¹Do not boast about tomorrow;[#tn The form אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל (’al-tithallel) is the Hitpael jussive negated; it is from the common verb “to praise,” and so in this setting means “to praise oneself” or “to boast.” sn The verse rules out one’s overconfident sense of ability to control the future. No one can presume on the future.; #sn The word “tomorrow” is a metonymy of subject, meaning what will be done tomorrow, or in the future in general.]

for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

²Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;[#tn Heb “a stranger.” This does not necessarily refer to a non-Israelite, as has been demonstrated before in the book of Proverbs, but these are people outside the familiar and accepted circles. The point is that such a person would be objective in speaking about your abilities and accomplishments.; #sn “Mouth” and “lips” are metonymies of cause; they mean “what is said.” People should try to avoid praising themselves. Self praise can easily become a form of pride, even if it begins with trivial things. It does not establish a reputation; reputation comes from what others think about you.]

someone else, and not your own lips.

³A stone is heavy and sand is weighty,

but vexation by a fool is more burdensome than the two of them.

⁴Wrath is cruel and anger is overwhelming,[#tn Heb “fierceness of wrath and outpouring [= flood] of anger.” A number of English versions use “flood” here (e.g., NASB, NCV, NLT).]

but who can stand before jealousy?

⁵Better is open rebuke[#tn Heb “revealed” or “uncovered” (Pual participle from גָּלָה, galah). This would specify the reproof or rebuke as direct, honest, and frank, whether it was coming from a friend or an enemy.]

than hidden love.

⁶Faithful are the wounds of a friend,[#tn The Niphal participle of אָמַן (’aman) means “faithful; reliable; sure; trustworthy.” The word indicates that the wounds from a friend “can be trusted” (so NIV, NCV) because they are meant to correct and not to destroy (e.g., 25:12; Deut 7:9; Job 12:20).]

but the kisses of an enemy are excessive.

⁷The one whose appetite is satisfied loathes honey,[#tn Traditionally, “soul” (so KJV, ASV). The Hebrew text uses נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) here for the subject – the full appetite [“soul”]. The word refers to the whole person with all his appetites. Here its primary reference is to eating, but it has a wider application than that – possession, experience, education, and the like.]

but to the hungry mouth every bitter thing is sweet.

⁸Like a bird that wanders from its nest,[#tn The form נוֹדֶדֶת (nodedet) is the Qal participle from נָדַד (nadad), “to wander; to stray; to flutter; to retreat; to depart”; cf. NIV, NRSV, NLT “strays.” It will be directly paralleled with the masculine participle in the second colon.]

so is a person who wanders from his home.

⁹Ointment and incense make the heart rejoice,[#sn The first line of the proverb provides the emblem to the parallel point. The emblem is the joy that anointing oil (ointment) and incense bring, and the point is the value of the advice of a friend.]

likewise the sweetness of one’s friend from sincere counsel.

¹⁰Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

and do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;

a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away.

¹¹Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,[#tn Heb “my son”; the reference to a “son” is retained in the translation here because in the following lines the advice is to avoid women who are prostitutes.]

so that I may answer anyone who taunts me.

¹²A shrewd person sees danger and hides himself,

but the naive keep right on going and suffer for it.

¹³Take a man’s garment when he has given security for a stranger,[#tn Heb “his garment.”]

and when he gives surety for a stranger, hold him in pledge.

¹⁴If someone blesses his neighbor with a loud voice early in the morning,[#tn The verse begins with the Piel participle from בָּרַךְ (barach). It could be taken as the subject, with the resulting translation: “Blessing…will be counted as a curse.” However, that would be rather awkward. So it is preferable to take the first line as the condition (“if someone blesses”) and the second as the consequence (“[then] it will be counted”).; #tn Heb “rising early in the morning” (so KJV, ASV). The infinitive explains the verb “bless,” giving the circumstances of its action. The individual rises early to give his blessing.]

it will be counted as a curse to him.

¹⁵A continual dripping on a rainy day

and a contentious wife are alike.

¹⁶Whoever hides her hides the wind[#tn The participle and verb both are from the root צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”). This combination could be translated “hiding her is [like] hiding the wind.” sn A contentious woman is uncontrollable. The wind can gust at any moment; so too the contentious woman can nag or complain without warning. If anyone can hide the wind he can hide her.]

or grasps oil with his right hand.

¹⁷As iron sharpens iron,[#tn The term “as” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation to clarify the comparison.; #tn BDB classifies the verb in the first colon as a Qal apocopated jussive of I חָדָה (khadah, “to grow sharp”; BDB 292 s.v.), and the verb in the second half of the verse (יַחַד, yakhad) as a Hiphil apocopated jussive. The difference would be: “let iron by means of iron grow sharp, and let a man sharpen the countenance of his friend.” But it makes more sense to take them both as Hiphil forms, the first being in pause. Other suggestions have been put forward for the meaning of the word, but the verb “sharpens” fits the context the best, and is followed by most English versions. The verb may be a shortened form of the imperfect rather than a jussive.]

so a person sharpens his friend.

¹⁸The one who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,[#sn Tending fig trees requires closer attention than other plants; so the point here would be the diligent care that is required.; #sn The principle is established in the first line with the emblem: Those who faithfully serve will be rewarded in kind. The second half of the proverb makes the point from this illustration.]

and whoever takes care of his master will be honored.

¹⁹As in water the face is reflected as a face,[#tn The verse is somewhat cryptic and so has prompted many readings. The first line in the MT has “As water the face to the face.” The simplest and most probable interpretation is that clear water gives a reflection of the face (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). One creative but unconvincing suggestion is that of L. Kopf, who suggests the idea is “water of face” (a construct) and that it means shame or modesty, i.e., a face is not really human without shame, and a man without a heart is not human (“Arabische Etymologien und Parallelen zum Bibelwörterbuch,” VT 9 [1959]: 260-61).]

so a person’s heart reflects the person.

²⁰As Death and Destruction are never satisfied,[#tn The term “as” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation in light of the analogy.; #sn Countless generations of people have gone into the world below; yet “death” is never satisfied – it always takes more. The line personifies Death and Destruction. It forms the emblem in the parallelism.]

so the eyes of a person are never satisfied.

²¹As the crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold,[#sn Once again this proverb uses emblematic parallelism. The crucible and the furnace are used to refine and thus reveal the pure metals. The analogy is that praise will reveal the person because others will examine and evaluate what an individual has done in order to make the public acclamation.]

so a person is proved by the praise he receives.

²²If you should pound the fool in the mortar[#tn The verb means “to pound” in a mortar with a pestle (cf. NRSV “Crush”; NLT “grind”). The imperfect is in a conditional clause, an unreal, hypothetical condition to make the point.]

among the grain with the pestle,

his foolishness would not depart from him.

²³Pay careful attention to the condition of your flocks,[#tn The sentence uses the infinitive absolute and the imperfect from יָדַע (yada’, “to know”). The imperfect here has been given the obligatory nuance, “you must know,” and that has to be intensified with the infinitive.; #tn Heb “the faces of your flock.”]

give careful attention to your herds,

²⁴for riches do not last forever,[#tn Heb “riches are not forever” (so KJV, NASB); TEV “wealth is not permanent.” The term “last” is supplied in the translation for clarity.]

nor does a crown last from generation to generation.

²⁵When the hay is removed and new grass appears,

and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

²⁶the lambs will be for your clothing,

and the goats will be for the price of a field.

²⁷And there will be enough goat’s milk for your food,[#sn This part of the proverb shows the proper interplay between human labor and divine provision. It teaches people to take care of what they have because it will not last forever.]

for the food of your household,

and for the sustenance of your servant girls.