We continue a collection of pithy two-line proverbs contrasting areas of wisdom and folly, proverbs that give wise advice.
Proverbs 11:1, Dishonest scales
The LORD abhors dishonest scales,
but accurate weights are his delight.
In the ANE commercial world, weights were used in commerce, weighing coins or pieces of metal in the sale and weighing the weight of the products being sold. A scheming merchant might then provide scales that were unbalanced or coins that were not pure.
I heard a story long ago of a Christian woman who, asking for a word from the Lord, opened her Bible and put her finger down on a page and thus discovered this verse. She got out of this verse the message that she needed to lose weight. Whether true or not, that story says a lot about (1) the importance of reading Scripture in context and (2) resisting the desire to force our culture (and fashion?) into the ancient text!
Proverbs 11:2, Pride/humility
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.
Arrogance, pride, overconfidence lead to failure. Humility, that is, appropriate discernment of one's abilities and faults, is an important part of wisdom.
The Hebrew word (root tsana) translated "humility" is a rare word (says Kidner) and only appears one other place in the Old Testament, in Micah 6:8, where it is translated as "humbly."
Proverbs 11:3, Integrity as a guide
The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
With the appropriate discernment from verse 2 also comes integrity, which then serves as a natural guide in decision making. The upright have a good moral compass; the unfaithful are struggle to keep their lies coordinated.
Proverbs 11:4-6, Straight paths and freedom
Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath,
but righteousness delivers from death.
The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright delivers them,
but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires.
Righteousness trumps wealth (verse 4.)
We see the geometry of wisdom in verse 5: the righteous have a straight (and smooth) path; the wicked stumble "into a pot-hole" (Alter.)
In verse 6, the upright are delivered by their own habits of righteousness; but the unfaithful are enslaved by their desires. (This is an argument for righteous living and habits, separate from religious beliefs -- I recall long ago reading Socrates, who gives similar advice in Plato's Republic. Thank-you, professor McGrath.)
Proverbs 11:7-8, Come to nought
When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes;
all he expected from his power comes to nothing.
The righteous man is rescued from trouble,
and it comes on the wicked instead.
Even if the wicked man is rich, his wealth dissipates at death. And when the righteous man is led to avoid trouble, the wicked man behind him falls into it. Kidner suggests that there may be a hint that the wicked man falls into the trap he set for the righteous man.
Proverbs 11:9, Gossip/knowledge
With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor,
but through knowledge the righteous escape.
Knowledge and understanding are an aid to the righteous while the godless consumes his time with gossip.
Proverbs 11:10-11, Community rejoices
When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices;
when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.
Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,
but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.
The community around the righteous prospers and rejoices; his city is lifted up while the wicked person destroys what is around him.
Proverbs 10:12-13, Confidence and gossip
A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue.
A gossip betrays a confidence,
but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.
The man of understanding, who may indeed be frustrated with his neighbor, is careful in his speech. Indeed, he can keep a confidence and refuse to gossip. The fool gossips and runs down those around him/her.
Proverbs 11:14, Wise advisers
For lack of guidance a nation falls,
but many advisers make victory sure.
A national leader must work with wise counselors. This verse is a warning against a leader surrounding himself by "Yes men".
Proverbs 11:15, Don't pledge money!
He who puts up security for another will surely suffer,
but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
This follows the financial advice of chapter 6:1-5; it is foolish to pledge one's money to cover someone else's debt. (Like all of Proverbs, this advice has some rare -- but carefully examined -- exceptions, exceptions in which one might genuinely be prepared to lose what they pledge.)
Proverbs 11:16-19, Effects of kindness/ruthlessness
A kindhearted woman gains respect,
but ruthless men gain only wealth.
A kind man benefits himself,
but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.
The wicked man earns deceptive wages,
but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
The truly righteous man attains life,
but he who pursues evil goes to his death.
The kindhearted wise person benefits himself/herself while the wicked hurt themselves and others. The description translated as "kind" (man) in verse 17 is the Hebrew word hesed, one of my favorite untranslatable words. Implied is that part of that man's kindness is loyalty and dependability.
Proverbs 11:20, YHWH delights in the righteous
The LORD detests men of perverse heart
but he delights in those whose ways are blameless.
We are reminded that ultimately YHWH is watching over both the wicked and the righteous. (Here the "blameless" person is one with right actions.)
Proverbs 11:21, Final judgement
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished,
but those who are righteous will go free.
This verse is an argument made in the book of Job, against Job. Once again, it is good to emphasize that Proverbs is Wisdom 101, a first brush of wisdom, everything in black and white. Job and Ecclesiastes add some color to these issues.
Here, in this verse, the wicked are punished and the righteous set free. The book of Job would suggest that this eventually, ultimately, does happen but that the time between actions and retribution can be extremely long.
Both Kidner and Alter note that the Hebrew phrase translated "Be sure of this" is literally "hand to hand." The translation assumes that this expression refers to shaking hands, similar to the English expression, "You can shake hands on this."
Proverbs 11:22, A gold ring
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout
is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.
Alter suggests that this colorful verse, like Proverbs 10:26, is an answer to a riddle, "What is like a gold ring in a pig's snout?"
Proverbs 11:23, Desire/hope
The desire of the righteous ends only in good,
but the hope of the wicked only in wrath.
This verse is similar to Proverbs 10:28. Desire and hope lead to different results for the righteous and wicked.
Proverbs 11:24-26, On generosity
One man gives freely, yet gains even more;
another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.
A generous man will prosper;
he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
People curse the man who hoards grain,
but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.
These three verses all praise the generous person, the one who cares freely for others. In the ancient Near East, wealth could be linked to grain (see Joseph in Egypt, Genesis 41) and so the one who was generous did not hoard his grain. Implied in the last verse (says Kidner) is the greedy man who hoards his grain to drive up the selling price.
Proverbs 11:27-28, Seeking good/evil
He who seeks good finds goodwill,
but evil comes to him who searches for it.
Whoever trusts in his riches will fall,
but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
The righteous seek good and find it; the wicked seek evil and find it. Righteousness is more important than wealth.
Proverbs 11:29, Inherit the wind
He who brings trouble on his family will inherit only wind,
and the fool will be servant to the wise.
Since all of us have access to the wind, there is no value in inheriting it. The wise gain in wealth; the fool becomes a bondservant.
Proverbs 11:30, A tree of life
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and he who wins souls is wise.
The "fruit" (consequences of past actions, says Alter) of the righteous leads to a stable tree of life (Psalm 1:3.) The one who helps rescue (or influence) others does so out of wisdom.
Proverbs 11:31, Axiom of retribution
If the righteous receive their due on earth,
how much more the ungodly and the sinner!
Here is a clear statement of the axiom of retribution -- one receives what they sow -- a statement that so frustrated Job and anyone else who sees justice delayed.
The Septuagint form of this verse translates as "If the righteous is just saved, where is the ungodly and sinful?" In this form, the verse is quoted in the New Testament letter of Peter, 1 Peter 4:18.
No comments:
Post a Comment