Through wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established. Rescue those who are drawn to death; the righteous falls seven times and rises again; and the field of the sluggard stands overgrown with thistles, its stone wall broken down.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Be you not envious of evil men, Neither desire to be with them.
verse value 2956
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָעָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·do·not·desire" (וְאַל־תִּ֝תְאָ֗ו, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·men·of" (בְּאַנְשֵׁ֣י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·men·of" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "to·be" (root היה, 27x in Proverbs); "evil" (root רעה, 25x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַל־תְּ֭קַנֵּא [do·not·envy] (582) + בְּאַנְשֵׁ֣י [in·men·of] (363) + רָעָ֑ה [evil] (275) + וְאַל־תִּ֝תְאָ֗ו [and·do·not·desire] (844) + לִֽהְי֥וֹת [to·be] (451) + אִתָּֽם [with·them] (441) = 2956.
Ibn Ezra
"Do not," "for" — with these [words] he warns against evil men. "Men of evil" — [envying them] to do as their deeds, for their heart devises to commit plunder.
Ralbag
"Be you not envious" — and do not covet evil men, who are always drunk, bent on doing harm to people; and do not desire to be with them, for their heart occupies itself with nothing but harming people, and their words will be [words] of mischief.
Metzudat David
"Of evil men" — of the prosperity of evil men. "To be with them" — to act as they act.
Malbim
"Be you not envious of evil men" — 1) Do not envy their success and wish to act as they act; 2) also "neither desire to be with them" in love and fellowship (even though you would not act as they act), in order to gain benefit from them.
For their heart studies destruction, And their lips talk of mischief.
verse value 2071
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "their·heart" (לִבָּ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·lips" (שִׂפְתֵיהֶ֥ם, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "for·havoc" (כִּי־שֹׁ֭ד), "their·heart" (לִבָּ֑ם), "and·mischief" (וְ֝עָמָ֗ל). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "their·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "their·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "speak" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּי־שֹׁ֭ד [for·havoc] (334) + יֶהְגֶּ֣ה [studies] (23) + לִבָּ֑ם [their·heart] (72) + וְ֝עָמָ֗ל [and·mischief] (146) + שִׂפְתֵיהֶ֥ם [their·lips] (835) + תְּדַבֵּֽרְנָה [speak] (661) = 2071.
Ralbag
"For destruction" — he means to say that they speak nothing but words of falsehood, which a person utters from his mouth with great effort, because of the thought in the heart of the one who receives them, regarding what is in his mouth. This is what results from being drawn after desires and wickedness: evil and loss.
Metzudat David
"For...destruction" — their thoughts are about robbery, and their lips speak of mischief; therefore keep far from them, for their deeds are disgraceful.
Metzudat Zion
"Studies" ("yehgeh") — Thinks, as in "and the meditation of my heart" (Psalms 19).
Malbim
"For their heart studies destruction, and their lips talk of mischief" — corresponding to what he said, "Be you not envious of evil men," he says that their heart studies robbery and ruin — meaning also that their success is not true success, for they are always fearful of the robbery and ruin destined to come upon them. And corresponding to what he said, that you should not desire to be with them, he explains: for their lips will speak mischief, and you will learn from their deeds to do mischief and iniquity.
Through wisdom is a house built; And by understanding it is established;
verse value 1561
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "house" (בָּ֑יִת, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·understanding" (וּ֝בִתְבוּנָ֗ה, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "is·built" (יִבָּ֣נֶה), "and·in·understanding" (וּ֝בִתְבוּנָ֗ה), "is·established" (יִתְכּוֹנָֽן). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'house', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּ֭חׇכְמָה [in·wisdom] (75) + יִבָּ֣נֶה [is·built] (67) + בָּ֑יִת [house] (412) + וּ֝בִתְבוּנָ֗ה [and·in·understanding] (471) + יִתְכּוֹנָֽן [is·established] (536) = 1561.
Ibn Ezra
"Through wisdom" — he warns [one] to cling to wisdom, for through it the house and its chambers will be filled with all wealth.
Ralbag
"Through wisdom" — indeed, through wisdom a house is built — the building up of the person — for it is his portion out of all his labor, and what remains of him after his death; and through understanding, beauty and perfection are attained in this house.
Metzudat David
"Through wisdom" — through occupying oneself with wisdom a man's house is built, and through understanding the house becomes established and endures.
Malbim
(Verses 3-4) "Through wisdom is a house built... [and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with] all precious and pleasant riches" — Wisdom (chochmah) is that which is received: one gathers the laws of wisdom from outside and collects into his heart its principles and its teachings one by one, and he is comparable to one who gathers wood and stones and lime and all the materials needed for building a house, and builds stone upon stone. Understanding (tevunah), however, is that which comprehends one thing from another, after one has received and gathered the laws of wisdom and collected them faithfully; it is comparable to one who erects the house and places upon it the roof and the ceiling. And if he afterward attains the level of knowledge (da'at), so that he knows everything with clear knowledge — like a thing he has seen with his senses, or grasped as a first principle of the intellect — this is comparable to one who fills the house with precious and pleasant vessels, for then the chambers of the house of wisdom will be filled with light, and it will produce blossoms and flowers for the Torah. And by this analogy the building of the world (which was built through wisdom) is attributed to Hashem: "By wisdom He founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens; by His knowledge the depths were split" (Proverbs 3:19-20), as stated there.
And by knowledge are the chambers filled With all precious and pleasant riches.
verse value 1428
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "valuable" (יָקָ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·knowledge" (וּ֭בְדַעַת, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "chambers" (חֲדָרִ֣ים), "are·filled" (יִמָּלְא֑וּ), "and·pleasant" (וְנָעִֽים). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·in·knowledge" (root דעת, 29x in Proverbs); "all·riches" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'are·filled', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּ֭בְדַעַת [and·in·knowledge] (482) + חֲדָרִ֣ים [chambers] (262) + יִמָּלְא֑וּ [are·filled] (87) + כׇּל־ה֖וֹן [all·riches] (111) + יָקָ֣ר [valuable] (310) + וְנָעִֽים [and·pleasant] (176) = 1428.
Ibn Ezra
"Precious" — [that is,] pleasant wealth.
Ralbag
"And by knowledge" — the knowledge of holy things fills the chambers of this house, which is the intellect. "With all precious and pleasant riches" — for this perfection is pleasant and precious to whoever attains it, [more] than any precious wealth, as was said before.
Metzudat David
"And by knowledge" — through knowledge the chambers are filled with all precious substance, etc.
A wise man is strong; Indeed, a man of knowledge increases strength.
verse value 1348
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·might" (בַּע֑וֹז, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·man·of·knowledge" (וְאִֽישׁ־דַּ֝֗עַת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "man·wise" (גֶּבֶר־חָכָ֥ם), "and·man·of·knowledge" (וְאִֽישׁ־דַּ֝֗עַת), "increases·strength" (מְאַמֶּץ־כֹּֽחַ). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·man·of·knowledge" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·might', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: גֶּבֶר־חָכָ֥ם [man·wise] (273) + בַּע֑וֹז [in·the·might] (85) + וְאִֽישׁ־דַּ֝֗עַת [and·man·of·knowledge] (791) + מְאַמֶּץ־כֹּֽחַ [increases·strength] (199) = 1348.
Rashi
A wise man is with strength A wise man is always with strength.
Ibn Ezra
"Gever" [a strong/mighty man] — meaning he is possessed of might; hence "me'ametz" [increases] turns out to be a transitive verb (po'el yotzei), that is: a man who has knowledge — he increases [strength].
Ralbag
"A mighty man" (gever) — the mighty man acquires wisdom through the strength his intellect has to subdue the desires of matter and conquer them. "And a man of knowledge" — he strengthens and fortifies the hand of the power that belongs to the intellect, to subdue the rest of the faculties to its service. This is because, on account of the excellence of knowledge and the wondrous longing that its possessor has to be diligent in it, all his effort is devoted to it; and in this manner the rest of the faculties are subdued to this pursuit.
Metzudat David
"Is strong" — he stands firm in his strength regarding the fear of Hashem. "And a man of knowledge" — a man of knowledge is superior to a merely wise man; he grows stronger in teaching and goes on increasing.
Metzudat Zion
"Is strong" ("ma'amatz") — Strengthens.
Malbim
"A wise man is strong" — one who has received the laws of wisdom and conducts himself according to them, for this is the definition of the wise man (chacham), "is strong" (gever ba'oz); he already has the strength by which to prevail over the enemies of the soul, which are the desires and impulses of the heart, for he subdues them by the power of the wisdom he has received. Nevertheless, he does not thereby make his power permanent, for "making permanent" (imutz) means that it remains firm always without change; this cannot be achieved through wisdom alone, for the [evil] inclination fights constantly with the heart, since the laws of wisdom are not grasped as readily as things perceived by the senses, and at times the inclination may prevail and blind the eyes of the heart. But whoever is "a man of knowledge" (ish da'at), who has attained the level of knowing the laws of wisdom like things known through demonstrative proof or through the senses, will make his power permanent always, and the enemies of the soul will never prevail over him.
For with wise advice you shall make your war; And in the multitude of counselors there is safety.
verse value 2993
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·strategies" (בְ֭תַחְבֻּלוֹת, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "in·strategies" (בְ֭תַחְבֻּלוֹת), "you·make·for·yourself" (תַּעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ֣). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs); "you·make·for·yourself" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs); "in·multitude·of" (root רב, 26x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'battle', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [for] (30) + בְ֭תַחְבֻּלוֹת [in·strategies] (848) + תַּעֲשֶׂה־לְּךָ֣ [you·make·for·yourself] (825) + מִלְחָמָ֑ה [battle] (123) + וּ֝תְשׁוּעָ֗ה [and·salvation] (787) + בְּרֹ֣ב [in·multitude·of] (204) + יוֹעֵֽץ [counselor] (176) = 2993.
Ralbag
"For with wise counsel you shall make your war" — with the evil inclination (yetzer ha-ra), which is the faculty that is aroused toward bodily desires; and salvation from it comes through an abundance of counsel, to give counsel about this. Or the intent of his saying "in the multitude of counselors" may be the multiplication of the counselor and his greatness, for then matters are more heeded, and one becomes wiser in devising the stratagems by which the evil inclination is defeated — and it then becomes easier to defeat it, because the attainment of the wisdoms, and the wondrous sweetness found in attaining them, subdues all the bodily faculties. And this verse explains the reason for what was said [previously]: "and a man of knowledge increases strength."
Metzudat David
"For with wise counsel" — through the strategies of knowledge you will be able to wage war against the evil inclination that incites toward transgression. "And...safety" — deliverance from it [the evil inclination] comes through the increase of the counselor's stature and greatness in knowledge; and thus one grows stronger each time he becomes wiser in the knowledge of wisdom.
Metzudat Zion
"In the multitude" ("berov") — It means greatness and importance, as in "and the king's nobles" (Jeremiah 41).
Malbim
"For with wise advice you shall make your war, and in the multitude of counselors there is safety" — I have already mentioned (above, 12:14) that for war one plan alone does not suffice, for the enemy too has a plan, and one needs tachbulot (stratagems) — that is, a linking together of many plans one after another, so that against every plan the enemy sets up, he will have another plan opposing it; therefore for war one needs many counselors, each one proposing a different plan, for all kinds of counsel are needed. And this he takes as a parable for the war of the soul against its enemies: that one cannot win by the power of wisdom (chochmah) alone, which is one single counselor, for the enemy too comes with counsels opposed to the counsel of wisdom; and one must gather all the counselors of the soul — wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (chochmah, binah, and da'at) — so that by the power of knowledge, which has grasped everything with clear knowledge, one sets up stratagems and a linking of counsels against the counsel of desire and the [evil] inclination, and then he will make his power permanent.
Wisdom is as unattainable to a fool as corals; He opens not his mouth in the gate.
verse value 2400
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. Verse gematria: 2400 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "opens·his·mouth" (יִפְתַּח־פִּֽיהוּ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "corals" (רָאמ֣וֹת), "to·a·fool" (לֶאֱוִ֣יל), "opens·his·mouth" (יִפְתַּח־פִּֽיהוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wisdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: רָאמ֣וֹת [corals] (647) + לֶאֱוִ֣יל [to·a·fool] (77) + חׇכְמ֑וֹת [wisdom] (474) + בַּ֝שַּׁ֗עַר [in·the·gate] (572) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + יִפְתַּח־פִּֽיהוּ [opens·his·mouth] (599) = 2400.
Rashi
Wisdom is as pearls to the fool Heb. ראמות, a type of rare precious stone, as it is stated (Job 28: 18): “Pearls (ראמות) and beryls.” All wisdom appears to the fool as unattainable, [as difficult] to purchase as precious stones and pearls, saying, ‘’How will I learn Torah? When will I attain it?” But the wise man studies a little today and a little tomorrow.
Ibn Ezra
"Ra'amot" [corals] — that he [the fool] is unable to attain them. "In the gate" — where the wise sit.
Ralbag
"Corals" — Behold, wisdom is [too] lofty for the fool; he does not imagine of himself that he is able to attain it, and for this reason he does not open his mouth when he is in the gate among the wise. And after this [Solomon] explains the reason, saying "one who plots to do evil": behold, the man whose heart plots to do evil — the thoughts are his own, and he strives to join them to himself, in such a way that he comes to possess all the thoughts that fall into this category. Behold, the branches of wisdom will vie for him, so that he acquires them, for this is the way by which the attainment of wisdom reaches a person, as the Philosopher [Aristotle] mentioned in the Book of Refutations [Sophistical Refutations] and in the Metaphysics (lit. "that which is after nature") — for by this he is able to sift out the true among them from the untrue, and knowledge of this reaches him without any doubt, as was explained there.
Metzudat David
"As corals" — matters of wisdom are, to the fool, like a precious stone whose attainment is difficult, and he ceases from pursuing them; therefore he does not open his mouth in the gate, the place where the wise sit, for he has learned nothing.
Metzudat Zion
"Corals" ("ra'amot") — The name of a precious stone, as in "corals and crystal" (Job 28).
Malbim
"Wisdom is as corals to a fool" — indeed, the fool, who is the opposite of the man of understanding, not only lacks clear knowledge of the proofs of understanding, but is even in doubt about the laws of wisdom. To him, forms of wisdom resemble ra'amot (corals) — a term resembling "m'romim" (the heights) — something that comes from on high, which the intellect cannot grasp. Therefore, "in the gate of battle he does not open his mouth." For it was customary to wage war at the gate, as it is written, "when they speak with enemies in the gate" (Psalm 127:5); for the enemy wants to enter the fortress through the gate, and they do not let him in, and this battle is fought through speech (for the mouth alludes to wisdom), so that by the power of wisdom they defeat the enemy at the gate. But the fool does not open his mouth, and so the enemy enters through the gate and conquers the city.
He who devises to do evil, Men shall call him a mischievous person.
verse value 1603
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֝֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֝֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "owner·of·purposes" (בַּעַל־מְזִמּ֥וֹת, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "he·who·devises" (מְחַשֵּׁ֥ב), "to·do·evil" (לְהָרֵ֑עַ), "owner·of·purposes" (בַּעַל־מְזִמּ֥וֹת). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·do·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: מְחַשֵּׁ֥ב [he·who·devises] (350) + לְהָרֵ֑עַ [to·do·evil] (305) + ל֝֗וֹ [to·him] (36) + בַּעַל־מְזִמּ֥וֹת [owner·of·purposes] (595) + יִקְרָֽאוּ [they·call] (317) = 1603.
Rashi
He who plots to do evil He plans strategies of wickedness. is called a man of wicked designs He brings harm to himself, for people call him a man of wicked designs, a counsel of the wicked.
Ibn Ezra
"He who devises to harm him," "device" — [verses 8-9] are two connected verses (dvekim). That is: whoever devises evil, those who speak of him will call him "a master of devices," similar to the phrase, "and he called it, God, the God of Israel" (Genesis 33:20). And the meaning is: they will call out his name, and he will be called so, because the scheme of a man is folly, and his intent is to commit sin — and this is [the meaning of] "the device of folly is sin."
Metzudat David
"He who devises to do evil" — even though he has not yet done the evil, in the end his disgrace will be revealed, and he will be called a man of evil devisings.
Malbim
"He who devises to do evil" — I explained (12:2) that the verb "zamam" indicates deep thoughts, in which one delves deeply in his mind as to how to bring something about, and when it occurs in mundane matters it is mostly for evil. And the verb "chashav" (to think/plan), when it appears as a verb, indicates improper thoughts, such as thoughts of piggul (invalidating intent) regarding sacred things, or evil toward one's fellow. And one who devises to do evil is called, in a derogatory sense, "ba'al mezimot" (a man of schemes) — meaning that his thoughts are deeply bent toward evil, as it is written, "but a man of wicked devices [ish mezimot] will be condemned" (Proverbs 12:2).
The thought of foolishness is sin; And the scorner is an abomination to men.
verse value 2381
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "scorner" (לֵֽץ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·abomination·of" (וְתוֹעֲבַ֖ת, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "plan·of" (זִמַּ֣ת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs); "foolishness" (root אולת, 23x in Proverbs); "and·abomination·of" (root תועבה, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sin', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: זִמַּ֣ת [plan·of] (447) + אִוֶּ֣לֶת [foolishness] (437) + חַטָּ֑את [sin] (418) + וְתוֹעֲבַ֖ת [and·abomination·of] (884) + לְאָדָ֣ם [to·man] (75) + לֵֽץ [scorner] (120) = 2381.
Rashi
The counsel of folly Heb. זמת אולת, the counsel of folly is sin for those who perpetrate it. and what makes man an abomination is scorn Scorn is what makes man an abomination to the Holy One blessed be He, and to people.
Ibn Ezra
"Ve-to'avat" [and an abomination of] — a construct form (nismakh), like "shenat le-einai" [sleep of my eyes] (Psalm 132:4). And the explanation is: to the children of man, a scoffer is an abomination, in that they abominate him.
Ralbag
"The scheme of folly" — But the man of folly is very far from this [wisdom], for scheming and deliberation is, for the man of folly, sin and deficiency, because he performs his actions without reflection or deliberation, as we mentioned previously. Likewise, scheming and deliberation is a repulsive and despised thing in the scoffer, for it consists only of mocking words, without consideration and reflection. Or he may mean by this that the scheme of the man of folly is sin and deficiency because he does not complete his deliberations, but acts according to the first thought that arises in his heart; and the abomination of schemes is found in the scoffer, because, owing to the wickedness of his character, he takes from [his] thoughts only that which is most repulsive and most far removed [from truth], for that is what is pleasing to him.
Metzudat David
"The thought" — the thought of folly and wickedness is counted as sin, even though no deed was done. "And...an abomination, etc." — meaning: scorn makes a man abominable in everyone's eyes, even though it consists of nothing but a twisting of the lips.
Malbim
"The scheme of folly is sin" — sin comes about through the scheming of folly. (Zimah denotes one who is deeply immersed in thoughts of illicit sexuality, and it is used here figuratively for one who is immersed in "straying" after folly — that is, the doubts, in that he multiplies his doubting of the laws of wisdom, and from this he arrives at sin, sin being that which departs from the laws of wisdom. And if he is a scoffer (letz), this becomes for him transformed into committing "abomination" — which refers to things that are abominable when done in public, for he mocks and does everything openly.
If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small indeed.
verse value 1791
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "small" (צַ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·faint" (הִ֭תְרַפִּיתָ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "you·faint" (הִ֭תְרַפִּיתָ), "small" (צַ֣ר), "your·strength" (כֹּחֶֽכָה). The root צר appears 2 times in this verse. 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·day·of" (root יום, 32x in Proverbs). Full calculation: הִ֭תְרַפִּיתָ [you·faint] (1095) + בְּי֥וֹם [in·day·of] (58) + צָרָ֗ה [adversity] (295) + צַ֣ר [small] (290) + כֹּחֶֽכָה [your·strength] (53) = 1791.
Rashi
If you have become lax in the Torah. on a day of trouble your strength will be weak indeed The ministering angels will not maintain your strength. This is the midrash of the Sages (Midrash Mishle ad loc., Berachoth 63a). But according to its simple meaning, you have become lax on the day of your friend’s trouble, and stand from afar. your strength will be weak indeed on the day of your punishment, as it is written (Esther 4:14): “For if you remain silent, etc.”
Ibn Ezra
"If you slacken," "rescue," "for" — [verses 10-12] are three connected verses. "If you slacken in the day of adversity" — [adversity] that comes upon your fellow, and you did not rescue him. "Your strength is small" — at the time of your own distress. Explanation of "rescue": if you hold back from [helping] those being taken to death, when their distress comes, so that you say, "We did not know when they were being taken to death" — does He not weigh hearts, to do His will? And does He not guard your soul from death? He will understand and see that you were unwilling to save them, and He will repay a person like you according to your deed, so that you will be in distress like him, and will find no one to rescue you.
Ralbag
"If you have grown slack" — Behold, if you have grown slack in the effort that is proper for the acquisition of wisdom, then when the day of adversity comes, your strength will be too narrow and too short to stand against that adversity.
Metzudat David
"If you faint" — if you slacken your hand from your fellow, refraining from helping him on his day of trouble, then your strength will be cramped and constrained to help yourself when trouble comes upon you.
Metzudat Zion
"If you faint" ("hitrapita") — An expression of slackness. "Your strength" ("kochechah") — Like "kochacha" (your strength).
Malbim
(10-11) "If you faint in the day of adversity" — if you hold back from rescuing those being taken to death, and also at the time when they are inclined toward slaughter, then your punishment will be measure for measure: for when a day of adversity comes upon you, you will faint, and your strength will be small — meaning your hands will grow slack from doing anything to save yourself — and your strength will be so small that you will be unable to do anything by your own power, just as you did not act to save others.
Deliver those who are drawn to death; And those who are ready to be slain will you forbear to rescue?
verse value 1907
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "deliver" (הַ֭צֵּל, 3 letters) and the longest is "if·you·withhold" (אִם־תַּחְשֽׂוֹךְ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "deliver" (הַ֭צֵּל), "being·taken" (לְקֻחִ֣ים), "to·the·death" (לַמָּ֑וֶת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "being·taken" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs); "to·the·death" (root מות, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·death', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַ֭צֵּל [deliver] (125) + לְקֻחִ֣ים [being·taken] (188) + לַמָּ֑וֶת [to·the·death] (476) + וּמָטִ֥ים [and·tottering] (105) + לַ֝הֶ֗רֶג [to·the·slaughter] (238) + אִם־תַּחְשֽׂוֹךְ [if·you·withhold] (775) = 1907.
Rashi
rescuing those taken, etc. To rescue those taken to death. If you refrain from rescuing them, concerning this I said, “Your strength will be weak indeed.”
Ralbag
"Deliver" — If you hold yourself back from rescuing those taken to death and those inclined toward slaughter — these being the rational faculties — for their rescue comes through the acquisition of wisdom and perfection, and without this they will die and be lost.
Metzudat David
"Deliver, etc." — this refers back to "will you forbear" stated at the end of the verse, meaning: if you forbear from delivering those who are taken to death and those who stagger toward slaughter.
Metzudat Zion
"Those who are drawn" ("umatim") — An expression of turning aside. "Will you forbear" ("techsoch") — You shall withhold.
If you say: ‘Behold, we knew not this’, Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? And He who keeps your soul, does not He know it? And shall not He render to every man according to his works?
verse value 3433
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "behold" (הֵן֮, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·we·knew" (לֹא־יָדַ֢עְנ֫וּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 84: He·understands, He·knows. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "if·you·say" (כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֗ר), "not·we·knew" (לֹא־יָדַ֢עְנ֫וּ), "does·not·weigh" (הֲֽלֹא־תֹ֘כֵ֤ן). The root ידע appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs); "He·understands" (root בין, 46x in Proverbs); "if·you·say" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'He·knows', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־תֹאמַ֗ר [if·you·say] (671) + הֵן֮ [behold] (55) + לֹא־יָדַ֢עְנ֫וּ [not·we·knew] (171) + זֶ֥ה [this] (12) + הֲֽלֹא־תֹ֘כֵ֤ן [does·not·weigh] (506) + לִבּ֨וֹת [hearts] (438) + הֽוּא־יָבִ֗ין [He·understands] (84) + וְנֹצֵ֣ר [and·He·who·keeps] (346) + נַ֭פְשְׁךָ [your·soul] (450) + ה֣וּא [He] (12) + יֵדָ֑ע [He·knows] (84) + וְהֵשִׁ֖יב [and·He·will·render] (323) + לְאָדָ֣ם [to·man] (75) + כְּפׇעֳלֽוֹ [according·to·his·work] (206) = 3433.
Rashi
will you say Heb. כי תאמר. And this instance of כי is used as an expression of “perhaps.”
Ralbag
"If you say" — Behold, we cannot know which thoughts, when gathered together, bring about the acquisition of understanding — is it not Hashem, who weighs the hearts and perfects them, and who guards your soul, who knows whether you have striven in this acquisition as far as was within your power? And He will render to each man reward according to his deed.
Metzudat David
"If you say" — for you would deny it, saying, "Behold, we did not know" — whether they were the ones being led to death. "Does not" — meaning, your words will not help, for behold, Hashem, who is within the hearts of men, understands whether you knew or did not know. "And He who keeps, etc." — the matter is repeated in different words. "And He shall render" — He will render to a man his reward according to his deeds; and if you knew and were slack, your strength will be constrained, measure for measure.
Metzudat Zion
"Consider it" ("tochen") — An expression of "tokh" (the inward part).
Malbim
"If you say: Behold, we knew not this" — and if you offer the excuse that you did not know that they were being taken to death, or that you did not know that it was in your power to save them — even if you justify yourself thereby before men — surely Hashem, who weighs the hearts, understands the thoughts of the heart; and more than that, since He is the One who formed your soul, He knows — for knowledge falls upon that which is perceived by the senses, since your deeds are written and depicted upon the tablet of your soul — and He will render to each man according to his deeds, measure for measure.
My son, eat you honey, for it is good, And the honeycomb is sweet to your taste;
verse value 1696
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "honey" (דְבַ֣שׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "eat·my·son" (אֱכׇל־בְּנִ֣י, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "eat·my·son" (אֱכׇל־בְּנִ֣י), "and·flowing·honey" (וְנֹ֥פֶת), "to·your·palate" (עַל־חִכֶּֽךָ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root דבש ("honey") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·good', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֱכׇל־בְּנִ֣י [eat·my·son] (113) + דְבַ֣שׁ [honey] (306) + כִּי־ט֑וֹב [for·good] (47) + וְנֹ֥פֶת [and·flowing·honey] (536) + מָ֝ת֗וֹק [sweet] (546) + עַל־חִכֶּֽךָ [to·your·palate] (148) = 1696.
Rashi
Eat honey, my son It is customary for people to eat honey because it is good; so too know wisdom for your soul, and just as you run to eat honey, so should you run to know wisdom.
Ibn Ezra
"Eat," "so know" — [verses 13-14]. These are imperative forms, and the correct [vocalization] would be with a kamatz, as in "redah" [go down] (Genesis 45:9), but it appears with a segol, as in "yedashneha selah" [may He accept it, selah] (Psalm 20:4). And thus the meaning is: eat honey and the honeycomb, which are sweet to the palate; so too, know wisdom, for the sake of your soul, that it may live.
Ralbag
"Eat" — Therefore strive to eat this, which is sweet to the heart like honey, and like the honeycomb to the palate — namely, wisdom.
Metzudat David
"Eat" — just as eating honey is good, and just as you would place drops of a sweet substance upon your palate.
Metzudat Zion
"And the honeycomb" ("venofet") — An expression of dripping and flowing, as in "and the drippings of the honeycomb" (Psalms 19). "Your taste" ("chikekha") — An expression of "chek" (palate).
Malbim
"Eat, my son, honey, for it is good" — meaning, do you not eat honey because it is a food good for the body, and the honeycomb is sweet when it comes upon your palate?
So know you wisdom to be to your soul; If you have found it, then shall there be a future, And your hope shall not be cut off.
verse value 4192
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "if·you·have·found" (אִם־מָ֭צָאתָ, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "know" (דְּעֶ֥ה), "if·you·have·found" (אִם־מָ֭צָאתָ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wisdom" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "not" (root לא, 61x in Proverbs); "to·your·soul" (root נפש, 53x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'future', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: כֵּ֤ן [so] (70) + דְּעֶ֥ה [know] (79) + חׇכְמָ֗ה [wisdom] (73) + לְנַ֫פְשֶׁ֥ךָ [to·your·soul] (480) + אִם־מָ֭צָאתָ [if·you·have·found] (572) + וְיֵ֣שׁ [and·there·is] (316) + אַחֲרִ֑ית [future] (619) + וְ֝תִקְוָתְךָ֗ [and·your·hope] (932) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + תִכָּרֵֽת [will·be·cut·off] (1020) = 4192.
Rashi
if you have found it, then you will have a future.
Ibn Ezra
"If you have found" — [namely,] wisdom. "And there is a future" — an allusion to old age, or to children who will remain after his death, as in [the phrase]: "ve-lo le-acharito" [and not to his posterity] (Daniel 11:4). "And your hope" — that Hashem will do good for you.
Ralbag
"So know" — So the knowledge of wisdom will be very sweet to your soul; if you have found wisdom, you will attain by this a good future, namely, human flourishing. "And your hope shall not be cut off" — for it is your life, the eternal life, which death cannot reach.
Metzudat David
"So know" — so too, know wisdom, to set right your soul, if you have found it and have a comprehending heart. "Then there is a future" — meaning, it is better than honey, for in this there is a good future, but honey sometimes causes harm in the end. "And your hope" — the reward that you hope for on its account will not be cut off, for it will surely come; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
"So know wisdom to be to your soul" — likewise, wisdom is a food good for the soul; and whereas the honeycomb is only sweet while it is upon your palate, through wisdom there is a future ("acharit") that is sweet to the soul always, even when the body perishes, and also your hope in this world will not be cut off, as above (23:18).
Lie not in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, Spoil not his resting-place;
verse value 2536
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "wicked" (רָ֭שָׁע, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·lie·in·wait" (אַל־תֶּאֱרֹ֣ב, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·lie·in·wait" (אַל־תֶּאֱרֹ֣ב), "against·dwelling·of" (לִנְוֵ֣ה), "do·not·spoil" (אַֽל־תְּשַׁדֵּ֥ד). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'just', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תֶּאֱרֹ֣ב [do·not·lie·in·wait] (634) + רָ֭שָׁע [wicked] (570) + לִנְוֵ֣ה [against·dwelling·of] (91) + צַדִּ֑יק [just] (204) + אַֽל־תְּשַׁדֵּ֥ד [do·not·spoil] (739) + רִבְצֽוֹ [his·resting·place] (298) = 2536.
Ibn Ezra
"Lie not in wait" — do not desire, wicked one, to lie in wait for the dwelling of the righteous. Another interpretation: "Lie not in wait" — [do not lie in wait] for the wicked person at the dwelling of the righteous, in order to kill him. "Rivtzo" [his resting place] — the place where his flocks lie down.
Ralbag
"Lie not in wait" — You, the wicked man, do not lie in wait against the dwelling of the righteous man to harm him and plunder him; do not raid the place where the righteous man rests.
Metzudat David
"Lie not in wait, wicked man" — you, wicked man, when you see that the hand of the righteous man is failing, do not lie in wait at his dwelling, and do not seize his resting place, thinking that once he has begun to fall he will not rise again.
Metzudat Zion
"Spoil not" ("teshaded") — An expression of plunder and robbery. "His resting-place" ("rivtzo") — The place where he lies down, namely the place where he lies to rest, as in "he crouched, he lay down like a lion" (Genesis 49:9).
Malbim
"Lie not in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, spoil not his resting-place" — you, wicked one, do not lie in wait against the dwelling of the righteous. And it means to say that: * there is one who lies in wait out of desire for money, wishing to plunder his dwelling, * and there is one who lies in wait out of vengeance or envy, wishing to spoil his resting-place, so that he will have no repose or rest.
For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again, But the wicked stumble under adversity.
verse value 2147
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·wicked" (וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·rises" (וָקָ֑ם). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "for" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·rises', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + שֶׁ֨בַע [seven] (372) + יִפּ֣וֹל [falls] (126) + צַדִּ֣יק [just] (204) + וָקָ֑ם [and·rises] (146) + וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים [and·wicked] (626) + יִכָּשְׁל֥וּ [stumble] (366) + בְרָעָֽה [in·adversity] (277) = 2147.
Ibn Ezra
"Seven [times]" — similar to the matter, "many are the ills of the righteous" (Psalm 34:20). "And rises" — corresponding to [the continuation]: "Hashem delivers him from them all" (Psalm 34:20). "They stumble" — through the evil that they devise against the righteous.
Ralbag
"For seven times" — And this is because, even if you plan to do this, you will not succeed, for the righteous man falls many times and rises up again each and every time, and the providence of Hashem cleaves to him; but the wicked stumble and fall through a single calamity alone.
Metzudat David
"For seven times" — for even if the righteous man falls seven times, he gets up again; but the wicked are the ones who stumble without rising when calamity comes upon them.
Malbim
"For a righteous man falls seven times and rises up" — for the righteous man, even though he falls seven times, rises up with the help of Hashem; but the wicked (even though they be many) stumble through the evil that they prepare against the righteous, and by it they fall and do not rise.
Rejoice not when your enemy falls, And let not your heart be glad when he stumbles;
verse value 1519
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "your·heart" (לִבֶּֽךָ, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·rejoice" (אַל־תִּשְׂמָ֑ח, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "when·falls" (בִּנְפֹ֣ל), "your·enemy" (א֭וֹיִבְךָ), "do·not·rejoice" (אַל־תִּשְׂמָ֑ח). The root איב appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "do·not·rejoice" (root שמח, 21x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'do·not·rejoice', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Rejoice not" — he warns that a person should not rejoice over Hashem's decree, even if it concerns his enemy.
Ralbag
"When your enemy falls, do not rejoice" — When your enemy falls, do not rejoice in his downfall, and let not your heart exult when he stumbles.
Metzudat David
"And when he stumbles, etc." — the matter is repeated in different words.
Malbim
"Rejoice not when your enemy falls" — there is a difference between simchah (joy) and gil (rejoicing/exultation), in that: * simchah is continuous, over a continuous matter, * while gil is momentary, over something newly arisen, such as good news and the like. And regarding this it says: * that you should not rejoice continuously over the fact that your enemy has fallen from his standing, * and even at the time when he stumbles, which is the beginning of the fall, let not your heart exult momentarily over the news that has reached you of the beginning of his downfall.
Lest Hashem see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.
verse value 1362
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְ֭הֹוָה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·be·evil" (וְרַ֣ע, 3 letters) and the longest is "lest·see" (פֶּן־יִרְאֶ֣ה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "lest·see" (פֶּן־יִרְאֶ֣ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "in·His·eyes" (root עין, 43x in Proverbs); "and·He·turn·away" (root שוב, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·His·eyes', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: פֶּן־יִרְאֶ֣ה [lest·see] (346) + יְ֭הֹוָה [Hashem] (26) + וְרַ֣ע [and·be·evil] (276) + בְּעֵינָ֑יו [in·His·eyes] (148) + וְהֵשִׁ֖יב [and·He·turn·away] (323) + מֵעָלָ֣יו [from·upon·him] (156) + אַפּֽוֹ [His·wrath] (87) = 1362.
Ibn Ezra
"And it is evil in His eyes" — meaning, He does not desire that you rejoice when you take revenge upon him. "And He turns His wrath away from him" — when you rejoice at his stumbling and thereby turn away the wrath, [the result is] that the decree will be annulled and instead cast back upon you, since you did not have mercy on him.
Ralbag
"Lest Hashem see" — the evil of your character in this matter, and turn His wrath away from your enemy and turn it back upon you, because of the evil of your character; for it is not fitting to rejoice in evil, since Hashem has, insofar as possible, kept evil far from existence, and whatever [evil] does occur, occurs only by chance and in a secondary way, as has been explained in its [proper] places.
Metzudat David
"And it displease Him" — because you rejoice over his downfall. "And He turn away from him" — meaning, the anger will turn back from him onto you, for He will remove it from him, and it will fall upon you.
Malbim
"Lest Hashem see it, and it displease Him" — for when He sees your cruelty and the measure of vengeance within you, He will compare his [the enemy's] deed to your deeds, and your deeds will be evil in His eyes, so that he [the enemy] will be [deemed] righteous compared to you, and He will turn His wrath away from him, onto you.
Fret not yourself because of evildoers, Neither be you envious at the wicked;
verse value 2605
Insights
Verse structure: 4 words, 24 letters. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "do·not·fret" (אַל־תִּתְחַ֥ר), "in·the·evildoers" (בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים), "in·the·wicked" (בָּֽרְשָׁעִֽים). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·the·wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·evildoers', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תִּתְחַ֥ר [do·not·fret] (1039) + בַּמְּרֵעִ֑ים [in·the·evildoers] (362) + אַל־תְּ֝קַנֵּ֗א [do·not·envy] (582) + בָּֽרְשָׁעִֽים [in·the·wicked] (622) = 2605.
Rashi
Do not compete to be like them, as in (Jer. 12:5): “How will you compete (תתחרה)?” Also, (ibid. 22:15): “for you compete (מתחרה) with the cedar.”
Ibn Ezra
"Titchar" [fret/compete] — [meaning] you mingle with them to act as they act.
Ralbag
"Fret not yourself" — over men who do evil and destroy, by quarreling with them, lest they destroy you; and do not envy the success that the wicked find, so as to desire to walk in their ways.
Metzudat David
"Fret not yourself" — do not associate with evildoers to act as they do, and do not envy the success of the wicked.
Metzudat Zion
"Fret yourself" ("titchar") — An expression of engaging [in competition] so as to resemble [another], as in "how can you contend with horses" (Jeremiah 12).
Malbim
"Fret not yourself because of evildoers, be not envious at the wicked" — meaning to say, that one who sees the wicked prospering, then: * either their deeds are evil in his eyes, and he does not envy them so as to become like them, but then he becomes fretted (incensed) over their success, and complains that Hashem does not punish them — and regarding this it says: "fret not," meaning, let it not incense you concerning the evildoers and their success; * or he envies them and wishes to be like them — regarding this it says, "be not envious at the wicked."
For there will be no future to the evil man, The lamp of the wicked shall be put out.
verse value 2374
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·not·be" (לֹא־תִהְיֶ֣ה, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "will·not·be" (לֹא־תִהְיֶ֣ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "to·the·evil" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "for" (root כי, 51x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֤י [for] (30) + לֹא־תִהְיֶ֣ה [will·not·be] (451) + אַחֲרִ֣ית [future] (619) + לָרָ֑ע [to·the·evil] (300) + נֵ֖ר [the·lamp·of] (250) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + יִדְעָֽךְ [goes·out] (104) = 2374.
Ibn Ezra
"For there will be no future" — no [good] end for the evildoer. And the meaning: no son or grandson will remain to him after his death. "Lamp" — that their soul will die before its [appointed] time.
Ralbag
"For there will be no future" — that is, no survival for the evil man. "The lamp of the wicked shall be put out" — and come to an end. Or the intent of his saying "fret not yourself because of evildoers" may be that one should not mix with them so as to walk in their ways — and this is the more correct [reading].
Metzudat David
"There will be no future" — meaning, the end will not be like the beginning, for their end is destruction, and the lamp of their soul will be extinguished.
Metzudat Zion
"Shall be put out" ("yid'ach") — An expression of leaping and springing, as in "they are quenched like a fire of thorns" (Psalms 118:12); that is, the extinguishing of a lamp, where the flame springs off the wick.
Malbim
"For there will be no future to the evil man" — and this explains: * that you should not fret, and it should not seem evil to you over their success, for the evildoers will have no future; they will receive their punishment in the end, and their future is cut off; * and that you should not envy their success now, for "the lamp of the wicked" that illumines them — meaning their success — is not a shining lamp, but one that is going out, flickering, and being snuffed out every moment — meaning that their success is not true success, for they are always in fear of punishment and misfortunes, and they are not tranquil or at ease.
My son, fear you Hashem and the king, And meddle not with those who are given to change;
verse value 2415
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "my·son" (בְּנִ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "fear·Hashem" (יְרָא־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "fear·Hashem" (יְרָא־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה), "with·those·who·change" (עִם־שׁ֝וֹנִ֗ים), "do·not·meddle" (אַל־תִּתְעָרָֽב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "fear·Hashem" (root יהוה, 86x in Proverbs); "my·son" (root בן, 51x in Proverbs); "and·king" (root מלך, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: יְרָא־אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה [fear·Hashem] (638) + בְּנִ֣י [my·son] (62) + וָמֶ֑לֶךְ [and·king] (96) + עִם־שׁ֝וֹנִ֗ים [with·those·who·change] (516) + אַל־תִּתְעָרָֽב [do·not·meddle] (1103) = 2415.
Rashi
My son, fear the Lord and the king Fear the Lord and fear the mortal king, but only if he does not turn you away from the fear of the Lord, for the fear of the Lord is always first. do not mingle with dualists Heb. שונים, who say that there are two powers [governing the world].
Ibn Ezra
"Fear" — stands in place of two [objects, governing both that follow]. "Shonim" [those who change] — from [the same root as] "yishneh haketem hatov" [how the fine gold has changed] (Lamentations 4:1); the Targum renders it "changed." Explanation: fear Hashem, and the king whom Hashem has made king, in order to render justice. "And with those who change" — do not mingle with those who change through evil deeds.
Ralbag
"Fear Hashem, my son, and [also] the king" — [fear Hashem] in order to keep His commandments and His Torah; and along with this, fear the king, so as to carry out his bidding and not treat him lightly. But your fear of the king must be subordinate to your fear of Hashem, not in conflict with it — that is to say, [you must not obey the king] in whatever is contrary to the fear of Hashem. "And with" — people who deviate from the commandments of Hashem and the commandments of the king — that is, who transgress their commandments and do the opposite of what they were commanded — do not mix.
Metzudat David
"Fear, etc." — you, my son, first fear Hashem, and afterward the king; the fear of Hashem always comes first. "And with those who change" — with people who alter the king's command and follow the stubbornness of their evil heart — with them do not associate.
Metzudat Zion
"Given to change" ("shonim") — An expression of change and alteration, as in "and their laws are different" (Esther 3). "Meddle" ("titarev") — From the term "ta'arovet" (mixture).
Malbim
"My son, fear Hashem and the king, and meddle not with those who are given to change" — He commands that one fear Hashem in matters of religion, and [fear] the king who establishes the land through justice in the governance of the political community; and He commands that you not meddle with people who wish to change the political governance — that is, to rebel against their king and establish in his place a second government, different from the first — for by this you also violate the fear of Hashem, who commanded that the fear of the king be upon you.
For their calamity shall rise suddenly; And who knows the ruin from them both?
verse value 1407
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·suddenly" (כִּֽי־פִ֭תְאֹם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "for·suddenly" (כִּֽי־פִ֭תְאֹם), "will·arise" (יָק֣וּם), "their·calamity" (אֵידָ֑ם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "knows" (root ידע, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·calamity', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־פִ֭תְאֹם [for·suddenly] (551) + יָק֣וּם [will·arise] (156) + אֵידָ֑ם [their·calamity] (55) + וּפִ֥יד [and·ruin·of] (100) + שְׁ֝נֵיהֶ֗ם [their·two] (405) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יוֹדֵֽעַ [knows] (90) = 1407.
Rashi
and the ruin of both of them The ruin of the idol and the ruin of its worshippers.
Ibn Ezra
"For suddenly" — their calamity will rise up against you, if you do not fear them. "U-fid" [and ruin] — "pid" and "eid" [calamity] are the same, and their meaning is distress and anguish. "Both of them" — Hashem and the king. "Who knows" — the time when their calamity and ruin will come.
Ralbag
"For their calamity shall rise suddenly" — This is evident in the case of those who transgress the commandments of Hashem, for wondrous, sudden evils will befall them as a result. And this will likewise be shown to be true of those who transgress the commandments of the king, since nothing is hidden from the king, on account of the many people who long to be lovers of the kingdom, and who reveal to him the things done against his commandments, in order to find favor in his eyes. And if you should say that you could take counsel beforehand to escape that evil — behold, you cannot, for who knows the calamity? And the evil that comes from Hashem on account of sin is such that the sinner can find no clever scheme by which to be saved from it; and so too is the matter with the evil that comes from the king upon one who transgresses his words, for the sinner will have no advance warning of this, but [the king] will place him at once in prison until his sentence is determined.
Metzudat David
"Their calamity shall rise" — the ruin of those who transgress the commandment of Hashem and the word of the king. "And the ruin of them both" — the punishment of the one who transgresses the commandment of Hashem, and the punishment of the one who entices others away from the command of the king. "Who knows" — how great the punishment is.
Metzudat Zion
"Their calamity" ("eidam") — An expression of ruin and misfortune, as in "he who rejoices at calamity" (Proverbs 17, above). "And ruin" ("ufeid") — It means the same as "eid" (calamity), as in "though he stretches out his hand in his calamity" (Job 30:24).
Malbim
"For their calamity shall rise suddenly" — (a) for these rebels, their calamity will rise suddenly if the rebellion and conspiracy is discovered, for then their calamity will arise. And beyond this, even if the rebellion succeeds and they change the governance, "who knows the ruin of the two of them" — meaning, the ruin that will arise through their change and through the second governance that they establish — whether there will not be evil, ruin, and destruction, for they will establish a governance as they wish, in order to oppress, do violence, and crush the people.
These also are sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not good.
verse value 1112
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "also·these" (גַּם־אֵ֥לֶּה, 5 letters) and the longest is "to·recognize·faces" (הַֽכֵּר־פָּנִ֖ים, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "to·the·wise" (לַחֲכָמִ֑ים), "not·good" (בַּל־טֽוֹב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·wise" (root חכם, 93x in Proverbs); "not·good" (root טוב, 52x in Proverbs); "in·judgment" (root משפט, 20x in Proverbs). First appearance of the root אלה ("also·these") in Proverbs. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·wise', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: גַּם־אֵ֥לֶּה [also·these] (79) + לַחֲכָמִ֑ים [to·the·wise] (148) + הַֽכֵּר־פָּנִ֖ים [to·recognize·faces] (405) + בְּמִשְׁפָּ֣ט [in·judgment] (431) + בַּל־טֽוֹב [not·good] (49) = 1112.
Rashi
These too are for the wise All the statements in the following section are addressed to the wise who sit in judgment, that they should not show respect to persons in judgment, for it is not good.
Ibn Ezra
"Also," "says," "but to those who reprove," "lips" — [verses 23-26] are four connected verses. "Also these things" are known to the wise, who are the sages of judgment; for showing favoritism (lit. recognizing faces) in judgment is not a good thing, and the judge who says to the guilty party in his verdict, "You are righteous" — peoples shall curse him, because he did not render judgment as judgment [ought to be rendered]. "But to those who reprove" the wicked concerning their wickedness — the graciousness of Hashem (Psalm 27:4) will come to them.
Ralbag
"These also" — these warnings are [sayings] of the wise: behold, showing favoritism in judgment, bending the law on account of flattery, is a thing that is not good — that is to say, it is an evil thing.
Metzudat David
"These also are for the wise" — meaning, although it appears that any wise man would understand these matters on his own, so that there is no need to caution him, nevertheless these too are said for the wise, and they will gain additional insight to understand the depths of the matters. "To show partiality" — meaning, even when rendering a true judgment, to say to the one who is acquitted, "Behold, I recognized your face, and so I acquitted you" — behold, this is not proper to say, for there is in the matter a kind of desecration of Hashem's name before the innocent.
Malbim
(23-24) "These also are [sayings] of the wise" — up until now these were the proverbs of Solomon, and from here to the end of the chapter it is compiled from the words of other sages. "Also to show partiality in judgment" — this too is not good, even though [the judge] does not flatter the wicked person by telling him he is righteous, but rather he recognizes the face of the righteous person — that because he knows him to be righteous, he always recognizes his face so as to vindicate him now as well, even though it would be proper to maintain the righteous person in his presumed status, this is not good in judgment, for one must regard both litigants as [potentially] guilty until the judge has investigated the case...
He who says to the wicked: ‘You are righteous’, Peoples shall curse him, nations shall execrate him;
verse value 1999
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "he·who·says" (אֹ֤מֵ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "denounce·him" (יִזְעָמ֥וּהוּ, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "peoples" (עַמִּ֑ים), "denounce·him" (יִזְעָמ֥וּהוּ). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·wicked" (root רשע, 81x in Proverbs); "just" (root צדיק, 66x in Proverbs); "he·who·says" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peoples', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֹ֤מֵ֨ר [he·who·says] (241) + לְרָשָׁע֮ [to·wicked] (600) + צַדִּ֢יק [just] (204) + אָ֥֫תָּה [you] (406) + יִקְּבֻ֥הוּ [curse·him] (123) + עַמִּ֑ים [peoples] (160) + יִזְעָמ֥וּהוּ [denounce·him] (144) + לְאֻמִּֽים [nations] (121) = 1999.
Ralbag
"He who says to the wicked" — The same holds true of one who is a judge: if, out of flattery, he says of a wicked man that he is righteous, peoples will curse him and many will hate him, for this leads people to love the wicked and hate the righteous. But those who rebuke the wicked for their wickedness and guide them toward the good — upon them will come pleasantness and favor from people, and upon them will come from people the blessing of good. It is possible that all of this pertains to judges: that they say of one who is guilty in judgment that he is innocent, and this constitutes "recognizing faces" (favoritism) in judgment — giving honor to one of the parties who come before the court — for this is among the things that cause judgment to come out crooked, since by it the arguments of his opponent are stifled, the latter thinking that the judge's opinion favors the party against him. Or he may mean by this — "and to those who rebuke it shall be pleasant" — that the man who returns correct and upright words is beloved by them, as if he had kissed them upon their mouths, for falsehood is hated and truth is loved. Now the primary intent of this statement is a warning not to show favoritism to either party to a dispute, lest this prevent him from investigating fully the matter under investigation, on account of excessive enticement, being drawn after, and favoring one of the disputing parties. And if, through such an investigation, he declares the opinion of the liar to be true, a curse from many will overtake him; but as for those who establish the truth of the matter under inquiry through a complete investigation of it, what befalls them will be pleasant and sweet, and those who come after them — who see their words, since they were willing to investigate matters thoroughly — will bless them.
Metzudat David
"Peoples shall curse him" — for when the wicked man sees that he is called righteous, he will grow even more brazen to do evil to the whole nation in general; therefore all will curse the one who calls him righteous. "Nations shall execrate him" — the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"Shall curse him" ("yikvuhu") — Shall curse him, as in "how shall I curse" (Numbers 23). "Shall execrate him" ("yiz'amuhu") — An expression of fury and anger. "Peoples" ("le'umim") — Nations.
Malbim
...and all the more so one who says to the wicked person, "You are righteous" — this man, peoples shall curse him, for he destroys the foundations of judgment and righteousness. There is a difference between "peoples" (amim) and "nations" (le'umim): * The "nations" (le'umim) have a specific religion, and they are people of religion, * while the "peoples" (amim) have a king and a specific system of law. The "peoples" curse him because he destroys the [civil] law, and the "nations" execrate him because he destroys the religion; and the execration falls upon the punishment that comes by way of the curse, as if the "nations" already spell out his punishment.
But to those who decide justly shall be delight, And a good blessing shall come upon them.
verse value 1549
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "will·be·pleasant" (יִנְעָ֑ם, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·to·those·who·reprove" (וְלַמּוֹכִיחִ֥ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 170: and·to·those·who·reprove, will·be·pleasant. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·to·those·who·reprove" (וְלַמּוֹכִיחִ֥ים), "and·upon·them" (וַ֝עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם), "blessing·of·good" (בִרְכַּת־טֽוֹב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "will·come" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·pleasant', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְלַמּוֹכִיחִ֥ים [and·to·those·who·reprove] (170) + יִנְעָ֑ם [will·be·pleasant] (170) + וַ֝עֲלֵיהֶ֗ם [and·upon·them] (161) + תָּב֥וֹא [will·come] (409) + בִרְכַּת־טֽוֹב [blessing·of·good] (639) = 1549.
Ibn Ezra
"A blessing of good" — corresponding to [the earlier] "peoples shall curse him." And the meaning of "a blessing of good" is that his blessing will come upon him.
Metzudat David
"But to those who reprove" — but to those who reprove the wicked man it will be pleasant to say to him in their rebukes: "Indeed, in truth you are righteous, only in a few matters do you err; therefore remove these from yourself as well." "And upon them" — upon those who reprove will come a good blessing, for they have done well; but if instead they were to say to him outright, "You are wicked," he would harden his face to claim that justice is on his side; but with words like these, his heart will be drawn to him, to heed his voice.
Metzudat Zion
"Shall be delight" ("yin'am") — An expression of pleasantness and beauty.
Malbim
"But to those who decide justly [it] shall be delight" — that is, to those who rebuke the wicked and do not flatter them, but only reprove them with rebuke. It shall be delightful of itself, for the good way is delightful to the soul; and besides this, a blessing shall come upon them, not a curse as upon the flatterers — and he depicts that the good shall increase for them.
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. Verse gematria: 1976 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "kisses" (יִשָּׁ֑ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "lips" (שְׂפָתַ֥יִם, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "kisses" (יִשָּׁ֑ק). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "words" (root דבר, 45x in Proverbs); "who·returns" (root שוב, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'kisses', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: שְׂפָתַ֥יִם [lips] (830) + יִשָּׁ֑ק [kisses] (410) + מֵ֝שִׁ֗יב [who·returns] (352) + דְּבָרִ֥ים [words] (256) + נְכֹחִֽים [straight] (128) = 1976.
Rashi
Lips should kiss It is fitting that all lips kiss him.
Ibn Ezra
"He who returns" words that are upright in judgment — "[his] lips are kissed"; meaning, his words will stand firm, like a kiss of the lips.
Metzudat David
"He kisses the lips" — for now, when they speak words like these, this wicked man will press his upper lip to his lower lip and not open them to speak impudence against those who reprove him; on the contrary, he will even respond to them with fitting words, saying, "In these matters too I will do as you have said."
Metzudat Zion
"Kisses" ("yishak") — An expression of "neshikah" (kissing), meaning the joining of lips, as in "righteousness and peace have kissed" (Psalms 85:11), which means that they are bound and joined to one another. "A right [answer]" ("nechochim") — True and upright, as in "and uprightness cannot enter" (Isaiah 59:14).
Malbim
"He kisses the lips that gives a right answer" — one who is wise in rebuke, to the point that he is able to respond to the one disputing with him who wishes to refute his words, and he is skilled at answering and refuting his words (for this is the definition of a "response") with right words that are decisive, like his own words — these lips shall receive kisses, for everyone loves them.
Prepare your work without, And make it fit for yourself in the field; And afterwards build your house.
verse value 2647
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 36 letters. The shortest word is "for·you" (לָ֑ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "your·work" (מְלַאכְתֶּ֗ךָ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "prepare" (הָ֘כֵ֤ן), "your·work" (מְלַאכְתֶּ֗ךָ), "and·prepare·it" (וְעַתְּדָ֣הּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "your·house" (root בית, 38x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: הָ֘כֵ֤ן [prepare] (75) + בַּח֨וּץ [in·the·outside] (106) + מְלַאכְתֶּ֗ךָ [your·work] (511) + וְעַתְּדָ֣הּ [and·prepare·it] (485) + בַּשָּׂדֶ֣ה [in·the·field] (311) + לָ֑ךְ [for·you] (50) + אַ֝חַ֗ר [afterward] (209) + וּבָנִ֥יתָ [and·build] (468) + בֵיתֶֽךָ [your·house] (432) = 2647.
Rashi
Prepare...outside This refers to Scripture. and make it fit in the field This is Mishnah. afterwards you shall build your house This is Talmud (Sotah 44a). Another explanation according to its apparent meaning: In the beginning, buy yourself fields and vineyards, and afterwards make it fit, ועתדה, an expression concerning goats (עתודים). Stock your field with livestock, and afterwards you shall build a house, meaning that you shall take a wife.
Ibn Ezra
"Prepare" — he speaks in the second person, to the son who is being admonished. "Ve-atedah" [and make it ready] — [means] to set it in readiness, following the preparation; and the vav of "u-vanita" [and you shall build] stands in place of "or," meaning: or [then] build your house, if you have no work outside.
Ralbag
"Prepare" — your work outside, that is, what you need to attend to first among matters of sense-perception; prepare in the field for yourself what you will need in the future for your investigations into matters of sense-perception, and only afterward will you be able to build your house in matters of theoretical inquiry.
Metzudat David
"Prepare" — first prepare your work outside, namely the work of the field and the vineyard. "And make it fit" — provide for yourself in the field enough for your needs; after that build your house to dwell in it, for if you do not prepare enough for your needs you will not be able to dwell in a house, for you will be wandering in search of bread.
Metzudat Zion
"And prepare" ("ve'atedah") — An expression of readying, as in "which were destined to become heaps of ruins" (Job 15).
Malbim
"Prepare your work outside" — if you wish to build a house, which means to take a wife and beget children, you should first prepare the means by which you will attain [what is needed] to sustain them: by preparing your work outside the house, so that you have an occupation, and also by preparing in the field for the future, so that you have fields of grain sown and ready to provide bread for your household — and only then build a house. For otherwise you will have to depend on other people, or to steal, or you will be idle from Torah study. And this is a proverbial statement, that for every goal one should prepare the means [beforehand]. And our Sages expounded it homiletically: that before studying Gemara one should prepare Scripture and Mishnah, which precede it and lead to the Gemara; and before good deeds one should prepare the learning that precedes the deed, and so on.
Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause; And deceive not with your lips.
verse value 2623
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "against·your·neighbor" (בְּרֵעֶ֑ךָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·do·you·deceive" (וַ֝הֲפִתִּ֗יתָ, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "witness·without·cause" (עֵד־חִנָּ֣ם), "against·your·neighbor" (בְּרֵעֶ֑ךָ), "and·do·you·deceive" (וַ֝הֲפִתִּ֗יתָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·your·neighbor" (root רע, 69x in Proverbs); "with·your·lips" (root שפה, 46x in Proverbs); "do·not·be" (root היה, 27x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·your·neighbor', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אַל־תְּהִ֣י [do·not·be] (446) + עֵד־חִנָּ֣ם [witness·without·cause] (172) + בְּרֵעֶ֑ךָ [against·your·neighbor] (292) + וַ֝הֲפִתִּ֗יתָ [and·do·you·deceive] (901) + בִּשְׂפָתֶֽיךָ [with·your·lips] (812) = 2623.
Rashi
that you should be enticed with your lips You should be enticed by your friend with your speech.
Ibn Ezra
"Ve-hafitita" [and would you deceive] — the heh is a heh of interrogation (heh ha-temiha), meaning: do not testify falsely, and do not entice another to testify [falsely]. Another interpretation: "and if you would deceive your fellow..."
Ralbag
"Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause" — that is, do not tell falsehoods in the accounts you give that are meant to guide people rightly on matters of inquiry into the sciences, for by this you will cause people to be misled in their opinions. Likewise, if you find an opinion of your predecessors that does not seem correct to you, it is not proper that you produce untrue reports with your lips in order to refute that opinion; and likewise, if the holder of that opinion is himself supported by false reports, it is not proper that you do the same in what you bring from matters of sense-perception to refute his opinion, for this will confound those who study this line of inquiry with severe confusion.
Metzudat David
"A witness for nothing" — meaning, concerning a matter that you do not know; and even though it is a matter of no consequence, in which there is no monetary loss. "Against your neighbor" — because of your neighbor's trustworthiness, meaning, because you knew that his words were true. "And deceive" — meaning, even if on some occasion you persuaded your neighbor with your lips to do such a thing, nevertheless you yourself shall not do so.
Malbim
"Be not a witness against your neighbor without cause" — do not testify against your fellow to render him liable for something he did not do, which is "without cause": * whether you do this for payment — concerning which it says "and deceive [vehiftita]" — meaning, that you earn a morsel of bread (pat lechem) by means of your lips...
Say not: ‘I will do so to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.’
verse value 2950
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 36 letters. Verse gematria: 2950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "so" (כֵּ֤ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "do·not·say" (אַל־תֹּאמַ֗ר, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "as" (כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר), "he·did·to·me" (עָֽשָׂה־לִ֭י), "I·will·do·to·him" (אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לּ֑וֹ). The root עשה appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "do·not·say" (root אמר, 45x in Proverbs); "he·did·to·me" (root עשה, 34x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·do·to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: אַל־תֹּאמַ֗ר [do·not·say] (672) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר [as] (521) + עָֽשָׂה־לִ֭י [he·did·to·me] (415) + כֵּ֤ן [so] (70) + אֶֽעֱשֶׂה־לּ֑וֹ [I·will·do·to·him] (412) + אָשִׁ֖יב [I·will·render] (313) + לָאִ֣ישׁ [to·the·man] (341) + כְּפׇעֳלֽוֹ [like·his·work] (206) = 2950.
Ibn Ezra
"Say not, 'As he has done to me, so I will do to him'" — I will entice him; perhaps I will repay him according to his deed, similar to the phrase, "who will entice Ahab?" (1 Kings 22:20).
Ralbag
"Say not" — And therefore it is not proper for you to say: "As he did to me, confirming his opinion with false accounts, so shall I do to him, to nullify his opinion" — thinking it proper to repay him according to his deed. And with this he also cautioned against false testimony that harms one's fellow through mere words, in case one should think there is no sin in it, since he is not himself doing any actual deed against him, but rather the harm follows merely from his speech; yet even though the other has done him harm by testifying falsely against him, it is not proper for him to take revenge against him in this manner. After this he warned against laziness in deeds and in theoretical inquiry, for laziness in deeds destroys a person's possessions and causes him to have no fruit from them, while laziness in the pursuit of theoretical inquiry causes the intellectual acquisitions one does attain to be inferior and harmful, at the level of thorns that harm all who come near them.
Metzudat David
"Say not" — do not think, "I will repay this man according to his deed" — since he trusted me and testified accordingly, so I will trust him.
Malbim
* ...or whether you do this in order to repay him for the evil he did to you — concerning which it says, "Say not, as he has done to me, so will I do to him," * or whether you do this because he is in the habit of hiring himself out to be a false witness, and you say, "I will render to the man according to his deeds" — you shall not do so under any circumstances.
I went by the field of the slothful, And by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
verse value 2303
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "man·sluggish" (אִישׁ־עָצֵ֣ל, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "upon·the·field·of" (עַל־שְׂדֵ֣ה), "man·sluggish" (אִישׁ־עָצֵ֣ל), "I·passed·by" (עָבַ֑רְתִּי). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "man·sluggish" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "man" (root אדם, 44x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·passed·by', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: עַל־שְׂדֵ֣ה [upon·the·field·of] (409) + אִישׁ־עָצֵ֣ל [man·sluggish] (501) + עָבַ֑רְתִּי [I·passed·by] (682) + וְעַל־כֶּ֝֗רֶם [and·by·the·vineyard·of] (366) + אָדָ֥ם [man] (45) + חֲסַר־לֵֽב [lacking·of·heart] (300) = 2303.
Rashi
a lazy man who does not review the memorization of his studies.
Ralbag
"By the field of a man" — And therefore he said, "By the field of a slothful man I passed," for out of great laziness he does not exert himself to plow and sow, so that evil weeds and thorns have grown up in it, and the stone fence built around it to guard its produce has collapsed, because in his laziness he does not exert himself to repair it. The same holds true of the vineyard of a man lacking understanding, which Hashem planted to yield good fruit that gladdens God and men — namely, the hylic (potential) intellect, which has the capacity to apprehend intelligible things. Because of his laziness in the pursuit of wisdom, nothing has grown for him but false opinions, harmful to a person's success both in knowledge and in civic life, and the fence that surrounded it has been removed, such that a breach remains in it giving access to the other faculties of the soul.
Metzudat David
"By the field, etc." — this is a figure of speech, to say, "Behold, I considered well the deeds of the sluggard."
Malbim
"I went by the field of the slothful man, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding" — the field requires much actual labor — plowing, sowing, and so forth — and the slothful man will not perform the labor of his field, out of his laziness. But the vineyard, which is already planted, does not require so much labor, but only requires guarding so that it not be ruined — and this the slothful man will [still manage to] do. But the one void of understanding does not grasp the loss that will befall the vineyard if he does not guard it, and so he lets his hands go slack even with regard to the vineyard.
And, lo, it was all grown over with thistles, Its face was covered with nettles, And its stone wall was broken down.
verse value 1889
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 42 letters. Notable word values: "were·covered" (כׇּסּ֣וּ) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "grew·up" (עָ֘לָ֤ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "thistles" (קִמְּשֹׂנִ֗ים, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "thistles" (קִמְּשֹׂנִ֗ים), "were·covered" (כׇּסּ֣וּ), "its·face" (פָנָ֣יו). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "its·face" (root פנים, 41x in Proverbs); "all·of·it" (root כל, 23x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nettles', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֨ה [and·behold] (66) + עָ֘לָ֤ה [grew·up] (105) + כֻלּ֨וֹ [all·of·it] (56) + קִמְּשֹׂנִ֗ים [thistles] (540) + כׇּסּ֣וּ [were·covered] (86) + פָנָ֣יו [its·face] (146) + חֲרֻלִּ֑ים [nettles] (288) + וְגֶ֖דֶר [and·wall·of] (213) + אֲבָנָ֣יו [its·stones] (69) + נֶהֱרָֽסָה [was·torn·down] (320) = 1889.
Rashi
thistles Heb. קמשונים, thistles. nettles חרלים. They are larger than thistles, and they are as sharp as thorns. and its stone fence had been torn down Thus, one who does not review his studies first forgets the beginnings of the chapters and at the end confuses the names of the Sages from this one to that one, thereby saying “unclean” for something that is clean and “clean” for something that is unclean, and he destroys the world.
Ibn Ezra
"Alah" [it grew over] — in the singular, speaking of each one of the thistles [individually]; "kimshonim" and "charulim" are both terms for thorns.
Metzudat David
"Wholly" — over the entire field thorns had grown up, for because of his laziness he did not plow properly to cut the roots of the thorns so that they would not grow. "And its wall" — the stone wall that had been around it was broken down, for the sluggard's attention had turned away.
Metzudat Zion
"Thistles" ("kimshonim") — Nettles, a type of thorn, as in "thistles and thorns in its fortresses" (Isaiah 34:13), and as in "under the nettles they huddled together" (Job 30:7). "And its wall" ("vegader") — A wall. "Was broken down" ("neharesah") — An expression of demolition and tearing down.
Malbim
"And, lo, it was all grown over with thistles" — "its face was covered with nettles," etc. (the pronoun "all of it" refers back to the field, which is masculine) — and as for the vineyard, its face was covered with nettles, and also its stone wall was broken down.
Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received instruction.
verse value 2336
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "my·heart" (לִבִּ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·I·beheld" (וָאֶחֱזֶ֣ה, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·I·beheld" (וָאֶחֱזֶ֣ה), "I·set" (אָשִׁ֣ית), "I·saw" (רָ֝אִ֗יתִי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "my·heart" (root לב, 57x in Proverbs); "instruction" (root מוסר, 30x in Proverbs); "I·took" (root לקח, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·heart', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֶחֱזֶ֣ה [and·I·beheld] (27) + אָ֭נֹכִי [I] (81) + אָשִׁ֣ית [I·set] (711) + לִבִּ֑י [my·heart] (42) + רָ֝אִ֗יתִי [I·saw] (621) + לָקַ֥חְתִּי [I·took] (548) + מוּסָֽר [instruction] (306) = 2336.
Ralbag
"Then I beheld" — And when I saw this evil that results from laziness, both in deeds and in opinions, I set my heart to it and took instruction so as to escape the laziness from which this evil is drawn. And I saw that the correct counsel in this matter, for one who wishes to escape it, is that he sleep only a little, and slumber only a little, and fold his hands to rest only a little — just enough to give rest to the limbs. And when you do so, you will not have poverty and constant want, for diligence is what causes your sustenance to be provided for you with ease, and provides you with what is needed, which you attain through your effort.
Metzudat David
"Then I beheld" — and when I saw all this, I set my heart to understand what laziness produces, and when I saw, I took instruction to abandon the way of laziness.
Metzudat Zion
"Then I beheld" ("va'echezeh") — An expression of seeing, as in "do you see a man diligent" (Proverbs 22, above).
Malbim
"Then I beheld, I considered well, I saw, I received instruction" — "vision" (chizayon) is distinct from "seeing" (re'iyah): [vision] indicates the perception of the heart and the spirit, while "seeing" indicates the sight of the eyes. And because the matter contains both a parable that is seen with the eyes and an allegorical meaning that is perceived by the heart, he says that he "beheld" and "set his heart" toward the vision, and also "saw" with his eyes and "took" instruction. And the allegorical meaning concerns the field and vineyard of the soul: the soul has the power to bring forth the fruit-yield of wisdom and talent, if one plows the depths and removes from it the thorns and thistles and sows it with "the seed of Hashem," as he wrote in his commentary on Isaiah (chapter 28). The parable of the field is the commandments that must be performed in actual practice — the positive commandments — and the labor one must perform in the field of contemplation, to gather and collect, which resembles all labor in a field; and the lazy person does not perform the positive commandments and does not plow in the depth of contemplation, because of his laziness. And the vineyard is a parable for one who has already planted and set out the vines of wisdom, and who must guard the negative commandments, and likewise guard his learning so that it not be forgotten from him — which is a lighter labor. And one who is negligent in this is not so out of laziness but out of lack of understanding (chesron lev): for the definition of one "void of understanding" is that he has no power to rule over his own spirit, and desire breaks forth in him, breaching, to transgress the negative commandments and abandon his learning. And thereby his field and his vineyard become overgrown with thistles, and the plot of his soul is ruined by the nettles of the [evil] inclination, and it does not yield its fruit. And concerning this: "I received instruction" — to chastise the soul with the fetters of discipline, so that it not depart from its bounds.
’Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep’—
verse value 2541
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "little" (מְעַ֣ט, 3 letters) and the longest is "slumber" (תְּנוּמ֑וֹת, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 119: little, little, little. The root מעט appears 3 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "hands" (root יד, 24x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'slumber', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מְעַ֣ט [little] (119) + שֵׁ֭נוֹת [sleep] (756) + מְעַ֣ט [little] (119) + תְּנוּמ֑וֹת [slumber] (902) + מְעַ֓ט [little] (119) + חִבֻּ֖ק [folding·of] (110) + יָדַ֣יִם [hands] (64) + לִשְׁכָּֽב [to·lie·down] (352) = 2541.
Ibn Ezra
"A little" — I have already explained it.
Metzudat David
"A little sleep" — meaning, I saw that the proper way is to reduce sleep and slumber, etc. "A folding of the hands" — it is the way of one who lies down to rest to fold his hands together, one within the other.
Metzudat Zion
"Slumber" ("tenumot") — This is light sleep.
Malbim
"A little sleep, a little slumber" — sleep is the fixed, deep kind, while slumber is lighter than sleep; and if it comes after sleep, it is for pleasure and indulgence and is unnecessary. That is to say, after he wakes from his sleep, he still dozes, drowsing but not fully asleep; and after he wakes even from the slumber, he folds his hands to lie still longer on his bed and is too lazy to put on his clothes — and then...
So your poverty shall come as a runner, And your want as an armed man.
verse value 1802
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "shield" (מָגֵֽן, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·shall·come·walking" (וּבָֽא־מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Proverbs. Unique to this verse in Proverbs (hapax): "and·shall·come·walking" (וּבָֽא־מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ), "your·poverty" (רֵישֶׁ֑ךָ), "and·your·needs" (וּ֝מַחְסֹרֶ֗יךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "like·a·man" (root איש, 80x in Proverbs); "and·shall·come·walking" (root בוא, 35x in Proverbs). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·poverty', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: וּבָֽא־מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ [and·shall·come·walking] (504) + רֵישֶׁ֑ךָ [your·poverty] (530) + וּ֝מַחְסֹרֶ֗יךָ [and·your·needs] (344) + כְּאִ֣ישׁ [like·a·man] (331) + מָגֵֽן [shield] (93) = 1802.
Rashi
your poverty will come strolling The things that impoverish you will come to you quickly.
Ibn Ezra
"Mit'halekh" [one who travels] — this is elliptical, or [it means] "a servant"; for the kaf of "ke-ish" [like a man] stands in place of the [missing] kaf, [in this address] directed to the admonished son. I shall explain the third part — this [next] section. It is possible that it was a book in its own right, among the books of Solomon, and the wise men of Hezekiah copied out his pleasant proverbs and joined them together with these.
Ralbag
"So your poverty shall come as a runner" — And therefore, when poverty and lack come upon you, they will come like a runner who does not linger with you, just as is the case with an armed man, who likewise comes as a runner. And here concludes what we set out to explain in this place, and the benefits derived from it are evident from our words.
Metzudat David
"So shall come" — meaning, if you act thus, then even if poverty comes upon you at some time it will not persist, for it will pass away, like one walking on a road who does not linger long in one place. "And your want" — even if some deficiency in wealth comes upon you, the deficiency will not linger, like the manner of a man clad in armor going down to war, whose way is not to tarry in any place; and the matter is repeated in different words.
Metzudat Zion
"As a runner" ("mithalech") — It should properly be read as "kemithalech" (like one who walks), the letter kaf being omitted. "Your poverty" ("reishecha") — An expression of "rash" (poor) and poverty.
Malbim
"So your poverty shall come as a runner, and your want as an armed man" — the poverty will come without force, merely like a passing traveler, and you will not feel it at all; but the wants that come after the poverty will come with sword and spear and a mighty hand, like an armed man — for you will fight against the want that presses upon you, but it will don armor until you can no longer overcome it.
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim