Article September 7, 1935 Issue

Bible Notes

"By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches" (Prov. 22:4)—More literally: "The consequence (or 'reward') of humility and the fear of the Lord is riches" (Brown, Driver, Briggs: Hebrew Lexicon, p. 784). Moffatt gives the sense of the verse as follows: "The humble and the reverent are rewarded with wealth and honour and long life." The Septuagint, translating apparently from a variant Hebrew text, gives: "The fear of the Lord is the offspring of wisdom and wealth and glory and life."

"The rod of his anger shall fail" (Prov. 22:8)—The term rendered "his anger" is closely similar in appearance to a word which means "his work"; indeed, the only real difference between them is the proverbially small excrescence known as the "tittle" (cf. Matt. 5:18). Several scholars consider that "his work" represents the original reading. Thus we find, "His labour goes for nothing" (Moffatt); and, "The result of his work will be ruin" (Smith). Kent, by the making of another very slight emendation, renders: "The crop he has worked for (literally, 'The crop of his work') shall fail;" which carries on the thought expressed in the previous clause of the verse: "He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity." (Cf. also Kittel: Biblia Hebraica.)

"Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge?" (Prov. 22:20)—There is considerable doubt as to the correct sense of the Hebrew form rendered "excellent things"; and many suppose that the meaning was originally "heretofore" (cf. Brown, etc., op. cit., p. 1026, and the margin of the Revised Version). So Moffatt has: "Have I not written them for you already, instructions about knowledge?" Another reading suggests the translation "thirty," leading Smith to offer the rendering: "Have I not written for you these thirty sayings respecting counsel and knowledge?"

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