Proverbs 21, The Tongue (Again), Quarrelsome Wives, World Power

More short two line proverbs. From chapter 10 on, we have had over 300 of these. The style of them will change in the next chapter.

Proverbs 21:1, The king's heart

 The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; 

he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.

Tbe king's thoughts might also be deep waters; if so, YHWH moves them as he wishes. (But this does not make the king right or just! See the hardened heart of Pharaoh in Exodus 7!)

It is Tiglath-Pileser (says Kidner) who is controlled by God in Isaiah 10:6-7, Cyrus in Isaiah 41:2-4 and Artaxerxes in Ezra 7:21-23. This does not necessarily mean that what the king does is righteous (in human terms) but merely that God ultimately controls human events.

Proverbs 21:2, We are all alright

 All a man's ways seem right to him, 

but the LORD weighs the heart.

The worst lies we tell are often those we tell ourselves. It is amazing how many of us rationalize!

See also Proverbs 16:2.

Proverbs 21:3, Justice over sacrifice

To do what is right and just 

is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

True religion is of the heart, not mechanical works. See also verse 27, below.

Proverbs 21:4, On pride

 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, 

the lamp of the wicked, are sin!

Pride and arrogance are always viewed, in this book, as a step to wickedness. The word niyr, translated "lamp" here, apparently refers to plowing or tilling ground. The KJV has "plowing". Alter translates the last line as "the furrow of the wicked is an offense" but Kidner argues that lamp (a metaphor for human hopes or plans) is correct.

Proverbs 21:5-6, Diligent and slow paths to riches

 The plans of the diligent lead to profit 

as surely as haste leads to poverty.

A fortune made by a lying tongue 

is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

A number of proverbs caution against "fast money", against hurrying to "make a killig", or to "get rich quick." The way to success is steady heard work, slowiy building up one's wealth piece by piece. (It is amazing what three percent annual growth does over twenty years!)

Proverbs 21:7, Dragged away

 The violence of the wicked will drag them away, 

for they refuse to do what is right.

The actions of the wicked, even if they temporarily succeed (in verse 5 or 6, above), eventually comes to roost and they are "dragged away."

Proverbs 21:8, Devious vs. upright

 The way of the guilty is devious, 

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

This is almost a tautology, defining aspect of guilt and innocence.

Proverbs 21:9, Domestic peace

 Better to live on a corner of the roof 

than share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

This saying is repeated in Proverbs 25:24.

See Proverbs 19:13 for a dripping faucet description of a nagging wife. And also verse 19. One notes the ANE culture in which roofs were flat and people could sit or sleep on them. It is better to be confined to one small corner of the roof than be inside with a quarrelsom wife.

Alter sees here a riddle-like structure: one might ask, "What is worse than living of the corner of the roof?"

Proverbs 21:10, Crave evil

 The wicked man craves evil; 

his neighbor gets no mercy from him.

The wicked person not only stumbles into evil but may indeed crave it, indeed delight in it, giving no grace or mercy to his neighbor.  (On the other hand, instead of wickedness and rigidity, a wise man (Proverbs 19:11) is willing to overlook slights.)

Proverbs 21:11, Types of instruction

 When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; 

when a wise man is instructed, he gets knowledge.

The simple learn only from punishment but a wise person learns quickly from instruction, without the need of punishment.

Proverbs 21:12, Notice the house of the wicked

 The Righteous One takes note of the house of the wicked 

and brings the wicked to ruin.

The Hebrew is unclear as to whether the righteous one is "the Righteous One" or a generic "righteous one." Kidner agrees with the NIV here; Alter does not.

If it is God Who is meant by The Righteous One, my reaction is that this is the Proverbs Black-and-White simplicity; in reality such judgment seems to take a long time! I have prayed for justice to come to some powerful brutal world leaders and (as of 2024) I am still praying. It took a long time in the first century for justice to come to the cruel and brutal Herod (Acts 12:21-23.)

Proverbs 21:13, Duty to the poor

 If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, 

he too will cry out and not be answered.

One should care for the poor or vulnerable. We all need help at some time.

Proverbs 21:14, Soothing anger

A gift given in secret soothes anger, 

and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath.

There are different views of bribes -- and different forms of gifts. Kidner says that the Hebrew word translated "gift" here is a neutral one while the word translated "bribe" is negative.

Proverbs 21:15, The importance of justice

 When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous 

but terror to evildoers.

Earthly justice is important for societal peace.

Proverbs 21:16, Straying off the path,

 A man who strays from the path of understanding 

comes to rest in the company of the dead.

Wander off the trail and you might end up dropping into Sheol. Freedom may lead to despair.

Proverbs 21:17, Materialism,

 He who loves pleasure will become poor; 

whoever loves wine and oil will never be rich.

Uh-oh.  This is primarily an attack on materialism and hedonism -- a strong message for the world and culture I live in. In the ANE, wine to drink and oil to rub on the body and head were wondrous luxuries.

Proverbs 21:18, Ransom

 The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,

and the unfaithful for the upright.

Alter: "The idea is that whatever disasters might have overtaken the good person will fall instead on the wicked."

Proverbs 21:19, Better the deseert

 Better to live in a desert 

than with a quarrelsome and ill-tempered wife.

See verse 9, where it is a corner of a roof instead of the desert that is the option chosen by the husband of an angry and quarrelsome wife. The messages of the two verses are the same.

A home should always be, for both adults and children, a safe place, a place of security. It is tragic when it is not. At one point late in my career, I realized that I was rarely hungry at work but suddenly ravenous just as I stepped in the door at home. Examining this, I realized that I was too stressed at work to really eat but stepping in the doorway of my home, safe and secure with Jan, took all my stress away and as my body relaxed, an appetite returned. 

Proverbs 21:20, Delayed gratification

 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, 

but a foolish man devours all he has.

A path to real success usually involves delayed gratification and self-control, postponing some joys for the future.

Proverbs 21:21, The reward of love and righteousness

 He who pursues righteousness and love 

finds life, prosperity and honor.

A major them of Proverbs: righteousness leads to prosperity. Our favorite Hebrew word, hesed, appears in the first line and Kidner gives, as an example of this proverb, the characters of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz in the book of Ruth.

Proverbs 21:22, The strength of the wise man

 A wise man attacks the city of the mighty 

and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.

Wisdom can prevail where simple strength might not.

Proverbs 21:23, Guard the tongue

 He who guards his mouth and his tongue 

keeps himself from calamity.

We should always be careful and thoughtful what we say. (Some of us talk more than others and so this is a hard lesson.)

Proverbs 21:24, On pride

 The proud and arrogant man--"Mocker" is his name; 

he behaves with overweening pride.

See verse 4 and the comment there.

Proverbs 21:25-26, The sluggard and the generous

 The sluggard's craving will be the death of him, 

because his hands refuse to work.

 All day long he craves for more, 

but the righteous give without sparing.

In an earlier proverb (Proverbs 20:4), the sluggard refused to plant so he had no crops to harvest. Here the sluggard refuses to work, but craves results without working for it. In contrast, the righteous have no need to desire anything and are happy to give things away. Kidner titles these two verses, "The tyranny of desire."

Proverbs 21:27, True religion

 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable--
how much more so when brought with evil intent!

The message here is similar to verse 3, above. God sees the heart and intent, so a religious act done with evil intent is detestable.

Proverbs 21:28, Lying

 A false witness will perish, 

and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever.

It is not good to lie, especially in courts of justice. (I wish more of our politicians and media stars believed that.)

Proverbs 21:29, Examine yourself,

 A wicked man puts up a bold front, 

but an upright man gives thought to his ways.

The examined life is not worth living. I must pause and think about my motives, instead of simply doubling down on my claims.

Proverbs 21:30-31, Horses or victory?

 There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan 

that can succeed against the LORD.

 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, 

but victory rests with the LORD.

The idea of the first two lines (verse 30) is restated in a different form in verse 31. As Alter says, in that verse there is a deliberately surprising conclusion -- even if the horses and chariots are ready, the real outcome is up to YHWH.

There will be a greater change in the poetic form of the sayings in the next chapter.

Proverbs 20, Fair Scales, Fast Money, Words

This chapter continues with thirty short proverbs, each of two lines, most forming antithetical parallelism ("this... but that..."); a few are simple observations but most have a teaching.

Proverbs 20:1, Under the influence

Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; 

whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Too much alcohol leads to mockery, brawling, straying from the smooth and straight path. (See Proverbs 23:29-35 for an expanded description of the one who drinks too much wine.)

It is possible, says Alter, that the Hebrew word shekar, translated here "beer" and elsewhere "strong drink", is "a strong drink made from grapes, which is to say, grappa" (or brandy.)

Kidner says that the Hebrew word shagah, translated here "led astray", could also mean "stagger" or "lurch" (see Isaiah 28:7 for an example) and so we have vivid play on the two meanings of this word.

Proverbs 20:2, Keep the king happy!

 A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion; 

he who angers him forfeits his life.

See also Proverbs 19:12.

Proverbs 20:3, Peace and honor

 It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, 

but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Recommended: avoid quarrels if you can. As said elsewhere, a quick temper is the sign of a fool.

Proverbs 20:4, Empty harvest

 A sluggard does not plow in season; 

so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

Laziness at one time has consequences that appear later. If one does not plant in the spring, there will be nothing to eat in the winter.

Proverbs 20:5, Deep waters

 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters, 

but a man of understanding draws them out.

I really like this proverb. It has an emphasis on empathy. The phrase "draws them out" could also be translated "draws them up", as if reaching deep into a pool and pulling up the cold water. A wise person, "a man of understanding", will look for those deep waters.

Proverbs 20:6-7, Faithful and blameless

 Many a man claims to have unfailing love, 

but a faithful man who can find?

 The righteous man leads a blameless life; 

blessed are his children after him.

It is easy to claim loyalty and unfailing love -- it is another thing to truly provide it. But loyalty and honesty are a reward to one's children.

Proverbs 20:8, A king and justice

 When a king sits on his throne to judge, 

he winnows out all evil with his eyes.

This (like others in Proverbs) assumes that the king is just! This assumption is reasonable given that the proverbs were collected by kings (such as Solomon and Hezekiah.)

Proverbs 20:9, A completely pure heart doesn't happen

 Who can say, 

"I have kept my heart pure; 

I am clean and without sin"?

I've known people who insist on "pure motives"; my reaction is that they don't really examine their heart and motives!

Proverbs 20:10, Dishonest scales

 Differing weights and differing measures-- 

the LORD detests them both.

Another verse on honest transactions, leaning on the ANE practice of using scales to measure both produce and payment. (Payment was often certain weights of silver.)

Proverbs 20:11, Children's actions

 Even a child is known by his actions, 

by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Although motives are discussed elsewhere, one's actions are visible and important. Even the inclination of a child is visible by his/her actions.

Proverbs 20:12, Ears and eyes and their Maker

 Ears that hear and eyes that see-- 

the LORD has made them both.

Since YHWH made both ears and eyes, the hint is that He too can see and hear -- everything. (See verse 27 as a follow up to this teaching.)

Proverbs 20:13, Sleep and hunger

 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; 

stay awake and you will have food to spare.

Unnecessary sleep leads to hunger. This is similar in message to Proverbs 19:15.

Proverbs 20:14, No good, no good!

 "It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer; 

then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

This statement is just an observation of humans in the market. One interpretation of the proverb would be that the buyer claims that the product is worthless and then buys it at a lower price while grumbling about being cheated. later, out of the hearing of the seller, he brags about getting a good product on the cheap. Alter says that the Hebrew text might allow an interpretation in which a miserly individual misses a good deal yet brags about his cleverness in refusing it.

Proverbs 20:15, Words to treasure

 Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, 

but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

The real treasure is in words of wisdom. (So read this book of Proverbs!)

Proverbs 20:16, Take the garment

 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; 

hold it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.

Worth less than security for a stranger is security for one who is untrustworthy and off the rails. The impression here is that if such an idiot offers security, one should just take it!

Proverbs 20:17, Mouth of gravel

 Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man, 

but he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.

Recall Proverbs 9:17 about stolen waters...

Proverbs 20:18, Seek counsel!

 Make plans by seeking advice; 

if you wage war, obtain guidance.

Good guidance and counsel is important at all levels.

Proverbs 20:19, Talks too much

 A gossip betrays a confidence; 

so avoid a man who talks too much.

As good speech is a sign of wisdom, gossip is a sign of foolishness.

Proverbs 20:20,  Lamp snuffed out

If a man curses his father or mother, 

his lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.

This proverb echoes the Fifth of the Ten Commandments (see Exodus 20:12.)

Proverbs 20:21, Quickly gained

 An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning 

will not be blessed at the end.

On fast money and get-rich-quick schemes -- see Proverbs 13:11, Proverbs 21:5-6 and Proverbs 28:20,22.

Proverbs 20:22, Vengeance is God's

 Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" 

Wait for the LORD, and he will deliver you.

Leave vengeance to God. As Alter points out, this proverb reflects the plea of Abigail to David in 1 Samuel 25:23-31.

Proverbs 20:23, Dishonest scales

 The LORD detests differing weights, 

and dishonest scales do not please him.

See verse 10.

Proverbs 20:24, YHWH directs

 A man's steps are directed by the LORD. 

How then can anyone understand his own way?

Since God directs one's steps -- maybe our own planning is something we don't understand? Psalm 37:23 views this as an encouragement for those who seek YHWH and His righteousness.

Proverbs 20:25, Rash vows

 It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly 

and only later to consider his vows.

One should be careful about one's promises. An example of a rash vow is that of Jephthah in Judges 11:30-31. See also Ecclesiastes 5:5.

Proverbs 20:26, Kingly wisdom

 A wise king winnows out the wicked; 

he drives the threshing wheel over them.

A grain harvesting metaphor is given for the justice of a wise king. (And every king should seek to be wise and just, see verse 28!)

Proverbs 20:27, Lamp of YHWH

The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man;

 it searches out his inmost being.

In verse 12 we are told thst YHWH made both ears and eyes; here we see Him then searching out man's thoughts and motives, like one with a lamp moving through a dark house.

Proverbs 20:28, A faithful king

 Love and faithfulness keep a king safe; 

through love his throne is made secure.

Righteousness is important for the security of both a nation and king.

Proverbs 20:29, Age and experience,

 The glory of young men is their strength, 

gray hair the splendor of the old.

When I was young, I could run forever, be a star in softball, drive all night. Now my hairline is thinning, I have arthritis and I am content to watch the clouds move across the sky and listen to the wind in the trees. That is OK.

Proverbs 20:30, Punishment for evil

 Blows and wounds cleanse away evil,

 and beatings purge the inmost being.

 

In the ANE culture, blows and beating were part of the judicial system. Indeed, flogging is still used as a penalty in some countries and the missionary Paul was whipped numerous times (2 Corinthians 11:23-25.) Even the Messiah was flogged (see Isaiah 53:5, John 19:1-3.)

Proverbs 19, Lazy Hand in a Bowl, Evil Mouth Gulping

We continue a series of bicolons of antithetical paralallisms. (There, doesn't that sound academic!?)

Proverbs 19:1, Perverse lips.

 Better a poor man whose walk is blameless 

than a fool whose lips are perverse.

Poverty and integrity are better than the life of the fool. As in many other places, folly is attached to quality of speech. Kidner points out that this verse "sharply exposes the false values behind the behaviour reported in verses 6 and 7."  Proverbs 28:6 is a similar verse.

Proverbs 19:2, Knowledge over zeal

 It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, 

nor to be hasty and miss the way.

Knowledge and background information is important. Take time; be careful with decisions. 

The Hebrew text begins this verse with "also", linking this proverb to the previous one (Kidner.)

Proverbs 19:3, Own folly ruins him ... but

 A man's own folly ruins his life, 

yet his heart rages against the LORD.

The fool does not see that he has created his own ruin and instead blames everything on God. (In the modern culture, the fool would blame his problem on others or "fate", bad luck.)

Proverbs 19:4, Wealth looks valuable

Wealth brings many friends, 

but a poor man's friend deserts him.

Is wealth good? Here there is an observation thst wealth apparently brings friends. (But are they true friends? No suggestion otherwise is made. Alter says that this is a "disenchanted oberservation" more at home in Ecclesiastes.

Proverbs 19:5, Integrity

 A false witness will not go unpunished, 

and he who pours out lies will not go free.

Lies are punished. (Hopefully!? The Old Testament gives examples of apparent exceptions to this justice.)

Proverbs 19:6, Currying favor

 Many curry favor with a ruler, 

and everyone is the friend of a man who gives gifts.

Here is another verse on bribery on the apparent success of gifts and bribery. Compare this with verse 1.

Proverbs 19:7, The social attitudes of poverty

 A poor man is shunned by all his relatives--

 how much more do his friends avoid him! 

Though he pursues them with pleading, 

they are nowhere to be found.

This is a strangely doubled proverb on the impact of poverty, Alter says that the Hebrew text is confusing and is unusual in its length.

Proverbs 19:8, Seek wisdom 

 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul; 

he who cherishes understanding prospers.

As stated in many other places, wisdom is promoted as very important and advantageous. See chapter 8, especially verses 35-36,

Proverbs 19:9, Justice

 A false witness will not go unpunished, 

and he who pours out lies will perish.

See verse 5. 

Proverbs 19:10, Upside down

 It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury-

 how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!

This is one of a number of proverbs in which the societal image is upside down, in which one is expected to say, "No, life should not be this way!" In the society of a the ANE, princes were to be (honest) rulers and slaves (or servants) had their place. And so a fool should receive the penalty for their folly; they should not live in luxury! Similar upside-down proverbs (cited by Kidner) are Proverbs 11:22, 17:7, 26:1, 30:21-23.

Proverbs 19:11, Overlook slights

 A man's wisdom gives him patience; 

it is to his glory to overlook an offense.

It is a glory (Hebrew tipharah, literally "beautiful") to be wise enough to overlook an offense.

Proverbs 19:12, Seek the king's favor

 A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, 

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

There is a beautiful and somewhat dramatic transition between the fearsome specter of a lion roaring and the calming image of dew on the grass. The point is, which would you prefer?

Proverbs 19:13-14, Constant dripping

 A foolish son is his father's ruin,

and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

 Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, 

but a prudent wife is from the LORD.

Proverbs 27:15-16 expands on the "dripping" metaphor for a nagging wife. This is a vivid image understood by anyone who has listened in the night to a faucet that refuses to turn off, who has listened to the plunk-plunk-plunk of the water drops echoing in the sink.

In the next line the (male) writer recognizes that a prudent wife (see Proverbs 31:10-31) is indeed a gift from God and greatly to be appreciated.

Proverbs 19:15, Sleep then hunger

 Laziness brings on deep sleep,

and the shiftless man goes hungry.

In much of life there is a considerable delay in actions (or lack of action) and their consequences. The person who stays in bed when they should be working may eventually go hungry. (See Proverbs 20:4.)

Proverbs 19:16, Obey instructions

He who obeys instructions guards his life, 

but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.

There are deadly consequences to ignoring instruction and warning. (It is not clear to me what it means to be contemptous of one's ways

Proverbs 19:17, Kind to the poor

 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, 

and he will reward him for what he has done.

Kidner points out that in the New Testament, Jesus gives the parable of the sheep and the goats, a parable that reflects this idea. The final statement in the parable (Matthew 25:40) says, in essence, that being kind to the poor and vulnerable is being kind to the Messiah King.

Proverbs 19:18, Do not be lazy in discipline

 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; 

do not be a willing party to his death.

A parent learns that genuine love for children leads, occasionally, to stern discipline. Indeed, even in some situations with adults, there can be a certain cruelty is letting someone get away with their addictions or dysfunctions, without providing a caring confrontation.

Proverbs 19:19, Hot temper

 A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; 

if you rescue him, you will have to do it again.

The hot-tempered person is often unwilling to learn -- and so rescuing them from a penalty may just lead to more problems. (There is a certain consistency in this verse with the previous -- one deals with an adult, the other a child.)

Proverbs 19:20, Advice

 Listen to advice and accept instruction, 

and in the end you will be wise.

A standard theme: pay attention to instruction!

Proverbs 19:21, Plans and results

 Many are the plans in a man's heart, 

but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.

This verse on man's plans argues that the eventual outcome is in God's hands, and quite possibly, out of our hands. Both Alter and Kidner quote, here, the English proverb, "Man proposes but God disposes."

Proverbs 19:22, Unfailing love

 What a man desires is unfailing love; 

better to be poor than a liar.

The Hebrew word translated "unfailing love" is my favorite (and complex) word hesed.

Proverbs 19:23, Submission

 The fear of the LORD leads to life: 

Then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Contentment and security is certainly a human desire; here, says the Teacher, it begins with submission to YHWH.

Proverbs 19:24, Hand in the dish

 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; 

he will not even bring it back to his mouth!

This is one of my favorite pictures of laziness! The hyperbolic statement give the image of someone so lazy that when they are eating, they can't even bring their hand up to their mouth! (I would say more but it is not easy for me to type when I am in my lounge chair, covered by a blanket, refusing to sit at my desk.)

Proverbs 19:25, Flogging vs. rebuke

 Flog a mocker, and the simple will learn prudence; 

rebuke a discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

A wise man picks up on a simple rebuke but it takes much more severe action to get the attention of a mocker. Kidner says, here, that there are three types of minds -- the one that is closed (resistant), the one that is empty (simple) and the one that is open (willing to learn.) Be the last one.

Proverbs 19:26, Shame and disgrace

 He who robs his father and drives out his mother

 is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

Oh, the pain of a child abusing his/her parents! And the disgrace to all. (As I type this, the father of the Oxford school shooter has just been sentenced to prison, following his son.)

Proverbs 19:27, Listen to instruction

 Stop listening to instruction, my son, 

and you will stray from the words of knowledge.

If one wants to stay on the straight path, one should keep listening to instruction and guidance. There is no time to stop. The two paths before one are described in Psalm 1.

Proverbs 19:28-29, Mockery

 A corrupt witness mocks at justice,

 and the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

 Penalties are prepared for mockers, 

and beatings for the backs of fools.

The chapter ends with a warning about the penalties coming to fools. But the verse before it gives a vivid image of the wicked not just sipping at evil, but gulping it down!

Proverbs 18, Friends and Speech

We continue our bicolons of parallelisms: this..., but that....

Proverbs 18:1-2, A fool concentrates on himself 

 An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends; 

he defies all sound judgment.

A fool finds no pleasure in understanding 

but delights in airing his own opinions.

A fool concentrates on himself and absorbs nothing -- naturally that leads to isolation. The Septuagint and Masoretic differ slightly on the first verse; it may mean that the unfriendly man looks for a pretext to abandon friends.

The second verse describes a fool happy to expound on anything (the word "mansplaining" come to mind) but who is unwilling to study or learn.

Proverbs 18:3, Contempt and disgrace

 When wickedness comes, so does contempt, 

and with shame comes disgrace.

Other characteristics of wickedness include contempt, shame, ultimately disgrace

Proverbs 18:4, Deep fountain

 The words of a man's mouth are deep waters, 

but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

The wise man has deep thoughts and a consistent bubbling brook of good ideas. See Proverbs 20:5 for a slightly different statement.

Proverbs 18:5, Judge rightly

It is not good to be partial to the wicked 

or to deprive the innocent of justice.

Judge evil as evil and good as good.

Proverbs 18:6-8, Gossip and strife

 A fool's lips bring him strife, 

and his mouth invites a beating.

 A fool's mouth is his undoing, 

and his lips are a snare to his soul.

 The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; 

they go down to a man's inmost parts.

In a triplet of proverbial statements, we have the evil effect of the tongue: strife and violence, gossip and anxiety. The last verse is repeated in Proverbs 26:22 as one of the proverbs compiled during the reign of Hezekiah.

Proverbs 18:9, Sluggard and destroyer

 One who is slack in his work 

is brother to one who destroys.

Doing little work can be damaging.

Proverbs 18:10,  Strong tower

 The name of the LORD is a strong tower; 

the righteous run to it and are safe.

YHWH protects the righteous.

Proverbs 18:11, Richness and fortifications

 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;

 they imagine it an unscalable wall.

The wealthy rely on their wealth as if it completely protects them. But maybe this is just their imagination?

Proverbs 18:12, Pride

 Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, 

but humility comes before honor.

This is similar to Proverbs 16:18.

Proverbs 18:13, 

 He who answers before listening--

that is his folly and his shame.

Be slow to speak. This proverb is echoed in the New Testament in James 1:19.

Proverbs 18:14,

 A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, 

but a crushed spirit who can bear?

One spiritor outlook can have a strong influence on health. As Alter writes: "[This is] a notion that still seems medically relevant after two and a half millennia."

Proverbs 18:15, Ears of the wise

 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; 

the ears of the wise seek it out.

Both heart (intent) and ears are involved in developing wisdom and knowledge.

Proverbs 18:16, Gifts and bribes?

 A gift opens the way for the giver 

and ushers him into the presence of the great.

Is this good? This may be more of an observation than a recommendation!

Proverbs 18:17, Every side sound right

 The first to present his case seems right, 

till another comes forward and questions him.

This stresses the importance of listening to both sides before making up one's mind.

Proverbs 18:18, Toss a coin!

 Casting the lot settles disputes 

and keeps strong opponents apart.

The Old Testament gave some credence to the casting of lots but here we may simply have a suggestion as to how to resolve a dispute. As Alter writes, "when there is a dispute with no clear way to 

resolve it, something like the toss of a coin can bring it to an end." 

Proverbs 18:19-21, The powerful tongue

 An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, 

and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.

 From the fruit of his mouth a man's stomach is filled; 

with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

 The tongue has the power of life and death, 

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

All three of these proverbs suggest the power of speech. An offense can create walls that refuse to come down while good speech can lead to fruitful results. The tongue can do good or do evil; each of us must deal with the consequences of our speech.

One can read too much into verse 21; apparently some in the "Name It, Claim It" Word of Faith ministries use this verse to argue that one can control one's life by making statements (claims) with their tongue. But the "Philosophy 101" understanding of the purpose of Proverbs emphasizes the constructive and destructive effects of one's speech. This is not magic, but good guidance on how one should talk to others.

Proverbs 18:22, A wife

 He who finds a wife finds what is good 

and receives favor from the LORD.

I agree! -- God has been good to me! This proverb seems to merely be an observation. This concept of a precious wife is expanded later, beginning at Proverbs 31:10.

Proverbs 18:23, Voices of poor and rich

 A poor man pleads for mercy, 

but a rich man answers harshly.

Riches lead to callousness. The NIV translation loses the poetic chiasmus -- the Hebrew text is literally

"entreaties 

uses the poor 

but the rich 

answers roughly."

Proverbs 18:24, Close friends

 A man of many companions may come to ruin, 

but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

How relaxing and peaceful it is to be among true friends!

Alter points out that this chapter ends with a verse that circles back to the first verse. As the first verse describes the unfriendly one whose presence causes pain, this last verse extols the value of true friends.