A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. Train up a child in the way he should go; rob not the weak because he is weak; and incline your ear to the words of the wise.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favor rather than silver and gold.
verse value 1747
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "name" (שֵׁ֭ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·gold" (וּ֝מִזָּהָ֗ב, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "from·riches" (מֵעֹ֣שֶׁר), "and·from·gold" (וּ֝מִזָּהָ֗ב). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "great" (root רב, 26x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: נִבְחָ֣ר [chosen] (260) + שֵׁ֭ם [name] (340) + מֵעֹ֣שֶׁר [from·riches] (610) + רָ֑ב [great] (202) + מִכֶּ֥סֶף [from·silver] (200) + וּ֝מִזָּהָ֗ב [and·from·gold] (60) + חֵ֣ן [favor] (58) + טֽוֹב [good] (17) = 1747.
Rashi
A name is chosen A good name above great wealth. good favor over silver and gold Good favor is chosen.
Ibn Ezra
"Chosen," "rich" — two connected [verses]. "Good" stands in place of two [terms], and thus it means: "a good name" and "good favor" are "chosen rather than great riches"; for "the rich and the poor meet together" — meaning that the causes [governing fortune] descend from heaven upon the earth, and people, who are the recipients, encounter them, that is, one meets with this wealth and another with this poverty. "'And Hashem is the maker of them all'" — for He gives wealth and poverty, and He makes the rich man and the poor man; but a good name is not [a matter of chance] encounter, for a person acquires it for himself through his good deeds; and [likewise] favor, which He grants him in the eyes of all who see him, is on account of good deeds — therefore they are chosen rather than great riches.
Ralbag
"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" — It is known that a good name comes to a person by virtue of the uprightness of his character traits and his deeds, and it is to be chosen and is better for a person than great riches; and the goodly favor he has from people is to be chosen over silver and gold, because by virtue of the uprightness of his character traits and deeds, and his being beloved by people, he will have a refuge from misfortunes greater than what he could find by taking refuge in his silver and gold — just as the common proverb says: better to be beloved in the marketplace than [to have] gold in a chest.
Metzudat David
"Rather to be chosen" — A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and good favor is rather to be chosen than silver and gold.
Malbim
"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches" — the acquisitions of wealth are illusory possessions, not truly bound to and merged with the person; suddenly he may be dispossessed and lose the wealth through some misfortune. But the name a person has acquired through his good deeds becomes merged with his soul, inseparable from him. The purpose of great wealth, beyond what is necessary, is to attain honor and to have one's words heeded — and this the possessor of a good name attains even more. Also, great wealth requires guarding, and it "robs its owner of sleep," which is not so with a good name. "And loving favor rather than silver and gold" — silver and gold have no inherent worth of their own, only a conventional one, which people have agreed to assign them, valuing them above the other metals; and the same is true of "loving favor" — that a person finds favor in the eyes of others is likewise a matter of convention. But this [favor] is better for him than the silver and gold he might attain, because the presence of favor is found within the person himself, not in some external thing. Also, what a person could attain from a ruler or officials by giving them silver and gold, he attains even more through the presence of favor. Now, "name" corresponds to one's deeds, while "favor" is a matter of graciousness, as it is written, "I have known you by name, and you have also found favor in My eyes." Correspondingly, wealth is a person's [external] possession, while a name is chosen above it, because it is an intrinsic possession of the person himself; and favor, which is not a possession but is only found in the eyes of another, is better than the silver and gold that others might give him.
The rich and the poor meet together— Hashem is the maker of them all.
verse value 2016
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 22 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2016 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "and·poor" (וָרָ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "meet" (נִפְגָּ֑שׁוּ, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "the·maker·of" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "all·of·them" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'meet', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עָשִׁ֣יר [rich] (580) + וָרָ֣שׁ [and·poor] (506) + נִפְגָּ֑שׁוּ [meet] (439) + עֹשֵׂ֖ה [the·maker·of] (375) + כֻלָּ֣ם [all·of·them] (90) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 2016.
Rashi
the Lord is the Maker of them all When the poor man says to the rich man, “Sustain me,” and he answers him harshly, the Holy One, blessed be He, makes them new: this one poor and this one rich.
Ralbag
"The rich and the poor meet together" — And to explain that wealth is not something fixed and permanent, he stated that it may happen with the rich man and the poor man that they meet one another — as if to say that the rich man's wealth diminishes little by little, while the poor man's wealth increases little by little, until it happens that they become equal in their possessions, since Hashem makes this one poor and that one rich. Or the intent may be that "the rich and the poor meet" means that this one cannot live without that one; and the illustration is that if all people were rich, no one would be found doing any of the practical crafts, and civilization would be ruined; and if all were poor, they would not be able to support one another. Therefore it is clear that Hashem makes some people rich and some poor so that existence [of the social order] may be maintained. And his statement "the rich and the poor meet" is like his statement "mercy and truth meet, righteousness and peace kiss."
Metzudat David
"The rich" — This refers back to the previous verse, to say that on this account name and favor are to be chosen over riches; for riches are not to be praised and poverty is not to be condemned, since the matter proceeds from Hashem — by a decree that comes down from Heaven and befalls people, this one with riches and this one with poverty, according to the decree that was decreed. For Hashem does all these things, and it is not because of abundance of wisdom that the rich man became rich; but name and favor come through a person's own choice.
Metzudat Zion
'Meet together' — an expression of encounter, as in 'the poor man and the man of oppression meet together' (below, Proverbs 29).
Malbim
"The rich and the poor meet together, Hashem is the maker of them all" — this is the reason that a good name is chosen above great wealth, because wealth is not a permanent possession. For "the rich and the poor meet together" depicts that the rich and the poor do not remain fixed in one place — this one standing on the side of wealth and that one on the side of poverty — such that they would never meet one another; rather, they are always moving, rising and descending, as on a ladder, until the rich man and the poor man meet one another. [This may happen] either at the outset, when the rich man ascends to the top of the ladder while the poor man descends from it below, and they meet along the way; or afterward, when the poor man ascends just as the rich man has [already] reached the top and begins to descend in turn — for it is a wheel that revolves in the world — and the poor man, being at the lowest point, begins to ascend, and they meet a second time. As it is said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, makes ladders in the firmament; He impoverishes this one and enriches that one." Therefore it says, "Hashem is the maker of them all" — Hashem continually makes both rich people and poor people, for so has He ordered the governance [of the world]. And so, the rich man's end is to descend and lose his wealth, while a good name is better than it, for a good name will never come to an end.
A prudent man sees the evil, and hides himself; But the thoughtless pass on, and are punished.
verse value 3495
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "sees" (רָאָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·simple·ones" (וּ֝פְתָיִ֗ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·hides·himself" (וְנִסְתָּ֑ר), "and·simple·ones" (וּ֝פְתָיִ֗ים), "and·are·punished" (וְֽנֶעֱנָֽשׁוּ). The root סתר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "evil" (root רעה, 25x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·hides·himself', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words.
Rashi
A cunning man saw harm The punishment for a sin, and hid, not committing the sin.
Ibn Ezra
"Arum" [prudent] — one who has learned prudence sees the evil coming and hides and conceals himself until the wrath passes; but the wicked pass on into the evil and are punished — they receive punishment.
Ralbag
"A prudent man" — Behold, the prudent, wise man sees the evil before it comes and hides himself to escape from it; but the thoughtless did not set their heart to this, and they passed through the place of the evil — there the loss and the punishment overtook them.
Metzudat David
"Sees the evil" — The prudent man sees the evil that is destined to come and hides himself from it, meaning, he guards himself from the evil before it arrives; but the thoughtless pass along the way of the evil and do not guard themselves, and punishment and loss overtake them.
Metzudat Zion
'Are punished' — even monetary loss is called by the language of 'onesh' (punishment), as in 'and they shall fine him a hundred pieces of silver' (Deuteronomy 22:19).
Malbim
"A prudent man sees the evil, and hides himself" — the prudent person is not necessarily wise, in the sense of knowing the laws of wisdom; nevertheless, his shrewdness already teaches him to understand the way in which he walks, [discerning] whether it contains any loss, as it is written, "the wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way." He weighs and considers whether evil might not befall him in the future, and through this, "he sees the evil" — if evil is destined to come, he sees it [in advance]; and also "hides himself" — so as not to walk in a way whose end is evil, as it is written, "there is a way that seems right to a man...," etc. But the thoughtless, who are the opposite of the prudent, not only fail to look ahead and take care regarding evil to come, but even pass through evil that is already present. Therefore, "they are punished" — for besides suffering the evil itself, they receive punishment for their failure to be careful, since they ought to have been careful.
The reward of humility is the fear of Hashem, Even riches, and honor, and life.
verse value 1622
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·reward·of" (עֵ֣קֶב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·honor" (וְכָב֣וֹד, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "the·reward·of" (עֵ֣קֶב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "and·life" (root חי, 32x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֵ֣קֶב [the·reward·of] (172) + עֲ֭נָוָה [humility] (131) + יִרְאַ֣ת [the·fear·of] (611) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + עֹ֖שֶׁר [riches] (570) + וְכָב֣וֹד [and·honor] (38) + וְחַיִּֽים [and·life] (74) = 1622.
Rashi
In the wake of humility Because of humility, fear of the Lord comes. Another explanation: Humility is the main attribute, and fear is secondary to it and a “heel” to it, a mat for its feet.
Ibn Ezra
"Ekev" [reward], "tzinim" [thorns] — two connected [verses]. "Ekev" [reward] — the outcome of humility brings about the fear of Hashem, in the sense of "one mitzvah draws another mitzvah in its wake," and it brings the humble man wealth and monetary honor, or that others will honor him. "And life" — that his days will be lengthened.
Ralbag
"The reward of humility" — As a reward for the trait of humility, a person comes to acquire the fear of Hashem; for because he is lowly in his own eyes, he will, on account of this, contemplate the honorable beings that are above him, and when he perceives the immensity of Hashem, he will thereby acquire the fear of Hashem to the utmost extent possible. And from this he comes to acquire riches in figurative possessions and in bodies of knowledge, and he also acquires honor and life in political affairs. This is clear with a little reflection on what has been said above.
Metzudat David
"The reward" — The outcome of humility is the fear of Hashem, meaning, humility brings about the fear [of Heaven]; for when a person recognizes his own lowliness, he magnifies the exaltedness of the Omnipresent, and the fear of that exaltedness enters his heart, and he finds riches, honor, and life.
Metzudat Zion
'The reward' — its meaning is end and outcome, so called because the heel (akev) is the end of the foot.
Malbim
"The reward of humility is the fear of Hashem, Even riches, and honor, and life" — the root of humility branches out from one's grasp of the greatness of the Creator of the universe at the beginning, and of His great power, and of the existence [of everything] that He created, until one grasps that he himself is as nothing and as naught before some of [God's other] creatures. And even though he may attain in this world sovereignty, wisdom, might, and every excellence, he should know that he is like a tiny ant before the great King who stands over him, and is reckoned as nothing before the least of His angels. This thought will in the end instill in his heart the fear of Hashem, so that he will fear to do anything against His will — as the Rema wrote: "I have set Hashem before me always" (Psalms 16:8), etc. — for the sitting of a person [alone] is not comparable [to his sitting before a king], etc. — how much more so when he sets upon his heart that the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, stands over him and watches his deeds, etc. And whoever inherits humility will inherit riches and honor, for Hashem will raise him up — measure for measure. And he will inherit life — whether eternal life, through being careful to avoid evil, or life in this world, through Hashem's providence — the opposite of the arrogant man, who removes the fear of Hashem from before his face, and whose ways are the ways of death.
Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward; He who keeps his soul holds himself far from them.
verse value 2409
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "twisted" (עִקֵּ֑שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "thorns" (צִנִּ֣ים, 4 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "thorns" (צִנִּ֣ים), "bird·traps" (פַּ֭חִים), "twisted" (עִקֵּ֑שׁ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·way·of" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "his·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "he·who·keeps" (root שמר, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'twisted', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: צִנִּ֣ים [thorns] (190) + פַּ֭חִים [bird·traps] (138) + בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ [in·the·way·of] (226) + עִקֵּ֑שׁ [twisted] (470) + שׁוֹמֵ֥ר [he·who·keeps] (546) + נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ [his·soul] (436) + יִרְחַ֥ק [stays·far] (318) + מֵהֶֽם [from·them] (85) = 2409.
Rashi
Troops [and] snares Heb. צנים, as in (Num. 33:55) “troops (לצנינים) in your sides”; (Ezek. 23: 24) “And they will come upon you, a band (הצן),” an expression of bands and brigands. Troops and snares are hidden on the ways of the one who perverts his ways; i.e., torments are prepared for him. he who preserves his soul will distance himself from them He who is upright in his deeds will be saved from them.
Ibn Ezra
"Tzinim" — its root is "tzanan," from "u-le-tzininim," and its meaning is thorn-bushes. "'In the way of the froward'" — that he will be caught in them [the thorns]; but the humble man, who guards his soul and does no evil, is far from the thorns.
Ralbag
"Thorns and snares" — Behold, in the way of the perverse man — that is, one who walks in a crooked path and does not pay proper attention to which way he ought to go — he will encounter chills that harm him through the coldness of the air, and he will encounter in it snares in which his feet get caught. But one who guards his soul — that is, one who considers his ways and walks in them by a straight path — keeps himself far from these harmful things, for he does not hand himself over to dangers, and he considers what matter is fitting for him to strive to attain, and by what means he may escape evils and mishaps.
Metzudat David
"Thorns and snares" — Thorns and ensnaring traps are found in the way of the perverse, meaning, one who makes his ways crooked will be afflicted by thorns and caught in a snare; but he who guards his soul and turns away from the perverse way will be far from thorns and snares, and they will not befall him.
Metzudat Zion
'Thorns' — thorns, spikes, as in 'and for thorns in your sides' (Numbers 33).
Malbim
"Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward" — the straight path in the conduct of the soul is the middle path, and the path that inclines from the middle toward the extreme of excess or the extreme of deficiency is a crooked (froward) path, deviating from the straight one. And he takes for this a parable from nature: temperate air is beneficial for the health of the body, but [air] inclining toward the extreme of excess, toward heat, will burn the blood, for the red [humor], dryness, and fire overpower [the body] — and this he calls "snares" (pachim), which are burning coals. And [air] inclining toward the extreme of deficiency, cold overpowers [the body], and the cold congeals the blood — and this he calls "thorns" (tzinnim), sickness that comes through excessive cold. Both of these kill the body. So too in the governance of the soul: at the extreme of excess, a burning fire consumes it, and at the extreme of deficiency, cold and lethargy freeze it. Therefore, one who guards his soul distances himself from the extremes and walks on the straight, moderate path.
Train up a child in the way he should go, And even when he is old, he will not depart from it.
verse value 1540
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "when·he·is·old" (כִּי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "train" (חֲנֹ֣ךְ), "according·to" (עַל־פִּ֣י), "when·he·is·old" (כִּי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·way" (root דרך, 74x in Proverbs); "according·to" (root פה, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·way', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: חֲנֹ֣ךְ [train] (78) + לַ֭נַּעַר [to·the·child] (350) + עַל־פִּ֣י [according·to] (190) + דַרְכּ֑וֹ [his·way] (230) + גַּ֥ם [also] (43) + כִּי־יַ֝זְקִ֗ין [when·he·is·old] (207) + לֹא־יָס֥וּר [he·will·not·depart] (307) + מִמֶּֽנָּה [from·it] (135) = 1540.
Rashi
Train a child According to what you teach a child and train him in matters, either for good or bad, even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it.
Ibn Ezra
"Chanoch" [train up] — [means] "taught," like "chanichav" [his trained men], meaning those trained in the use of his weapons of war. "'Even'" — to include old age along with youth.
Ralbag
"Train up a child" — One who trains a child according to the way that is his habit and nature to walk in, thinking and assuming that he will accept discipline once he grows up — behold, it will follow that afterward he cannot be turned aside from that evil path, and he will not depart from it of his own accord, even in his old age.
Metzudat David
"Train" — Begin and accustom the child in his years to guide him in the service of Hashem according to the measure of his understanding, whether a little or a great deal; and when he becomes accustomed to the service of Hashem, then even when he grows old he will not depart from it, for he will set his heart to appreciate the worth of that practice.
Metzudat Zion
"Train up" — This is an expression for the beginning of a matter which one is destined to persist in, as in "and has not dedicated it" (Deuteronomy 20).
Malbim
"Train up a child in the way he should go" — this commands two things. 1) That one train the child — meaning that he accustom him from his youth toward perfection, whether in beliefs, or in deeds and character traits. For the habituation acquired in one's youth creates a powerful imprint, an impression retained in the soul that will not depart even in old age. Not so training given in one's adulthood — the impression is not fixed firmly in the soul, and it will leave him in his old age. 2) It commands that the training be "according to his way" — for every person is by nature suited to a different matter. Whether in beliefs — there are those whose minds are sharp, and there are those whose intellect is sound but not keen — and one must teach each according to the aptitude found in him. And whether in deeds — there is one suited to a particular craft or a particular skill, and he will grasp it easily; and this is recognized in the child by his desire and by what he strives after on his own in some particular matter. One must train him according to his way, and according to the impressions found in him toward that for which he is suited — for then he will not depart from it even when he grows old. Not so if one trains him toward that which is other than his nature.
The rich rules over the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
verse value 2063
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "borrower" (לֹ֝וֶ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "over·poor" (בְּרָשִׁ֣ים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "over·poor" (בְּרָשִׁ֣ים), "rules" (יִמְשׁ֑וֹל), "borrower" (לֹ֝וֶ֗ה). The root לוה appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'rules', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: עָ֭שִׁיר [rich] (580) + בְּרָשִׁ֣ים [over·poor] (552) + יִמְשׁ֑וֹל [rules] (386) + וְעֶ֥בֶד [and·servant] (82) + לֹ֝וֶ֗ה [borrower] (41) + לְאִ֣ישׁ [to·man] (341) + מַלְוֶֽה [lender] (81) = 2063.
Rashi
A rich man will rule over the poor An ignoramus always needs a Torah scholar.
Ibn Ezra
"Rich," "sows," "good" — [verses 7-9] are three connected [verses]. Over the poor who have nothing, he [the rich man] rules by force, and one who borrows from him — he compels him to become his servant.
Ralbag
"The rich rules over the poor" — The rich man rules over the poor, and for this reason wealth is praised from this angle: when he lends from his goods to a man, behold, the man who borrows is subservient and submissive to him, as if he were his servant, on account of the kindness that he did for him. And in this manner the rich man rules over the poor by means of the kindness that he grants to them.
Metzudat David
"The rich" — The one rich in knowledge rules over those poor in knowledge; and likewise, "the borrower is servant to the lender" — meaning, just as the borrower is subservient to the lender because the lender has lent him enough for his need, so the wise man rules over those poor in knowledge, because he supplies their requests in the matter of wisdom.
Malbim
(7-9) "The rich rules over the poor," etc.; "He who sows iniquity," etc.; "He who has a bountiful eye," etc. — It is known from the historical sources concerning the nations that in ancient times the rich would lend money to the poor at interest, and the law was that when [the borrower] had nothing with which to pay, [the lender] had the right to take him, and his wife and his children, as slaves, and to rule over him with the rod as he wished. And the rich would lend to the poor, and through the interest [the borrowers] would collapse completely and become destitute (rash) — for the destitute person (rash) is worse off than the poor person (dal): the poor person has merely become impoverished of his possessions, while the destitute person has nothing at all — and then they would become slaves to him. But because of this, a rebellion would arise from time to time among the people who had borrowed, and they would kill the rich and take great vengeance upon them, until because of this the officials were repeatedly forced to establish a law canceling the debts, or to pay them from the treasury of the state, in order to quiet the rebellion. And in those times, the rich who had not lent at interest, but rather had been gracious to the poor with charity, were spared, and stood in honor and blessing among the people. And this is what [the verse] means: "the rich rules over the poor" — through the fact that the borrower becomes a slave to the man who lends [to him]. However, the end result is that whoever "sows iniquity" — who lends money at interest in order to commit iniquity — "shall reap calamity," for then the rod of his wrath, with which he rules the wicked, will come to an end, for they will rise up against him and kill him. And then "he who has a bountiful eye" — he shall be blessed — namely, whoever gave of his bread to the poor; not the one who lent at interest in order to reduce the poor man to destitution, but rather the one who gave him of his bread and helped him with his money without seeking any gain — he shall be blessed by the people.
He who sows iniquity shall reap vanity; And the rod of his wrath shall fail.
verse value 2317
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "he·who·sows" (זוֹרֵ֣עַ, 4 letters) and the longest is "shall·reap·vanity" (יִקְצׇר־אָ֑וֶן, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "he·who·sows" (זוֹרֵ֣עַ), "iniquity" (עַ֭וְלָה), "shall·reap·vanity" (יִקְצׇר־אָ֑וֶן). The root קצר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·reap·vanity', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words.
Rashi
He who sows injustice will reap violence According to his sowing will be his reaping; according to his deed will be the reception of his reward. and the rod of his wrath will fail The rod of his ear of grain will fail more and more [interpreting עברתו as עבור, grain]. Some say: The rod of his wrath with which he rules over people will become progressively lessened because he impairs his ability.
Ibn Ezra
"He who sows" — [refers to] the rich man who commits injustice in order to rule over the poor; he shall reap vanity, and receive his recompense as is fitting for him. "And the rod" — for wrath is likened to a rod, as in: "Ho, Assyria, the rod of My anger" (Isaiah 10:5). And the meaning is that when he vents his wrath upon the poor, the rod will be consumed and will no longer pass over them, for Hashem will destroy it.
Ralbag
"He who sows iniquity" — But one who thinks to rule over people by the opposite of this trait — that is, by the injustice and violence that he does to them — behold, his dominion over them will not endure, for harm will already come to him from the evil that he does. That is to say, from what he sows of injustice there will come out for him a harvest fitting for the evil that he did; and this harvest and fruit that he attains from it is toil and iniquity, not something in which there is benefit. And it will happen to him, from that evil, that the rod of his wrath will fail — that is to say, that there will no longer remain to him authority by which he could strike people with the rod of wrath, as he used to do before this.
Metzudat David
"He who sows" — Just as one who sows something will reap the same kind that he sowed, so the recompense is according to the deed. "And the rod of his wrath" — the rod of his fury with which he was striking and ruling — behold, it will fail, meaning, he will lose the ability [to wield it].
Metzudat Zion
"And the rod of his wrath" — The term "rod" (shevet) is borrowed to refer to wrath and rage, as in "Assyria, the rod of My anger" (Isaiah 10:5).
He who has a bountiful eye shall be blessed; For he gives of his bread to the poor.
verse value 1109
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "he" (ה֣וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "good·of·eye" (טֽוֹב־עַ֭יִן, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "good·of·eye" (טֽוֹב־עַ֭יִן), "for·he·gives" (כִּֽי־נָתַ֖ן), "from·his·bread" (מִלַּחְמ֣וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "good·of·eye" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "for·he·gives" (root נתן, 34x in Proverbs); "he" (root הוא, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·be·blessed', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: טֽוֹב־עַ֭יִן [good·of·eye] (147) + ה֣וּא [he] (12) + יְבֹרָ֑ךְ [shall·be·blessed] (232) + כִּֽי־נָתַ֖ן [for·he·gives] (530) + מִלַּחְמ֣וֹ [from·his·bread] (124) + לַדָּֽל [to·the·poor] (64) = 1109.
Ibn Ezra
"And he who has a good eye" — [meaning] one who gives from his bread to the poor; he shall be blessed, filled with the blessing of Hashem.
Ralbag
"He who has a bountiful eye" — But one who is good of eye and rules over people by doing good to them, he will be blessed by Hashem, and his power will be strengthened to do good to them and to forgive them, because he gave of his bread to the poor; for on account of this thing Hashem will bless him.
Metzudat David
"Bountiful of eye" — He who gives to the poor with a generous eye will be blessed by Hashem; for behold, he gave of his bread to the poor, and if he is further blessed with possessions, he will give even more abundantly, and his heart will not begrudge him when he gives to him.
Cast out the scorner, and contention will go out; Indeed, strife and shame will cease.
verse value 1804
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "scorner" (לֵ֭ץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·will·cease" (וְ֝יִשְׁבֹּ֗ת, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "drive·out" (גָּ֣רֵֽשׁ), "and·will·cease" (וְ֝יִשְׁבֹּ֗ת). 7 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root דין ("strife") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'contention', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: גָּ֣רֵֽשׁ [drive·out] (503) + לֵ֭ץ [scorner] (120) + וְיֵצֵ֣א [and·will·go·out] (107) + מָד֑וֹן [contention] (100) + וְ֝יִשְׁבֹּ֗ת [and·will·cease] (718) + דִּ֣ין [strife] (64) + וְקָלֽוֹן [and·shame] (192) = 1804.
Rashi
Banish a scorner The evil inclination.
Ibn Ezra
"Cast out" — remove him from before you, for then contention will go out from your midst. "And strife shall cease" — so that he will not bring you to judgment; "and shame [shall cease]" — so that he will not put you to shame.
Ralbag
"Cast out the scorner" — It is the way of the scorner to hate people, to mock them, and to stir up quarrels among them; therefore if you cast the scorner out from the house, contention will go out from it, for he was the one who stirred up quarrels there; and strife will cease from the house, and [so too] the shame of the one who quarrels there and shames people.
Metzudat David
"Cast out the scorner" — Cast the scorner away from you, and contention will depart, for it is the way of the scorner to stir up strife. "And will cease" — Then dispute and disgrace will be nullified; for when there is strife, people approach for judgment and quarrel to disgrace one another, but when there is no one stirring up strife, everything ceases.
Metzudat Zion
"Will cease" ("veyishbot") — An expression of cessation, as in "the oppressor has ceased" (Isaiah 14).
Malbim
"Cast out the scorner, and contention will go out" — "contention" (madon) is the matter and the claim on account of which a person has a case and a judgment with his fellow. I have already explained that contention is aroused through several causes: through hatred, as it is written, "hatred stirs up strifes" (Proverbs 10:12); and through a man of wrath and a man of anger, as it is written, "a wrathful man stirs up contention" (Proverbs 15:18) — for without cause, people would not be so particular about small matters as to go to law and quarrel over them. And here it says that contention is also aroused through the scorner (letz), for the scorner mocks everyone, and through his mockery he sends forth contention. And [Solomon] gives advice to every person to cast the scorner out of his house and not associate with him, and with him contention will go out. And when there is no contention, people will not need to go to litigation and to the disgrace of the courtroom (bei dina) — and this is the meaning of "indeed, strife and shame will cease," for "judgment" (din) refers to that which comes from the court, which examines the matter of the contention.
He who loves pureness of heart, That has grace in his lips, the king shall be his friend.
verse value 1699
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "grace" (חֵ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "pure·of·heart" (טְהׇר־לֵ֑ב, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "pure·of·heart" (טְהׇר־לֵ֑ב). The root טהר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·friend" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "his·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "he·who·loves" (root אהב, 31x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'pure·of·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words.
Rashi
He who loves one pure of heart with charm on his lips One whose lips have grace. the King is his friend The Holy One, blessed be He, loves him and endears him.
Ibn Ezra
"He who loves" stands in place of two [predicates]: "pure of heart" — meaning, one who is pure of evils, which correspond to dross; and "loves the grace of his lips" — meaning, a man of grace, because he has lips of knowledge. It is also possible that "grace" is an adjective. And whoever loves both of these, his stature will grow so great that the king will become his friend — like Hushai the Archite, a lover of the pure, who was "David's friend" (2 Samuel 15:37).
Ralbag
"He who loves pureness of heart" — But one who is pure of heart and loves without a double heart [i.e., without duplicity] — behold, the grace and love that he shows in his words to the one he loves are ruled and governed by his own intention; he means by this that he says with his mouth only what is in his heart to do. And the first explanation is more closely connected to what precedes it, of these matters.
Metzudat David
"He who loves" — One who loves a man pure of heart, without any trace of iniquity, and loves one who has grace in the words of his lips because he speaks with knowledge — behold, the king will honor him, for such is the way of the king, to love people like these.
Malbim
"He who loves pureness of heart, That has grace in his lips, the king shall be his friend" — Since he had commanded to cast out the scorner, whose way is to send forth contention, and [commanded] not to associate with him, he now speaks of the opposite: the man who loves every person, and who is pure of heart, and in whose lips is grace — this being the extreme opposite of the scorner, whose heart is full of dross and whose lips are full of strife, and who hates everyone. But the true lover, whose heart and mouth are alike, and who speaks no mockery but only words of grace — it is fitting that even the king should be his friend and companion.
The eyes of Hashem preserve the one who has knowledge, But He overthrows the words of the faithless man.
verse value 1397
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "knowledge" (דָ֑עַת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·overthrows" (וַ֝יְסַלֵּ֗ף, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "preserve" (נָ֣צְרוּ), "and·overthrows" (וַ֝יְסַלֵּ֗ף), "the·faithless" (בֹגֵֽד). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "the·words·of" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "the·eyes·of" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'knowledge', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֵינֵ֣י [the·eyes·of] (140) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + נָ֣צְרוּ [preserve] (346) + דָ֑עַת [knowledge] (474) + וַ֝יְסַלֵּ֗ף [and·overthrows] (186) + דִּבְרֵ֥י [the·words·of] (216) + בֹגֵֽד [the·faithless] (9) = 1397.
Ibn Ezra
"His eyes" — the Torah speaks in the language of men: His "eyes" mean His desire and will, or His intellect, which preserved men of knowledge from all evil. "But He overthrows" — Hashem twists the words of the faithless one who thinks evil against men of knowledge, and nullifies them.
Ralbag
"The eyes of Hashem" — Behold, the eyes of Hashem and His providence guard the knowledge of the wise, to uphold their thoughts and their counsel; He overturns the words of the treacherous, to make them fall from their counsels.
Metzudat David
"The eyes of Hashem" — The Omnipresent watches over the protection of men of knowledge, and overturns and spoils the words of counsel of the treacherous man; whatever he says in order to entrap men of knowledge, he will not prevail against them.
Metzudat Zion
"He overthrows" ("vayesalef") — [Meaning] he twists them.
Malbim
"The eyes of Hashem preserve knowledge" — Behold, the laws of wisdom have no [logical] proof for them; rather, they are only received [by tradition], and fools despise its laws and cast doubts upon them. Likewise, understanding [tevunah] and intellect [sekhel], even though they come from the activity of intellectual inquiry, are not engaged in by many people, and indeed people would not be able to engage in it at all if they did not have established foundations upon which their inquiries could be based. However, it came about through Hashem's providence that He planted "knowledge" [da'at] in man's heart — namely, the first intelligibles — as well as the examination proceeding from the later [effect] to the earlier [cause] by means of the senses, through which man attains clear knowledge. Then he is able to use the faculty of understanding [binah] as well, to derive one thing from another and to arrive at true conclusions. This is on account of the providence expressed in "the eyes of Hashem preserve knowledge," and through this He twists the words of the treacherous one who comes to deny the truths.
The sluggard says: ‘There is a lion without; I shall be slain in the streets.’
verse value 2091
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "says" (אָמַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "streets" (רְ֝חֹב֗וֹת, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "streets" (רְ֝חֹב֗וֹת), "I·shall·be·slain" (אֵרָצֵֽחַ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "says" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·outside', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אָמַ֣ר [says] (241) + עָ֭צֵל [the·sluggard] (190) + אֲרִ֣י [lion] (211) + בַח֑וּץ [in·the·outside] (106) + בְּת֥וֹךְ [in·the·midst·of] (428) + רְ֝חֹב֗וֹת [streets] (616) + אֵרָצֵֽחַ [I·shall·be·slain] (299) = 2091.
Rashi
The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside...” How will I go out to learn Torah?
Ibn Ezra
"The sluggard" — [refers to] a wicked person. "There is a lion without" — he raises this claim so that he will not go out to seek his sustenance. "I shall be slain" — [meaning] that the lion will murder him.
Ralbag
"The sluggard says" — Behold, the sluggard will not go out of the doorway of his house to do his work, out of the abundance of his laziness; and he says that there is a lion outside to devour him if he goes out of his house, and robbers in the streets to kill him if he goes there.
Metzudat David
"The sluggard says" — Because of his laziness he does not go out of the door of his house to do his work, and he invents from his own mind, saying: "Is there not a lion outside, that will tear apart my soul? And in the midst of the streets I shall be murdered by the robbers who are found there."
Malbim
"The sluggard says: There is a lion outside; I shall be slain in the streets" — There is a difference between "chutz" (outside) and "rechov" (street): "Chutz" is the area behind the houses, where there is no public domain — only the members of the courtyard alone make use of it there — whereas "rechov" is the place of the marketplace, where the people of the city gather. Now, it is the way [of the world] that in forests far from settled areas there are dangerous animals, and on the [open] roads there are bandits; but this is not so in the city — even in the "chutzot" (outlying areas), and all the more so in the "rechovot" (streets), there are no bandits, and certainly no dangerous animal. But the sluggard, out of his laziness to leave his house, has his imaginative faculty picture to him as though: in the "chutz," where not many people are to be found, there are dangerous animals, and in the "rechov" there are murderers — even though there are in fact no animals there, on account of fear of the crowds — so that from this he finds a pretext for his laziness, so as not to budge from his house. And this is also a parable for one who is lazy about engaging in Torah and wisdom: for if they tell him to occupy himself with "chutz" — that is, with [philosophical] inquiry and wisdom outside of Torah — he will say that there is a lion there, as is explained (Proverbs 22:14): "The mouth of strange women is a deep pit," meaning that he is afraid of falling into heresy, and if they tell him to go into the "rechov," to study matters that many people tread upon [i.e., widely-studied, common subjects], he is afraid of being murdered by people — that is, that he will not understand or grasp what he is studying, and all of this is due to his laziness.
The mouth of strange women is a deep pit: He who is abhorred of Hashem shall fall into it.
verse value 1972
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·mouth·of" (פִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·fall·there" (יִפׇּל־שָֽׁם, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "pit" (שׁוּחָ֣ה), "abhorred·of" (זְע֥וּם), "shall·fall·there" (יִפׇּל־שָֽׁם). The root נפל appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "the·mouth·of" (root פה, 34x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root זעם ("abhorred·of") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strange·women', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
Rashi
The mouth of strange women is [like] a deep pit An idolatress. the one abhorred by the Lord Heb. זעום. He whom the Holy One, blessed be He, hates, falls and stumbles upon her. the one abhorred rebuked from before Him.
Ibn Ezra
"Pit," "folly" — two connected [verses]. "Pit" — on the pattern of "golah" [exile]. And the meaning: like a pit that is deep, so is the mouth of strange women to those accursed — whoever Hashem has cursed and desires his death shall fall there; but the youth, even though folly is bound up in his heart, deserves to be struck with the rod of discipline, for it will drive folly far from him.
Ralbag
"A deep pit" — Behold, the mouth that speaks strange things, perversities, and matters that are the opposite of truth — especially regarding first principles and fundamentals — is like a deep pit: one who falls into it has no stratagem by which to get out of it. He who is abhorred of Hashem is the one who falls into this pit, for he continually distances himself further from the correct way and from perfection, the more he holds fast to this base trait.
Metzudat David
"A pit" — Like a deep pit, from which one who falls into it finds it hard to climb out, so is one who is trapped by the enticement of the mouth of strange women — that is, heresy — from which it is very hard to break free. "He who is abhorred of Hashem" — One with whom Hashem is angry and whose death He desires stumbles into it, for He does not enlighten his eyes at the start of the enticement to understand the folly of the matter and its falsehoods.
Metzudat Zion
"A pit" ("shuchah") — A pit (bor), as in "in the pit that they made" (Psalms 9). "Strange [women]" ("zarot") — An expression of "zar" (foreign/alien). "Abhorred" ("ze'um") — An expression of anger/wrath.
Malbim
"The mouth of strange women is a deep pit; he who is abhorred of Hashem shall fall there" — "the mouth of strange women" [refers to] the ways of wisdom and philosophy of the idol-worshippers (and it is explained elsewhere by me that the word "mouth" [peh] here refers to wisdom/philosophy); this is like a deep pit. The pit is a hole dug in order to trap people in it, and when it is deep, it is impossible for the one who has fallen to get out of it. So too, through their teachings, souls are ensnared into apostasy and heresy, and it becomes impossible for him ever to emerge from there to the light of life; nor does he have any hope that Hashem will help him get out of the pit [shachat], for "he who is abhorred of Hashem shall fall there" — the one who falls there is "abhorred of Hashem"; the curse of Hashem and His wrath rest upon him, for he has become trapped in heresy [minut] and ruin. And whoever departs from heresy dies on the spot, as it is written, "None that go unto her return" (Proverbs 2:19).
Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; But the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
verse value 2538
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. Verse gematria: 2538 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "the·rod·of" (שֵׁ֥בֶט, 3 letters) and the longest is "shall·drive·it·far" (יַרְחִיקֶ֥נָּה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "is·bound" (קְשׁוּרָ֣ה), "in·the·heart·of·a·child" (בְלֶב־נָ֑עַר), "shall·drive·it·far" (יַרְחִיקֶ֥נָּה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "correction" (root מוסר, 30x in Proverbs); "foolishness" (root אולת, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·heart·of·a·child', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אִ֭וֶּלֶת [foolishness] (437) + קְשׁוּרָ֣ה [is·bound] (611) + בְלֶב־נָ֑עַר [in·the·heart·of·a·child] (354) + שֵׁ֥בֶט [the·rod·of] (311) + מ֝וּסָ֗ר [correction] (306) + יַרְחִיקֶ֥נָּה [shall·drive·it·far] (383) + מִמֶּֽנּוּ [from·him] (136) = 2538.
Ralbag
"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child" — In the heart of the child, foolishness is bound up from the beginning of his affairs, meaning that because he is hasty and rash to do whatever he desires, he does not conduct his affairs by proper means, and he does not settle himself to consider what is fitting to do and what is fitting to keep away from. But the rod of correction will drive this foolishness far from the child; therefore it is fitting for a man to discipline his son at the beginning of his affairs, for then he will be able to instill discipline in him.
Metzudat David
"Foolishness is bound up" — He is attached to the deed of folly as if it were tied to his heart; but the rod of the one who chastises will drive the folly far from him.
Malbim
"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child" — "Foolishness" [ivelet] refers to the doubts that one raises about the ways of wisdom, disputing them. He says that although, when this foolishness is found in someone advanced in years, it forms a root in the depths of his heart such that it is impossible to separate it from him — as it says, "A fool despises his father's instruction" (Proverbs 15:5), and "Though you pound the fool [in a mortar]..." (Proverbs 27:22) — nevertheless, in the heart of a child, the foolishness has not yet formed a root in the depths of his heart on the inside; rather, it is [merely] bound to his heart, the way one thing is tied to another by a thread or cord, such that if the binding thread is severed, the bond is removed. So too, foolishness is, for him, an external thing, merely bound to him, and by means of the rod of discipline it can be driven far away from him.
One may oppress the poor, yet will their gain increase; One may give to the rich, yet will want come.
verse value 2658
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֑וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "the·poor" (דָּ֭ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "indeed·to·need" (אַךְ־לְמַחְסֽוֹר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·increase" (לְהַרְבּ֣וֹת), "one·who·gives" (נֹתֵ֥ן), "to·the·rich" (לְ֝עָשִׁ֗יר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "one·who·gives" (root נתן, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֹ֣שֵֽׁק [one·who·oppresses] (470) + דָּ֭ל [the·poor] (34) + לְהַרְבּ֣וֹת [to·increase] (643) + ל֑וֹ [to·him] (36) + נֹתֵ֥ן [one·who·gives] (500) + לְ֝עָשִׁ֗יר [to·the·rich] (610) + אַךְ־לְמַחְסֽוֹר [indeed·to·need] (365) = 2658.
Rashi
He who exploits a poor man to increase for himself money. will give to a rich man He will ultimately give his money to the rich pagan kings, and it will be only to want.
Ibn Ezra
"Oppress," "surely" — [the point is] to diminish what he thinks he will increase for himself; that is, one who oppresses the poor to increase his own [wealth], or gives to the rich — surely, on account of the want that will come upon him, [that is the result of] his oppression.
Ralbag
"One may oppress the poor, yet will their gain increase" — One who oppresses the "poor" one — that is, the faculty that is aroused toward bodily desires — so that he gives it nothing of its desires: behold, this is what increases [good] for him, for the more he continually conducts himself this way, his desire for these things diminishes, and therefore he will always be sated. And one who gives to the "rich" one its desires — that is, the man who pursues his desires — behold, this is for him a cause of want, for he will always be hungrier on account of the abundance of his desires, as they said: "A man has a small limb: satisfying it starves him; starving it satisfies him." Or he may mean by this: if the poor person who oppresses [others] already exerts some effort that brought this about, then he sets his aim on increasing possessions for himself. But the poor person who gives to the rich person — behold, he has no benefit from this gift, only a diminishing of his possessions, for the rich person will not think much of this gift; rather, he will disdain the poor person and mock him for what he gave him, and will not trouble himself to repay him a reward. And this is well known about the rich. And behold, the first explanation is more correct.
Metzudat David
"Oppressing the poor" — This speaks of what usually happens: the rich man does not allow himself to be robbed, since his hand is strong enough to add to his own wealth, so instead the poor man is oppressed, in the oppressor's thinking that by this his fortune will increase. "Gives to the rich" — and likewise the one who gives a gift to the rich — "Only to want" — In both of these there comes no gain, but only a loss to his wealth. For through robbery he will yet lose what is his own, and by giving a gift to the rich he himself diminishes his own wealth, and the Omnipresent will not fill the deficiency, since he did not perform Hashem's commandment by that gift.
Malbim
"He who oppresses the poor to increase for him" — one who oppresses a poor man, even though his intent is not to oppress him but merely that the money be given as a loan, and that he pay the poor man interest, so that afterward he will be able to give him a large sum all at once — even though he does not hold the money in his own hand but places it in the hand of a rich man so that it will accrue interest in his possession — nevertheless, [the result for the poor man] is only want. And it can also be explained: if he oppresses the poor man and withholds his wages, so that a large sum will accumulate for him all at once, thereby bringing him out of a state of poverty into a state of wealth — that is, he oppresses the poor man and withholds his wages and increases it for him, meaning he handles the money for the benefit of the poor man so that it will grow, and afterward gives it to the rich man — for once a great deal of money has gathered with [the rich man], when he returns it to [the poor man], he [the poor man] thereby becomes rich — even though it may appear that he has done him a great favor, nevertheless [the result] is only want. For he has oppressed the poor and given to the rich: even though he now gives to him and he becomes rich, has he not [in truth] given to the rich and oppressed the poor? For at the time of the oppression he was poor and suffered the disgrace of hunger and distress, and what benefit is it that he gives to him afterward, at a time when he will [already] be rich? How can he bear the guilt of what he made him suffer in distress and want? And the wise man has already explained, in the Book of Ethics [Sefer HaMiddot], that it is the condition of the prudent man that in whatever he arranges his actions to bring about a good end, he must intend to reach it by a good and proper way; for otherwise, what happens to him is like [in logic] deriving a true conclusion from a false syllogism because the middle term is false.
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, And apply your heart to my knowledge.
verse value 2524
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "incline" (הַ֥ט, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·wise" (חֲכָמִ֑ים, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "incline" (הַ֥ט), "put" (תָּשִׁ֥ית), "to·my·knowledge" (לְדַעְתִּֽי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "and·your·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "the·words·of" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַ֥ט [incline] (14) + אׇזְנְךָ֗ [your·ear] (78) + וּ֭שְׁמַע [and·hear] (416) + דִּבְרֵ֣י [the·words·of] (216) + חֲכָמִ֑ים [the·wise] (118) + וְ֝לִבְּךָ֗ [and·your·heart] (58) + תָּשִׁ֥ית [put] (1110) + לְדַעְתִּֽי [to·my·knowledge] (514) = 2524.
Rashi
Incline your ear and hearken to the words of the wise to learn the Torah from a sage of any stature. and put your heart to my knowledge But if your teacher is wicked, do not learn from his deeds.
Ibn Ezra
"Incline," "for," "to be," "behold," "to make you know" — [verses 17-21] five connected [verses]. "To my knowledge" — to learn knowledge, since "my knowledge is pleasant"; or, that it will be pleasant when you keep them in the belly — an allusion to the heart.
Ralbag
"Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise" — to learn their wisdom; and together with this, set your heart to my knowledge; and do not rely on the words of the wise alone, but only on what agrees among them with what I have made known to you, which is founded on the foundations of the Torah, for the Torah is what guides one to attain what they [the wise] fall short of attaining by the way of wisdom [philosophy].
Metzudat David
"And your heart" — that is, not the hearing of the ear alone, but also set your heart to know the Torah, to understand it and to remember it.
Metzudat Zion
"Apply" ("tashit") — [Meaning] you shall place, as in "God has appointed me another seed" (Genesis 4:25).
Malbim
"Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge" — "the words of the wise" concerning wisdom are matters of tradition, for they received the laws of wisdom from Hashem; since there are no [logical] proofs for wisdom, one must receive it [by tradition,] from mouth to ear. Yet Solomon, peace be upon him, said in the Book of Proverbs, "to know wisdom and discipline" (Proverbs 1:2) — meaning that through his parables [meshalim] he explained the laws of wisdom by way of illustrations, until knowledge [da'at] of them is attained, for the definition of "da'at" (knowledge) is that one grasps the matter with clear knowledge. This is why it says: you must incline your ear and hear the words of the wise on the basis of tradition; and then, once you have received them on the basis of tradition, and they have become fixed in your heart because you trust in Hashem, who gave the laws of wisdom and knows their truth — then you should apply your heart to my knowledge, according to what I have explained of its laws by demonstrative proofs. For if you do not first accept them through tradition, my knowledge will be of no use to you, since you will [instead] deny their foundations.
For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within you; Let them be established altogether upon your lips.
verse value 2317
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "let·them·be·established" (יִכֹּ֥נוּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "let·them·be·established" (יִכֹּ֥נוּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "if·you·keep·them" (כִּֽי־תִשְׁמְרֵ֣ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "for·pleasant" (כִּֽי־נָ֭עִים), "if·you·keep·them" (כִּֽי־תִשְׁמְרֵ֣ם), "in·your·belly" (בְּבִטְנֶ֑ךָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·your·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "if·you·keep·them" (root שמר, 31x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root נעים ("for·pleasant") in Proverbs. First appearance of the root יחד ("together") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·belly', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־נָ֭עִים [for·pleasant] (200) + כִּֽי־תִשְׁמְרֵ֣ם [if·you·keep·them] (1010) + בְּבִטְנֶ֑ךָ [in·your·belly] (83) + יִכֹּ֥נוּ [let·them·be·established] (86) + יַ֝חְדָּ֗ו [together] (28) + עַל־שְׂפָתֶֽיךָ [upon·your·lips] (910) = 2317.
Rashi
for it is pleasant It will be [pleasant] for you at a later time if you preserve them and hide them in your innards lest you forget them. Now when will they be preserved in your heart? When they are established on your lips, when you utter them with your mouth.
Ibn Ezra
"Let them be established upon your lips" — so that they may serve as a remembrance.
Ralbag
"For it is pleasant" — and sweet to the soul, that you keep the words of the wise in your heart, and that they be established together with my knowledge, which I have directed you toward, upon your lips.
Metzudat David
"For it is pleasant" — It will be pleasant when you keep them in your heart, which is set within the belly, and when all the words of the Torah together are established firmly upon your lips, without error or confusion. Therefore set your heart to them, for one who hears without the understanding of the heart cannot bring forth a word without error, and moreover will quickly forget them.
Metzudat Zion
"Pleasant" ("na'im") — An expression of sweetness and delight.
Malbim
"For it is pleasant if you keep them within your belly; let them be established together upon your lips" — however, after you have received the words of the wise, "my knowledge is good for you," meaning: that which I have taught you by parable and instructed you to know wisdom according to understanding — for through this you will be able to bring them forth upon your lips. For I have already explained that the lip signifies knowledge: a matter concerning which one has clear knowledge, he can speak of it and declare its truth with his lips, and this is a great virtue. For if you keep them in your belly, they are wavering and unsettled, so long as you cannot bring them forth upon your lips (meaning, that you do not know them through understanding), but keep them in your belly merely on account of the tradition you received — then they are wavering and unsettled, and are not fixed within you like nails that do not slip. But "let them be established together" — at the time when they are upon your lips, if they go forth from your belly to your lips, so that you express them with lips of knowledge — then they will be established; they will not be wavering, but will find stability and a foundation that will not be removed from its place.
That your trust may be in Hashem, I have made them known to you this day, even to you.
verse value 1621
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "the·day" (הַיּ֣וֹם, 4 letters) and the longest is "I·have·made·known·to·you" (הוֹדַעְתִּ֖יךָ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "your·trust" (מִבְטַחֶ֑ךָ), "I·have·made·known·to·you" (הוֹדַעְתִּ֖יךָ), "even·you" (אַף־אָֽתָּה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "I·have·made·known·to·you" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs); "the·day" (root יום, 32x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·trust', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לִֽהְי֣וֹת [to·be] (451) + בַּ֭יהֹוָה [in·Hashem] (28) + מִבְטַחֶ֑ךָ [your·trust] (79) + הוֹדַעְתִּ֖יךָ [I·have·made·known·to·you] (515) + הַיּ֣וֹם [the·day] (61) + אַף־אָֽתָּה [even·you] (487) = 1621.
Rashi
That your trust shall be in the Lord, I have made known to you I make known to you that you should trust in the Lord and engage in the Torah, and you shall not say, “How will I be idle from my work, and how will I earn a livelihood?”
Ralbag
"That your trust may be in Hashem" — But you, after your attaining this level that I have mentioned, I have made known to you today that you should not rely on your wisdom and understanding, but that your trust should always be in Hashem, together with whatever causes you set in order to attain your purpose, as was mentioned above — for the causes are set in vain if the matter does not come about from Hashem.
Metzudat David
"I have made them known to you this day" — Through these words I have now made known to you that your trust should be in Hashem, and that you should turn away from all your affairs to delve deeply into the words of the wise with all your heart. "Even you" — that is, although you are only learning for yourself and are not as great as one who teaches others, nevertheless even you should trust in Hashem, for there is hope for you as well.
Malbim
"That your trust may be in Hashem, I have made them known to you this day, even to you" — this refers back to what was stated above, "Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise," namely that its purpose is "that your trust may be in Hashem" — meaning, that you should hear the laws of wisdom from the mouths of the wise, who received them from Hashem, and that you should trust in Hashem, who gave the laws of wisdom, for He knows their secret and their truth, and you should not doubt them at all. And after that, "set your heart to my knowledge" — for I have made known to you this day the reasons of wisdom, and have explained them with proofs of understanding, so that you yourself may also know — that beyond trusting in Hashem, who knows their reasons and their secrets, you yourself will also know what you are able to grasp of them.
Have not I written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge;
verse value 3372
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Notable word values: "have·not" (הֲלֹ֤א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְ֭ךָ, 2 letters) and the longest is "excellent·things" (שָׁלִישִׁ֑ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "have·not" (הֲלֹ֤א), "I·have·written" (כָתַ֣בְתִּֽי), "excellent·things" (שָׁלִישִׁ֑ים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "and·knowledge" (root דעת, 29x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'excellent·things', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words.
Rashi
Have I not written to you thirds The Torah, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa.
Ibn Ezra
"Shalishim" — [to be read as] the word "shilshom" ["formerly," lit. "three days ago"], spelled here with a vav. And the meaning: "yesterday, the day before," I wrote to make known to you words of truth, in a book of counsels and knowledge.
Ralbag
"Have not I written to you" — weighty things, to direct you toward counsel in practical matters, and toward knowledge in theoretical matters. And I think that he called them "shalishim" [officers of thirty], for just as the king governs the entire people of the kingdom, and so too is the case with the viceroy, while the "officers of thirty" each direct a portion of that general body — so too he called "thirties" the directives that he gave concerning particular matters, in each and every point of understanding, and each and every point of knowledge.
Metzudat David
"Have I not written" — that is, lest you say: how can I trust in Hashem to turn my heart away from all my affairs to delve deeply into the words of my teachers, for perhaps they too err in the words of the Torah, and there is no basis to trust in Hashem and receive reward — therefore he says: have I not written for you in the book of the Torah important and honored things, spoken with counsels and knowledge?
Metzudat Zion
"Excellent things" ("shalishim") — [Literally] officers and nobles, as in "his choicest officers" (Exodus 15:4); meaning here, important and honorable matters, similarly "Hear, for I speak of noble things" (Proverbs 8, above). "Of counsels" ("bemo'atzot") — An expression of "eitzah" (counsel).
Malbim
"Have I not written to you excellent things (shelishim, meaning 'threefold things'), of counsels and knowledge" — as it says, "and he spoke three thousand proverbs," for the book of Proverbs is divided into three parts. Hence it says, "Have I not written to you threefold things" — writings which are all full of counsel for yourself, as to how you should conduct yourself — "and knowledge," that you should have clear knowledge with which to teach others. And corresponding to "counsels" it says "to make you know," and corresponding to "knowledge" it says "to bring back words," etc.
That I might make you know the certainty of the words of truth, That you might bring back words of truth to those who send you?
verse value 2723
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "the·certainty·of" (קֹ֭שְׁטְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·make·you·know" (לְהֽוֹדִיעֲךָ֗, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 441: truth, truth. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·make·you·know" (לְהֽוֹדִיעֲךָ֗), "the·certainty·of" (קֹ֭שְׁטְ), "to·bring·back" (לְהָשִׁ֥יב). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·words·of" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs); "to·make·you·know" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs); "to·bring·back" (root שוב, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'truth', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: לְהֽוֹדִיעֲךָ֗ [to·make·you·know] (145) + קֹ֭שְׁטְ [the·certainty·of] (409) + אִמְרֵ֣י [the·words·of] (251) + אֱמֶ֑ת [truth] (441) + לְהָשִׁ֥יב [to·bring·back] (347) + אֲמָרִ֥ים [words] (291) + אֱ֝מֶ֗ת [truth] (441) + לְשֹׁלְחֶֽיךָ [to·those·who·send·you] (398) = 2723.
Rashi
to make known to you the certainty I wrote thirds for you in order that you should understand from them the certainty of the true words. to respond with words of truth to those who send you To those who ask you for instruction.
Ibn Ezra
"Keshet" [certainty] — on the pattern of verbs, like "yesht." "Amarim emet" ["words of truth"] — the correct form would be "imrei emet" [construct: "sayings of truth"]; and likewise "turim even" ["rows of stone," cf. Exodus 28:17], "sigim kesef" ["dross of silver," cf. Proverbs 26:23], "eilim tzemer" ["rams, wool," cf. 2 Kings 3:4], and many others, on the pattern of the abbreviated construct form. And the meaning of "to bring back" — as in the matter of: "and Moses brought back the words of the people to Hashem" (Exodus 19:8); that is, when I make known to you the certainty of the words of truth, so likewise I will bring back sayings to Him, along the lines of "we will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7). "To those who send you" — to Hashem, who sent me to you to discipline you, for the intellect is the messenger of Hashem. "To those who send you" is in the plural form, like "Eloha osai" ["God, my Makers"] (Job 35:10).
Metzudat David
"To make you know" — that is, the words of that Torah are made for this: to make you know the truth of true sayings, to know how to distinguish between truth and falsehood; and so you need no longer fear that they will lead you astray through its error, for you will be able to answer with true words and a decisive response to those who mislead you and drive you from the way of truth.
Metzudat Zion
"The certainty" ("koshet") — An expression of truth, as in "because of the truth. Selah" (Psalms 60). "To those who send you" ("lesholchecha") — An expression of driving away and divorce, as in "If a man sends away [his wife]" (Jeremiah 3).
Malbim
"That I might make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you might bring back words of truth to those who send you" — there is a difference between kesheṭ ("certainty") and emet ("truth"): "truth" applies to a matter that is true in itself, even if a person does not know its reason, whereas "certainty" applies when its truth is revealed and clear to all. That is: the proverbs that I have made will make known to you the certainty and the veracity of the words of truth, so that you will understand the truth in its truth — meaning, that you will understand the reasons and the rationale of the truth that has been handed down to you — and also so that you will be able to bring back words of truth to those who send you: for by your grasping them through proofs of understanding, so that they are established upon your lips, you will also answer others and make known to them the reasons of wisdom and its rationale with clear knowledge.
Rob not the weak, because he is weak, Neither crush the poor in the gate;
verse value 1745
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·rob·the·weak" (אַֽל־תִּגְזׇל־דָּ֭ל, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·rob·the·weak" (אַֽל־תִּגְזׇל־דָּ֭ל), "he·is·weak" (דַל־ה֑וּא), "and·do·not·crush" (וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּ֖א). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·is·weak', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַֽל־תִּגְזׇל־דָּ֭ל [do·not·rob·the·weak] (505) + כִּ֣י [for] (30) + דַל־ה֑וּא [he·is·weak] (46) + וְאַל־תְּדַכֵּ֖א [and·do·not·crush] (462) + עָנִ֣י [poor] (130) + בַשָּֽׁעַר [in·the·gate] (572) = 1745.
Rashi
Do not rob a poor man Do not rob him because you see that he is poor and has no strength to resist you.
Ibn Ezra
"Do not," "for he is poor" — he bears distress in his poverty; therefore do not rob him. "In the gate" — for there is his support, as in the matter of: "for I shall see my help in the gate."
Ralbag
"Rob not the weak" — because you rely on the fact that he is weak, and no harm will come to you from him, for he is lowly and cannot stand against you; and do not crush the poor at the gate for this same reason, because you will see your support there [in court], while the poor person has no helper.
Metzudat David
"Because he is weak" — that is, do not rob him thinking that because he is poor, he has no power to stand up against you. "Neither crush" — do not crush the poor man in the gate of judgment when he pleads his case against you.
Malbim
"Rob not the poor, because he is poor" — he says: although you are also warned not to rob the wealthy man — in his case the warning is on account of the robbery itself, that it is forbidden to rob — in the case of robbing the poor man, besides the fact that you are warned not to rob at all, you are warned not to rob him in particular on account of his being poor. And likewise, "neither crush the poor in the gate," for he has no one to hear him from among the judges, against you.
For Hashem will plead their cause, And despoil of life those who despoil them.
verse value 1766
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "life" (נָֽפֶשׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "those·who·despoil·them" (אֶת־קֹבְעֵיהֶ֣ם, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "will·contend" (יָרִ֣יב), "their·cause" (רִיבָ֑ם), "and·will·despoil" (וְקָבַ֖ע). The root ריב appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "life" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·cause', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־יְ֭הֹוָה [for·Hashem] (56) + יָרִ֣יב [will·contend] (222) + רִיבָ֑ם [their·cause] (252) + וְקָבַ֖ע [and·will·despoil] (178) + אֶת־קֹבְעֵיהֶ֣ם [those·who·despoil·them] (628) + נָֽפֶשׁ [life] (430) = 1766.
Rashi
For the Lord will plead their cause and rob Heb. וקבע. And will rob the life. those who rob them Heb. קבעים, those who rob them; in Aramaic קביעה means robbery. In tractate Rosh Hashanah (26b): A certain man came before him and said to him, “So-and-so robbed me (קבען)” etc.
Ibn Ezra
"And rob" — he takes a pledge, or plunders, as in: "Will a man rob God?" (Malachi 3:8).
Ralbag
"For Hashem will plead their cause" — For there is One there mightier than you, to take vengeance from you on their behalf, and that is Hashem, may He be blessed; for He will plead their cause and will despoil the life of the one who despoils them, measure for measure, since one who despoils the poor despoils him of his very life.
Metzudat David
"For Hashem" — that is, if he has no power to plead his own cause, behold, Hashem will plead their cause, and from those who despoil them He will despoil their life, for he will die and lose his life.
Metzudat Zion
"Despoil" ("vekava") — An expression of robbery, as in "Will a man rob God?" (Malachi 3:8).
Malbim
"For Hashem will plead their cause" — for in the robbing of the wealthy man, and in the perverting of his judgment, since he has power of his own, it is only a matter of money; not so with the destitute and the poor man, who has no one to plead on his behalf — then Hashem will plead his cause; for the weak, who have no power, Hashem will plead their cause; and then it is not a matter of monetary law, but rather He will "despoil of life those who despoil them."
Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man you shall not go;
verse value 3297
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "anger" (אָ֑ף, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·associate" (אַל־תִּ֭תְרַע, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·associate" (אַל־תִּ֭תְרַע), "with·a·master·of" (אֶת־בַּ֣עַל), "and·with·a·man·of" (וְאֶת־אִ֥ישׁ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·with·a·man·of" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "you·shall·go" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'anger', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּ֭תְרַע [do·not·associate] (1101) + אֶת־בַּ֣עַל [with·a·master·of] (503) + אָ֑ף [anger] (81) + וְאֶת־אִ֥ישׁ [and·with·a·man·of] (718) + חֵ֝מ֗וֹת [wrath] (454) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תָבֽוֹא [you·shall·go] (409) = 3297.
Rashi
Do not befriend Heb. תתרע, do not befriend, an expression of friendship (רעות)
Ibn Ezra
"Do not," "lest" — two connected [verses]. "Titra" — [meaning] "you will become bad." "Et" — like "im" ["with"]. "For your soul" — for the sake of your soul, lest it be caught in a snare and you die for your sin. "Your bed" — when you lie upon it, if you have none other than it.
Ralbag
"Make no friendship" — Do not associate with an angry man so as to become his friend, and do not come together with a wrathful man to join him and walk with him.
Metzudat David
"Make no friendship" — do not associate with a man of anger, and do not walk the same path as a wrathful man; the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"Make friendship" ("titra") — An expression of "rei'a" (friend/companion).
Malbim
"Make no friendship with a man given to anger" — there is a difference between a ba'al af (a man of sudden anger) and a ba'al chemah (a man of harbored wrath): the ba'al af takes revenge openly and does not harbor wrath secretly in his heart — concerning him He commanded that one not befriend him. The ba'al chemah is one who keeps wrath in his heart and does not take revenge immediately — and this is worse. He commanded that one not come near him at all, even not in the manner of companionship and friendship.
Lest you learn his ways, And get a snare to your soul.
verse value 2726
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "snare" (מוֹקֵ֣שׁ, 4 letters) and the longest is "lest·you·learn" (פֶּן־תֶּאֱלַ֥ף, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "lest·you·learn" (פֶּן־תֶּאֱלַ֥ף), "his·ways" (אֹרְחֹתָ֑ו), "and·take" (וְלָקַחְתָּ֖). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·your·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "and·take" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·ways', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: פֶּן־תֶּאֱלַ֥ף [lest·you·learn] (641) + אֹרְחֹתָ֑ו [his·ways] (615) + וְלָקַחְתָּ֖ [and·take] (544) + מוֹקֵ֣שׁ [snare] (446) + לְנַפְשֶֽׁךָ [to·your·soul] (480) = 2726.
Rashi
lest you learn Heb. תאלף.
Ralbag
"Lest you learn" — Lest you learn his ways, and this become a cause for you to take a snare for your soul; for great misfortunes that bring death upon him will befall the angry man.
Metzudat David
"Lest you learn" — lest you learn his way, and thereby take a snare for your soul.
Metzudat Zion
"Learn" ("te'alef") — You shall learn, as in "for your mouth teaches your iniquity" (Job 15:5).
Malbim
"Lest you learn his ways" — for by becoming accustomed to his ways, you too will act likewise, "and get a snare to your soul," in which you will afterward be ensnared.
Be you not of those who strike hands, Or of those who are sureties for debts;
verse value 2199
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "do·not·be" (אַל־תְּהִ֥י, 5 letters) and the longest is "among·those·who·strike·hands" (בְתֹֽקְעֵי־כָ֑ף, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "among·those·who·strike·hands" (בְתֹֽקְעֵי־כָ֑ף), "among·those·who·stand·surety" (בַּ֝עֹרְבִ֗ים), "debts" (מַשָּׁאֽוֹת). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·not·be" (root היה, 27x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'among·those·who·strike·hands', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תְּהִ֥י [do·not·be] (446) + בְתֹֽקְעֵי־כָ֑ף [among·those·who·strike·hands] (682) + בַּ֝עֹרְבִ֗ים [among·those·who·stand·surety] (324) + מַשָּׁאֽוֹת [debts] (747) = 2199.
Rashi
Do not be one of those who give their hands, who stand surety for debts Loans, as in (Deut. 24: 10), “When you lend you fellow [Jew] any item.”
Ralbag
"Be you not of those who strike hands" — [Do not] bring yourself into servitude in place of your fellow, to pay off his debt — these being the men who act as guarantors for loans on behalf of others.
Metzudat David
"Among those who strike hands" — in the company of men who strike hands with one another, to become a guarantor for his debt through a confirmed pledge. "Sureties" — in the company of men who become guarantors for loans; the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"Debts" ("masa'ot") — An expression of a loan, as in "any manner of loan" (Deuteronomy 24).
Malbim
"Be you not of those who strike hands" — this refers to the guarantor who is a kablan (one directly liable for the debt). And he adds further: "nor be among those who are sureties for debts" — even when it is not by way of such kablanut (direct liability).
If you have not with which to pay, Why should he take away your bed from under you?
verse value 2005
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "why" (לָ֥מָּה, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·you·have·not" (אִם־אֵֽין־לְךָ֥, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "if·you·have·not" (אִם־אֵֽין־לְךָ֥), "to·pay" (לְשַׁלֵּ֑ם), "why" (לָ֥מָּה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·you·have·not" (root אין, 36x in Proverbs); "will·he·take" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·pay', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: אִם־אֵֽין־לְךָ֥ [if·you·have·not] (152) + לְשַׁלֵּ֑ם [to·pay] (400) + לָ֥מָּה [why] (75) + יִקַּ֥ח [will·he·take] (118) + מִ֝שְׁכָּבְךָ֗ [your·bed] (382) + מִתַּחְתֶּֽיךָ [from·under·you] (878) = 2005.
Ralbag
"If you have not with which to pay" — When the creditor comes to collect something, why should you bring yourself to the point that he takes your bed out from under you, leaving you no bed to lie on? And this too is a good admonition, that reason should guard a person from being surety on behalf of one ruled by desire.
Metzudat David
"If you have not, etc." — that is, if you have nothing with which to pay, why should you cause the lender to take from you the bedding of your bed?
Malbim
"If you have not with which to pay, why should he take away your bed from under you?" — meaning: the borrower himself, if he has nothing to pay, it is forbidden for the creditor to enter his house to take his pledge; but into the house of the guarantor it is permitted to enter to take his pledge — as it says, "you shall not go into his house [to fetch his pledge]," but into the house of the guarantor one may enter. And so you, as guarantor, are worse off than the borrower himself.
Remove not the ancient landmark, Which your fathers have set.
verse value 1997
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֖ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "your·fathers" (אֲבוֹתֶֽיךָ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "your·fathers" (אֲבוֹתֶֽיךָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·set" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "which" (root אשר, 23x in Proverbs); "your·fathers" (root אב, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'antiquity', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַל־תַּ֭סֵּג [do·not·remove] (494) + גְּב֣וּל [the·border·of] (41) + עוֹלָ֑ם [antiquity] (146) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [which] (501) + עָשׂ֣וּ [have·set] (376) + אֲבוֹתֶֽיךָ [your·fathers] (439) = 1997.
Rashi
Do not remove an ancient boundary Do not turn away from the custom of your forefathers. Our Sages of blessed memory said: If one places a basket under a vine at the time of vintage so that the fallen grapes should fall into it, concerning this was stated: “Do not remove an ancient boundary, etc.” remove Heb. תסג, as in (Ps. 129:5) “and shall draw backwards (ויסגו).”
Ibn Ezra
"Do not," "do you see" — two connected [verses]. "[Which] they made" — your fathers established the boundary. But one who occupies himself with a craft — if he is skilled in his craft, his stature will grow so great that he will stand before a king.
Ralbag
"Remove not the ancient landmark" — That is to say, do not alter the boundary that the forebears set concerning land, in order to defraud your fellow and add to your own land. And this too is an admonition not to alter the earlier boundaries that the forebears established, for there is benefit in all of them.
Metzudat David
"Remove not" — It is customary to make some marker between one man's field and his fellow's field, to know the boundary of the fields; and he says: the boundary-marker that has existed from of old, which your fathers made, do not move backward into your fellow's field in order to widen your own boundary.
Metzudat Zion
"Remove not" ("tasseg") — An expression of pushing back, as in "Cursed is he who moves back the border" (Deuteronomy 27).
Malbim
"Remove not the ancient landmark, which your fathers have set" — this warning was already stated in the Torah (Deuteronomy 19:14), "You shall not remove your neighbor's landmark, which the ancients have set, in your inheritance." However, there it speaks of one who removes his fellow's landmark, whereas Solomon derives from this that one should likewise not remove any boundary that the ancients have set — such as the customs that the ancients instituted to be permanent — hence it says "ancient landmark" (literally, "the boundary of eternity"). And so it is said in the Yalkut: Rashbi (Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai) said, "If you saw a custom that our fathers practiced, do not change it — such as Abraham, who instituted the morning prayer," etc. — "as derived from, 'which your fathers have set.'" And likewise in the Sifrei, section 188: "From where do we derive the prohibition against one who exchanges the words of R' A for the words of R' Y? — from 'remove not the ancient landmark.'" And see below (23:10).
Do you see a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; He shall not stand before mean men.
verse value 3404
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֤ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "before·kings" (לִֽפְנֵי־מְלָכִ֥ים, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "quick" (מָ֘הִ֤יר), "before·kings" (לִֽפְנֵי־מְלָכִ֥ים), "he·shall·stand" (יִתְיַצָּ֑ב). The root פנים appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "before·kings" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root חזה ("have·you·seen") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·shall·stand', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: חָזִ֡יתָ [have·you·seen] (425) + אִ֤ישׁ [man] (311) + מָ֘הִ֤יר [quick] (255) + בִּמְלַאכְתּ֗וֹ [in·his·business] (499) + לִֽפְנֵי־מְלָכִ֥ים [before·kings] (310) + יִתְיַצָּ֑ב [he·shall·stand] (512) + בַּל־יִ֝תְיַצֵּ֗ב [not·he·shall·stand] (544) + לִפְנֵ֥י [before] (170) + חֲשֻׁכִּֽים [dark·ones] (378) = 3404.
Ibn Ezra
"Chashukhim" [obscure/mean men] — poor people. And the Targum [renders]: "dalut chashikhin," [for] "the poor of the people," [as] "ama chashukha" ["a lowly people"].
Ralbag
"Do you see a man" — He speaks in praise of the trait of diligence and to distance one from laziness. Behold, when you see a man swift and diligent in his work, you will find that he already stands before kings and nobles, for they draw him near to them on account of his diligence, and he will not stand before the hard-pressed and the downcast. And it is as though he explained by this that his diligence will raise him to greatness and will guard him from poverty and want, as they said: "For sixty years there was a famine, yet the craftsman's doorway never changed."
Metzudat David
"Do you see" — when you see a man who is quick and diligent in his work, know that in the end he will stand before kings to serve them, and he will not come to such a state as to stand and serve before lowly and inferior men.
Metzudat Zion
"Do you see" ("chazita") — An expression of seeing, as in "and I beheld" (Proverbs 24, below). "Mean men" ("chashuchim") — Low and inferior people; for just as nobles are called "chorim," from the term for pallor and whiteness, so the lowly are called "chashuchim," from the term for darkness and blackness.
Malbim
"Do you see a man diligent in his business?" — he explains, by way of parable, that a man who is so great a craftsman that he stands before kings to perform the work of kings — even though he is diligent in his craft and has the ability to perform work also for common people — will no longer stand before the lowly. Once he has been chosen for the king's work, he will not lower his standing to perform the work of the lowly. And it also means that if he were to stand before the lowly, he would not be able to remain standing before them, for the lowly do not understand fine, wondrously skilled work, but only coarse work, and his craft is not esteemed in their eyes. And this is a metaphor and a moral lesson for man: that his work in this world is the work of the great King — to keep His charge, His commandments, and His teachings, and to gain understanding of His truth. And one who is diligent in his craft so as to stand before the King will no longer lower himself to perform the work of matter and of the lowly animal soul, and be idle from the work of the King — especially since the spiritual work that belongs to his King would not be accepted among these lowly ones who dwell in the darkness and gloom of matter, nor would they desire it.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim