ascends against the city of the mighty and defeats them, and brings down the strength of their security in which they had fortified themselves, in the stronghold of the city.
Metzudat Zion
'And brings down' — from the language of 'yeridah' (descent) and lowering.
Malbim
(21:22-23) "A wise man scales the city of the mighty... he who keeps his mouth and his tongue..." — This indicates, by way of parable, that a single wise man conquered a city of mighty men, along with the stronghold in which they trusted, as it is said (Ecclesiastes 7:19): 'Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who were in the city.' And he said: - Even though the city was full of people, a single wise man conquered it; - And even though they were mighty men, - And even though the city sat upon a mountain, which makes it hard to conquer, as it is said, 'a wise man scales' [it], - And even though they had a mighty tower in which they trusted, as it is said, 'and brings down the stronghold in which it trusts.' And in the allegory, he speaks of the war of the soul. For he already gave a similar parable in his book Ecclesiastes: (Ecclesiastes 9:14): 'a little city, and few men in it' — there he spoke of the war that the evil inclination and desire wage against the soul: - He depicts the soul as dwelling in the city, and it is 'a little city, and few men in it,' because the powers of the soul are few; - And the warrior who comes from outside to conquer it is 'a great king,' and he 'builds great siegeworks against it,' because the powers of the flesh are many, and all of nature and the senses assist them; - Only (Ecclesiastes 9:15): 'a poor and wise man delivered the city by his wisdom' — this is the manner in which wisdom delivers the soul so that the fool and the old one do not conquer it. And here he gives the parable that the foolish minister and his mighty men are on the inside, and the wise man comes and conquers the city. For this war is constant, and each side has its own fortified city — except that the truth is 'a little city,' while the other is 'a city of mighty men,' since the powers of the soul and the intellect are few, and they are [mere] sojourners in this world, with few helpers; whereas the powers of the flesh, by contrast, grow strong and are [permanent] residents in this world, dwelling on a mountain stronghold. Nevertheless, whoever conducts himself according to the laws of wisdom will conquer the city, and will subdue the children of the flesh and the powers of desire to his authority, and will drive them out before him with the sword of wisdom and the shield of understanding, knowledge, and the fear of Hashem, and the arms of the flood and desire will not stand before him.
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
verse value 2746
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "keeps" (שֹׁמֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·his·tongue" (וּלְשׁוֹנ֑וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 540: keeps, keeps. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·his·tongue" (וּלְשׁוֹנ֑וֹ), "from·troubles" (מִצָּר֣וֹת). The root שמר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "his·mouth" (root פה, 34x in Proverbs); "keeps" (root שמר, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·his·tongue', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: שֹׁמֵ֣ר [keeps] (540) + פִּ֭יו [his·mouth] (96) + וּלְשׁוֹנ֑וֹ [and·his·tongue] (398) + שֹׁמֵ֖ר [keeps] (540) + מִצָּר֣וֹת [from·troubles] (736) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 2746.
Ibn Ezra
"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue" — the two are partners in speech, and the sense is that he guards them from disgraceful talk; then he keeps his soul from all evil. Another interpretation: "keeps his mouth" — from [improper] eating, "and his tongue" — from evil speech.
Ralbag
"He who keeps his mouth" — Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue from speaking keeps his soul from many troubles, for many evils arise on account of the sin of speech, as was stated previously.
Metzudat David
"He who keeps his mouth" — from multiplying words. "He who keeps, etc." — Anyone who multiplies words will not refrain from speaking transgression, and sins against his own soul.
Malbim
...But there is a condition: one must then be careful lest the conquered rise up again to reconquer the city. And this is expressed in that he 'keeps his mouth and his tongue,' which are the stronghold of wisdom — that is, of the rational soul — for it is through that route that the enemies enter to besiege the soul, whether by guarding speech in its plain sense, or in that 'mouth' alludes to the utterance of wisdom and 'tongue' alludes to the utterance of understanding, which must be guarded so that they do not stray from the path of wisdom and understanding. By this, he keeps his spiritual soul from troubles, so that its enemies — who wage war against it constantly — do not besiege it at the time its wall is breached and its cover is exposed.
A proud and haughty man, scorner is his name, Even he who deals in overbearing pride.
verse value 1824
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "proud" (זֵ֣ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·overflow·of" (בְּעֶבְרַ֥ת, 5 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "proud" (זֵ֣ד), "haughty" (יָ֭הִיר), "his·name" (שְׁמ֑וֹ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "deals" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·name', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: זֵ֣ד [proud] (11) + יָ֭הִיר [haughty] (225) + לֵ֣ץ [scorner] (120) + שְׁמ֑וֹ [his·name] (346) + ע֝וֹשֶׂ֗ה [deals] (381) + בְּעֶבְרַ֥ת [in·the·overflow·of] (674) + זָדֽוֹן [pride] (67) = 1824.
Rashi
haughty Heb. יהיר, one who is haughty; he will ultimately become a scorner, for he does not care to hear reproof.
Ibn Ezra
"Yahir" [haughty] — like "a haughty man," that is, an arrogant person who exalts himself. "'Scorner' is his name" — and our Sages, of blessed memory, said: since he acted haughtily against them in fury, so that he oversteps to commit willful wrong; and "fury" alludes to the wrath that overflowed and overpowered the measure of the will, as in the phrase, "they have gone over my head," when sins overpower.
Ralbag
"Proud and haughty" — Behold, the wicked, proud man who does evil out of pride, "scorner" is his name, for it is as though he commits the wrongdoing out of his pride, in the manner of mockery, so that other people are considered before him as nothing; and in the heat of his wrongdoing he engages in mockery and scorn. Indeed, there are found wicked people bearing this trait that was mentioned, who destroy others by way of mockery, because those others are considered by them as nothing — as is told of a certain man who cut off another man's leg at night while he was asleep, though he bore him no hatred but did this merely by way of mockery. This [verse] comes to teach about the flaw of scornfulness and the harm that results from it.
Metzudat David
"Proud and haughty" — A man of insolence who is haughty in speech, behold, his very name is "scorner," for out of pride he mocks and scoffs at people; but one who does evil out of pride, behold, his name is "a man of insolence."
Metzudat Zion
'Haughty' — coarse of spirit, as in 'a haughty man' (Habakkuk 2). 'Overbearing' — from the language of 'evrah' (wrath) and anger.
Malbim
"Proud and haughty, scorner is his name" — the 'proud' one (zed) is one who disputes the laws of wisdom out of willful defiance, and argues against the laws of wisdom and faith, denies [divine] providence and reward and punishment, and commits transgressions with a high hand. Yet as long as he is not haughty, he is not yet a 'scorner,' for he argues with claims and proofs, not with mockery, and if he is defeated in argument he falls silent. But if he is haughty, then he pays no heed at all to reasons and proofs, but merely mocks the wise and the believers — and then he acts 'with willful overreach' (be-evrat zadon). The term 'evrah' is defined as crossing a boundary — doing evil deeds that are utterly unnecessary and are against the nature of the soul, [driven] only by his willful defiance, for his willfulness crosses the human boundary, [leading him] to perform deeds that are against human nature altogether.
The desire of the slothful kills him; For his hands refuse to labor.
verse value 2866
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "sluggish" (עָצֵ֣ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "kills·him" (תְּמִיתֶ֑נּוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "kills·him" (תְּמִיתֶ֑נּוּ), "for·refuse" (כִּֽי־מֵאֲנ֖וּ), "his·hands" (יָדָ֣יו). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·labor" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "his·hands" (root יד, 24x in Proverbs); "kills·him" (root מות, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'kills·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תַּאֲוַ֣ת [the·desire·of] (807) + עָצֵ֣ל [sluggish] (190) + תְּמִיתֶ֑נּוּ [kills·him] (906) + כִּֽי־מֵאֲנ֖וּ [for·refuse] (127) + יָדָ֣יו [his·hands] (30) + לַעֲשֽׂוֹת [to·labor] (806) = 2866.
Ibn Ezra
"The desire...," "all" — [verses 25-26] are two connected verses. It [his desire] kills him, since he does not attain what he desires. "For they refused" — as though he wants to act, but his hands say, "Do not act."
Ralbag
"The desire of the slothful" — Behold, the slothful man always desires to acquire perfections, but his laziness prevents him from exerting himself to attain them; so he will die and remain with that very desire [unfulfilled], for his hands refused to do anything to attain what he desired.
Metzudat David
"The desire" — The desire that the slothful man craves, to rest upon his bed, this will kill him; for his hands refuse to do work in order to earn a livelihood by it — and so what then will he eat? Indeed, he dies of hunger.
Metzudat Zion
'Refuse' — they were unwilling.
Malbim
(21:25-26) "The desire of the slothful kills him" — [this is] because regarding anything unimportant and unnecessary for a person, all day long he merely 'desires a desire' [but does nothing]. He is saying: do not think that the reason the slothful man is too lazy to do work is that he does not desire [its fruits], and that the things of this world are trivial in his eyes, so that he does not trouble himself to attain them. That is not so; in truth his desire is greater than that of one who is not slothful — for he is not like one who 'has bread in his basket,' etc. Rather, he has no dominion over his hands and bodily organs which do the work, for they refuse to heed the ruling faculty of the soul. Therefore, 'his desire kills him' — for the hands that are equipped to save him from death, in that by doing work he would attain his desire, are unwilling to heed him. And he adds that 'all day long [he does nothing but] desire a desire' — for whereas the diligent man occupies himself with work all day and desires only at night, when he is free from his affairs, the slothful man desires all day long and does nothing at all. He then goes on to praise the righteous man, for he gives charity to the slothful man and does not withhold it — because this slothful man has no one to have mercy on him; even though he dies of hunger, people do not have mercy on him, saying: 'could he not have occupied himself with work?' But the righteous man has mercy on him, for he [regards him] like a sick man who is unable to work, since his hands are feeble and do not obey him — and therefore he gives him charity and has mercy on his poverty.
There is that covets greedily all the day long; But the righteous gives and spares not.
verse value 1985
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "gives" (יִ֝תֵּ֗ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·day" (כׇּל־הַ֭יּוֹם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "covets" (הִתְאַוָּ֣ה), "spares" (יַחְשֹֽׂךְ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·righteous" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "and·not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "gives" (root נתן, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'desire', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־הַ֭יּוֹם [all·the·day] (111) + הִתְאַוָּ֣ה [covets] (417) + תַאֲוָ֑ה [desire] (412) + וְצַדִּ֥יק [and·righteous] (210) + יִ֝תֵּ֗ן [gives] (460) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + יַחְשֹֽׂךְ [spares] (338) = 1985.
Rashi
but the righteous gives all the necessities of his house, for the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares them for him.
Ibn Ezra
"But the righteous gives" — to the lazy man, "and spares not" — his gifts.
Ralbag
"All the day long he covets" — The slothful man desires, yet the desire produces no further effect in him; but the righteous man exerts the proper action and effort in every matter, and does not withhold his hands from what is proper in attaining crafts and wisdoms.
Metzudat David
"All day long" — This slothful man desires at all times to fill his empty soul, while the righteous man gives him of his wealth, and gives again, and does not withhold giving from him, even though he has sinned against his own soul.
The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; How much more, when he brings it with the proceeds of wickedness?
verse value 1364
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "even" (אַ֝֗ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·in·wickedness" (כִּֽי־בְזִמָּ֥ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "when·in·wickedness" (כִּֽי־בְזִמָּ֥ה), "brings·it" (יְבִיאֶֽנּוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "brings·it" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs); "abomination" (root תועבה, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'abomination', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: זֶ֣בַח [the·sacrifice·of] (17) + רְ֭שָׁעִים [wicked] (620) + תּוֹעֵבָ֑ה [abomination] (483) + אַ֝֗ף [even] (81) + כִּֽי־בְזִמָּ֥ה [when·in·wickedness] (84) + יְבִיאֶֽנּוּ [brings·it] (79) = 1364.
Rashi
how much more if he brings it with plans of wickedness! How much more if he brings it to be wicked and with evil counsel, such as the sacrifices of Balaam and Balak, who brought them only to curse Israel.
Ibn Ezra
"Zevach" [sacrifice] — burnt-offerings and the other sacrifices, and the proof-text is, "and you shall sacrifice upon it your burnt-offerings," etc.; that is, the sacrifices which the wicked continually offer, Hashem abhors; and moreover, because they bring them for the sake of committing depravity, He abhors them all the more.
Ralbag
"The sacrifice of the wicked" — If the wicked bring a sacrifice to Hashem, may He be blessed, in the manner of worship, it is nonetheless an abomination before Hashem, because they do not intend by it what Hashem intended by it. And even when they bring it with thought and reflection, it is still an abomination, because they bring it on account of sin, and they do not cleanse themselves of sin when they bring the sacrifice; and their case is comparable to one who immerses [in a mikveh] because of impurity while a sheretz (a crawling, impurity-conveying creature) is still in his hand. And it is possible that the intent here is: how much more so will the sacrifice be an abomination when its owner brings it while still entertaining the thought of the sin — that is, the wicked scheme (zimah) that he committed.
Metzudat David
"The sacrifice of the wicked" — who are still in their wickedness at the time they offer the sacrifice, for they have not repented to Hashem — behold, the sacrifice is an abomination. "How much more" — and how much more is it an abomination when he brings it with evil intent, to deceive people into regarding him as righteous and as one who sacrifices to God.
Metzudat Zion
'With wicked intent' — with evil thought/scheme, as in 'it is depravity' (Leviticus 18).
Malbim
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with the proceeds of wickedness" — the offering that the wicked bring, even if he brings the offering with a whole heart, nevertheless, as long as they are wicked — meaning that they have not repented of their previous wickedness — the sacrifice is an abomination, like an enemy of the king who brings him a gift, which is an abomination in his eyes even though he brings it wholeheartedly, since [the giver] is hated by him; And all the more so if he brings it 'with lewdness' (zimah), for the definition of zimah is the sinking of the mind into the depths of sinful thoughts, such that even at the time of bringing the offering, his intent is set on lewdness and a plan of sin. So beyond the fact that it will not be accepted because of the one bringing it, it will not be accepted because of the bringing itself, whose purpose is for evil.
A false witness shall perish; But the man who obeys shall speak unchallenged.
verse value 1297
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "will·perish" (יֹאבֵ֑ד, 4 letters) and the longest is "a·witness·of·lies" (עֵד־כְּזָבִ֥ים, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "a·witness·of·lies" (עֵד־כְּזָבִ֥ים), "obeys" (שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗עַ), "unchallenged" (לָנֶ֥צַח). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·a·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "will·speak" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "obeys" (root שמע, 30x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·perish', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: עֵד־כְּזָבִ֥ים [a·witness·of·lies] (153) + יֹאבֵ֑ד [will·perish] (17) + וְאִ֥ישׁ [and·a·man] (317) + שׁ֝וֹמֵ֗עַ [obeys] (416) + לָנֶ֥צַח [unchallenged] (178) + יְדַבֵּֽר [will·speak] (216) = 1297.
Rashi
but an obedient man who obeys what is written in the Torah: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” forever Always.
Ibn Ezra
"Ed" [witness] — as though he is a false witness. "But the man who obeys" — [means] that since the [false] witness perishes, forever [i.e., all his days] he [the truthful man] will speak to others, for on account of his [the false witness's] falsehood, his memory perished.
Ralbag
"A false witness shall perish" — That is, when he is brought to tell the falsehood many times, his testimony will be lost and will break down; whereas a man who hears the falsehood from his mouth will report it and repeat it in his account without end and without change, because he speaks the truth in what he reports — that he heard [it] from the mouth of this witness, who had indeed said it. And this is so because the false witness holds in his heart a thought that merely accommodates [the moment, rather than a fixed truth, and so it cannot be repeated consistently].
Metzudat David
"Shall perish" — Even if he is not proven a false witness in court and does not receive the punishment there, nevertheless he will perish at the hand of Heaven. "But the man who obeys" — meaning, even though that witness will perish because of the punishment for his lies, his words are not lost, to be forgotten from the heart; for every man who hears his word will repeat it forever, thinking it is true.
Malbim
(28-29) "A false witness shall perish" / "the wicked man is bold-faced" — He has already said several times, "one who utters lies will not escape," "one who utters lies shall perish," and we explained it in every place according to its context. Here he speaks of the matter of the tradition (kabbalah) transmitted from generation to generation, back to the very cornerstone, the Stone of Israel, concerning the commandments, the beliefs, and the doctrines: if a person testifies to true things that are received traditions, which his ear has heard and which he received from the ancient mountains of old, they will endure forever. But sometimes a person testifies about a matter he did not [actually] hear, and wishes to hand down a false tradition, whether in matters of commandments or in matters of beliefs and doctrines. Therefore it says, "A false witness shall perish" — because it is by Hashem's providence that truth endures and falsehood vanishes like smoke; and a person who hears [a tradition] and states what he heard by report will state it forever, and his tradition will endure to all eternity. But sometimes "the wicked man is bold-faced," to deny his tradition — for so have the deniers stood, generation after generation, denying the tradition, since it is not something grasped by itself, but only received from the fathers. Yet "the upright man, he understands his way" — it is clear that "the upright man" is one who is upright by nature; and it speaks in terms of understanding (binah) — one who understands one thing from another with a straight intellect, and whose character traits are also upright. He will understand, from the breadth of his understanding, the way of truth, and will be able to prevail against the deniers by the strength of his upright understanding.
A wicked man hardens his face; But as for the upright, he looks well to his way.
verse value 2271
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "hardens" (הֵעֵ֬ז, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·his·face" (בְּפָנָ֑יו, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "hardens" (הֵעֵ֬ז), "in·his·face" (בְּפָנָ֑יו), "and·upright" (וְ֝יָשָׁ֗ר). The root דרך appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "his·way" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words.
Rashi
A wicked man shows his brazenness in his anger A wicked man shows his brazenness at the time of his anger. in his anger Heb. בפניו, an expression of anger.
Ibn Ezra
"He'ez" [hardens] — he puts on a bold face and is not ashamed; but an upright man is able to understand his proper way, and not be brazen-faced.
Ralbag
"A wicked man hardens his face" — Behold, the wicked man does not contradict what is in his mind with his mouth alone, but also hardens his face to contradict it, by strengthening and steeling his face so that it is not overtaken by the change and reaction that ought to overtake the countenance of one who speaks a falsehood. The upright man, however, understands in his heart the way in which he walks, [and is consistent] both in his speech and in the expression of his face.
Metzudat David
"Hardens" — The wicked man displays his brazenness at the time of his anger and does not consider his deeds; but the upright man understands his way at all times, even at a time of anger.
Metzudat Zion
'In his face' — in his anger; and so too, 'and her face was no longer downcast' (I Samuel 1) — for anger shows in a person's face.
There is no wisdom nor understanding Nor counsel against Hashem.
verse value 1009
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "no" (אֵ֣ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "understanding" (תְּבוּנָ֑ה, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·no, and·no. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "against" (לְנֶ֣גֶד). The root אין appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "no" (root אין, 36x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'understanding', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֵ֣ין [no] (61) + חׇ֭כְמָה [wisdom] (73) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·no] (67) + תְּבוּנָ֑ה [understanding] (463) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·no] (67) + עֵ֝צָ֗ה [counsel] (165) + לְנֶ֣גֶד [against] (87) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 1009.
Rashi
There is neither wisdom, etc. No wise or understanding man is of any importance against the Lord. Wherever there is a desecration of the Name, we do not pay regard to a teacher.
Ibn Ezra
"There is not," "a horse" — [verses 30-31] are two connected verses. That is, there is no man whose wisdom, understanding, or counsel will avail him against Hashem, meaning that he would be saved from His hand by any one of them, even though they prepare a horse to flee for the day of battle — there is no ability to escape and save their souls, for salvation belongs to Hashem, and He gives it to whomever He wishes.
Ralbag
"There is no wisdom" — Behold, wisdom, understanding, and counsel are of no avail regarding whatever a person plans to do against Hashem; for even if he acts wisely and reflects and takes the soundest counsel concerning it, he will not be able to change the decree of Hashem — that is, to prevent its arrival — as can be seen from the matter of the sale of Joseph and other accounts that appear in the words of prophecy. And it is possible that the intent here is that one does not need wisdom, understanding, and counsel in exerting effort to attain his wishes, [when it comes] to one who is with Hashem — that is, to one who cleaves to Him — for He will straighten his ways and paths so that his thoughts are rightly directed. And on both interpretations, what is stated after this follows well.
Metzudat David
"There is no wisdom" — No wisdom or counsel will avail to annul the decree of the Omnipresent.
Malbim
(30-31) "There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel, against Hashem" / "the horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to Hashem" — He says: although free choice is given into man's hand, and in individual matters a person succeeds through his preparation and diligence, nevertheless, in matters that are decreed by Hashem and allotted by [divine] providence — such as general matters affecting an entire people, a nation, or a country — then even though a person must do his part and make the natural preparations (just as in matters of war, which are general/communal matters, one must prepare the tactics of war, horse, and chariot), nevertheless "the counsel of Hashem, it shall stand," and man's effort will not help. Now, a person succeeds according to the natural order either through wisdom that he received from his teachers regarding the proper ways of conduct; or through understanding (tevunah), by which he reflects for himself so as to derive one thing from another, and to discern in matters where truth and falsehood may fall; or through counsel (etzah), which comes through the perfection of the imaginative and estimative faculty, by which future things become known to him — how a matter will turn out, and how one ought to act wisely regarding it. But regardless, none of these will avail against Hashem — meaning, in matters that are decreed and determined by Hashem. And he brings proof: although "the horse is prepared for the day of battle" — which is the natural means by which one succeeds in war — nevertheless "victory belongs to Hashem," because, since war is a general/communal matter, through which a nation goes down or rises in status, the victory is providential, and the natural means will not help in it at all.
The horse is prepared against the day of battle; But victory is of Hashem.
verse value 1299
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "for·the·day·of" (לְי֣וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "horse" (ס֗וּס, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Hashem" (וְ֝לַיהֹוָ֗ה, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "horse" (ס֗וּס), "prepared" (מ֭וּכָן), "and·to·Hashem" (וְ֝לַיהֹוָ֗ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "for·the·day·of" (root יום, 32x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: ס֗וּס [horse] (126) + מ֭וּכָן [prepared] (116) + לְי֣וֹם [for·the·day·of] (86) + מִלְחָמָ֑ה [battle] (123) + וְ֝לַיהֹוָ֗ה [and·to·Hashem] (62) + הַתְּשׁוּעָֽה [the·salvation] (786) = 1299.
Ralbag
"The horse is prepared" — Behold, the horse is prepared for the day of battle, to serve as an instrument to charge at the enemy and defeat him; but the horse is a false hope for victory, for victory belongs to Hashem alone. Hence one often finds that a small, weak force defeats a large, mighty one, and this is among the things that demonstrate that no weapon of war can avail to nullify the decree of Hashem, and that one whom Hashem helps has no need of them.
Metzudat David
"The horse" — Although the horse is prepared for the day of battle, to flee upon it when they pursue him, nevertheless the victory is in the hand of Hashem; and if he is not saved by Him, the horse is a false hope for salvation.
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim