PROV 24:15 Interlinear View

24:15 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

24:15 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

24:15 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 22:17–24:22: Here are thirty sayings of wise people

This section follows the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs (10:1–22:16). It differs in significant ways from this preceding section:These differences were summarized from a number of commentaries, including UBS (page 472), Waltke (2004, page 22), and Hubbard (page 351).

The preceding section has mostly two-line proverbs that are one verse in length. This section has proverbs of a different form. They are sayings that range from one to seven verses. Most of the sayings are two or three verses in length. Each saying will be marked as a separate paragraph in the Notes.
Many of the proverbs in the preceding section express a general principle. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. Most of the sayings here contain direct commands. They advise the reader or listener either to follow wise behavior or avoid foolish behavior. Most of the sayings also give a reason or motive for following the command.
As in chapters 1–9, the author addresses his reader or listener as a father who advises his son. He uses second person commands and pronouns (you^(sing)). See the note on 23:15 for a list of verses where the words “my son” occur.

Some other headings for this section are:

Thirty Wise Sayings (CEV)

Words of the Wise (ESV)

Thirty Sayings of the Wise (NIV11)

Verse 22:20 mentions “thirty sayings,” but the Hebrew text itself does not number the sayings. Some versions that use the word “thirty” in the section heading also give a number as a separate heading for each saying. The GNT and CEV start numbering the sayings at 22:22. They have a total of thirty-one paragraphs. In these versions, the first paragraph (22:17–21) serves as an introduction to the thirty sayings (22:22–24:22).Scholars who identify 22:17–21 as the first saying include Hubbard (page 352), Fox (page 707), and Waltke (2004, page 22). Scholars who identify these verses as an introduction to the sayings that follow include Whybray (page 325) and Murphy (page 170). See also the NET footnote (b) on 22:16. Whether these introductory verses form the first saying or simply introduce the following sayings, all scholars agree that they function as an introduction to the whole section. Other versions, such as the NIV, NCV, and NLT, divide the paragraphs in the same way but do not have separate headings for each section. You may use either option in your translation.The NIV11 gives a number as a separate heading for each saying. But it counts the first paragraph as the first saying, and has a total of thirty paragraphs. Other versions have more or fewer paragraphs. For example, the ESV and NRSV have fifteen paragraphs. The NJB has thirty-four. Still other versions, such as the RSV, NET, and NJPS, do not group the verses into sayings or paragraphs.

For the convenience of those who decide to identify the number of each saying in their translation, the Notes will put the number in the paragraph headings, using the same numbering system as the GNT or CEV. These numbers will not be used in the Display.

Paragraph 24:15–16 Saying 27

In this saying, the teacher advises his son not to be involved in robbing or destroying the house and property of a righteous man (24:15). He then gives a reason or motivation for obeying this advice (24:16).

24:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^15a Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling place of the righteous;

^15b do not destroy his resting place.

The two commands refer to different stages of the same crime.

24:15a

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous;

¶ You^(sing) must not hide and wait like a criminal outside the house of a person who obeys the Lord
¶ Do not be like a wicked person who waits near the place where a righteous person lives and watches for a chance to break in.

Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous: In Hebrew, the verb lie in wait is a single word. It refers here to a person who hides and waits for a chance to break into a righteous person’s house. The same verb was used in 1:11.

O wicked man: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “O wicked man,” as in the BSB. However, throughout this section the teacher has been addressing his son, and his son is not a wicked person. So here he probably commands his son not to act like a wicked person.Several commentaries, including Delitzsch (page 356), McKane (page 403) and Garrett (page 199), identify this phrase as a vocative, addressed to a wicked person. Murphy (page 179) comments that the wicked man is not addressed directly anywhere else in Proverbs, but he thinks it better to omit the phrase entirely. Fox (page 749) agrees on both points. However, Longman (page 434) points out that there is no textual support for omitting the phrase. Of the English versions consulted, only the NAB and NLT omit it. Waltke (page 278) and Whybray (page 349) argue for the translation “like/as a wicked man.” The Notes, along with most English versions, follow this approach. For example:

like an outlaw (NIV)

wicked man: The NIV used the specific word “outlaw” (see above) instead of the general word wicked, because the context describes a person who plans to commit robbery or other violent acts. You may use either a general or specific word in your language. Choose a word that fits the context of both parallel lines.

near: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as near has a variety of meanings that fit this context. Some other ways to translate it are:

Do not wait in ambush like a criminal at a righteous person’s house.

Do not hide and wait like a wicked person near the home of a righteous man.

In some languages, the relationship between “lie in wait” and “the dwelling of the righteous” may need to be made more explicit. For example:

Do not be like a criminal who hides near a righteous person’s house in order to steal what he owns.

Be sure to consider the parallel line (24:15b) before you decide whether to make information explicit here.

24:15b

do not destroy his resting place.

in order to rob his home.
Do not steal^(sing) his possessions or destroy/damage his house and property.

do not destroy his resting place: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as destroy means “assault, destroy, or ruin.” The noun that the BSB translates as resting place refers to the house, property, or possessions of the righteous person.In Hebrew, the parallel terms “house” (naweh) and “dwelling place” (rebeš) are often used about animals. In such contexts, the first word refers to the place where animals eat. The second word refers to a place where they rest. Here these words imply that the righteous person’s home is a place where he and his family eat, rest, and feel secure. See Hubbard (page 375) and Waltke (page 282). According to UBS (page 584) and Waltke, the use of these terms indicates that the violence is directed against the house or property of the righteous man. It probably does not involve a physical attack on him and his family. In this context, it is not clear whether the crime involves theft, robbery, or destruction of property.According to Whybray (page 349), this verse does not specify exactly what the crime involves. It “may be an attempt to bring about the ruin of another person by damaging his property in his absence.” Use terms in your language that refer to one or more of these crimes.

Some ways to translate this command are:

do no violence to his home (ESV)

Do not rob his house. (GW)

Do not destroy his property or possessions.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

24:15 OSHB note: Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.

24:15 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

24:15 OSHB note: Marks an anomalous form.

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.