Proverbs 12

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Proverbs 12

1 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

2 A good man obtaineth favour of the Lord: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.

3 A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.

4 A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.

6 The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

7 The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.

8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

9 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

10 A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

12 The wicked desireth the net of evil men: but the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.

13 The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips: but the just shall come out of trouble.

14 A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

16 A fool's wrath is presently known: but a prudent man covereth shame.

17 He that speaketh truth sheweth forth righteousness: but a false witness deceit.

18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

19 The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

20 Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy.

21 There shall no evil happen to the just: but the wicked shall be filled with mischief.

22 Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.

23 A prudent man concealeth knowledge: but the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.

24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.

27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.

28 In the way of righteousness is life: and in the pathway thereof there is no death.

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 2

<html>A good man will obtain Heb. יפיק. He will draw satisfaction from the Holy One, blessed be He, to bring goodness to the world. but a man of evil devices will condemn One who has evil devices will condemn. He will condemn the people to bring evil [upon them], and so he states (Ecc. 9:18): “but one sinner destroys much good.”</html>

Verse 3

<html>A man will not be established with wickedness Heb. יכון, will not be firmly established.</html>

Verse 4

<html>is like rot A worm that penetrates the bones and grinds them. So is an embarrassing, bad wife, whose deeds are shameful.</html>

Verse 6

<html>The words of the wicked are to lurk for blood They take counsel to murder directly or through false testimony. but the mouth of the upright when they hear [the wicked’s] counsel, will save the victims, for they will reveal [the wicked’s] plot, or if they are witnesses, [the upright] will prove them to be collusive.</html>

Verse 7

<html>The wicked will be overthrown Heb. הפוך, like להפוך, to overthrow. Like a sudden overthrow they are overthrown [lit. like an overthrow in a second]. and they are no more They are destroyed, e.g. Sodom. but the house of the righteous will stand Will endure.</html>

Verse 8

<html>According to his intelligence a man is praised Whether he possesses little or much intelligence, he will receive his reward according to his intelligence. but he whose heart has turned away He who moved his heart completely away from the Torah will be despised. Heb. נעוה, as in (Isa. 21:3): “I have become confused (נעויתי) from hearing,” and similarly (I Sam. 20:30): “the son of a straying (נעות) woman deserving of punishment.” And it is possible to say that נעוה means one whose heart has strayed, from the expression נע ונד, moving and wandering, and as one says זעוה, horror, from the root זע, stirred.</html>

Verse 9

<html>Better is he who is lightly esteemed in his own eyes and became a slave to himself that one who is honored in his own eyes and says, “It is disgraceful for me to toil at labor, for I am one of the great men,”—he will ultimately lack bread.</html>

Verse 10

<html>A righteous man has regard for the desire of his beast What his beasts and his household members need.</html>

Verse 11

<html>He who tills his soil will be sated with bread To be understood according to its apparent meaning, but according to its allegorical meaning, [this means] he who constantly reviews his studies lest they be forgotten.</html>

Verse 12

<html>The wicked man yearns to gain sustenance and maintenance from the prey of the wicked, who prey on people with robbery and violence. but the root of the righteous yields what it is fit to yield, and that is the fruit.</html>

Verse 13

<html>Because of the transgression of the lips Because of the transgression of the lips of the generation of the Flood, who said (Job 21:15): “What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?” an evil snare came upon them, and Noah, the righteous man, came out of the trouble.</html>

Verse 14

<html>From the fruit of a man’s mouth From the reward of the mouth of those who engage in the Torah, they eat the good of this world, and the principal remains intact for them for the world to come.</html>

Verse 16

<html>A fool’s anger is known within the day On the day he is angry, on that very day he lets his anger be known, for he starts a quarrel and berates his fellow in public, and his anger has no restraint. But the clever man conceals the shame and does not hasten to quarrel. And the Midrash Aggadah states: On the day the first man was created, his sin was known, but the Holy One, blessed be He, Who is clever, did not wish to destroy His creatures. He concealed his shame and postponed His decree from Adam’s day to His day, which is one thousand years.</html>

Verse 17

<html>He who speaks the truth will testify justly He who speaks the truth will testify just testimony at a trial to justify the innocent.</html>

Verse 18

<html>There is one who speaks Heb. בוטה, speaks, as in (Lev. 5:4): “to pronounce (לבטה) with the lips.” like the jabs of a sword For he stirs up the people and causes them to kill. but the tongue of the wise which brings peace between one man and his fellow. brings healing to that speech.</html>

Verse 19

<html>A true tongue will be established forever It will be established and will endure. just for a moment In a fleeting moment, it perishes and leaves, for falsehood has no feet.</html>

Verse 20

<html>There is deceit in the heart of those who plot evil and since they are occupied with their thoughts of deceit, they have no joy—but for the counselors of peace, there is joy.</html>

Verse 21

<html>No wrong shall be caused for the righteous It will not happen. No sin will chance before him inadvertently.</html>

Verse 23

<html>A cunning man conceals knowledge Even in his wisdom, he is discreet—he surely conceals words of foolishness; but the heart of the fool announces foolishness aloud.</html>

Verse 24

<html>The hand of the diligent The upright. will rule Will make wealthy.</html>

Verse 25

<html>If there is concern in a man’s heart, let him cast it down Let him divert his attention from it. and a good word will make it cheerful Let him engage in the Torah which will cause the concern in his heart to rejoice and save him therefrom. And according to the one who says, “he should tell it to others,” this is [the meaning of] the end of the verse: And a good word with which his friend consoles him will cause the concern to rejoice.</html>

Verse 26

<html>The righteous is more generous than his neighbor Heb. יתר. The righteous renounces his measures and passes over them. יתר large in French. That is freigebig in German, generous. the wicked who is accustomed to harming will lead them astray.</html>

Verse 27

<html>He will not roast This is connected to the above verse; that is to say that the way of the wicked will mislead him, and he will not roast the prey of his deceit. He will not roast; he will not succeed with his deceit. As he [Solomon] spoke with a figure of prey, an expression of roasting is appropriate, for the successful hunter hunts the birds and roasts them in fire. but the wealth of an honest man is precious Heb. יקר חרוץ. This is an inverted verse. But the wealth of a man who is honest is precious. honest Heb. חרוץ, one who deals honestly, as in (10:4): “and the hand of those who make true decisions (חרוצים) will make [them] rich.”</html>

Verse 28

<html>In the road of charity is life, and [on] the way of its path of charity. there is no death He will not die.</html>

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Table of Contents

Proverbs 12

Proverbs 12

Notes

Cross Reference

Concordance

Commentary

Rashi

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27

Verse 28