Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21 has much to teach us regarding wicked, guilty, or imprudent men opposing the righteous, diligent, and wise men who serve God as the Sovereign Judge. This isn’t exclusive to Proverbs 21, of course, but there are some great nuggets here. Verse 2 teaches us why we must bury these truths in our heart, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” The Lord then tells us clearly what each side of the balance scales looks like.

Several verses encourage us to the right kind of people—righteous, diligent, and wise.
3 To do righteousness and justice
    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.
5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
    will find life, righteousness, and honor.
22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty
    and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.
23 Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue
    keeps himself out of trouble.

This contrasts sharply with those men who rebel against the Lord’s wisdom.
6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue
    is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
7 The violence of the wicked will sweep them away,
    because they refuse to do what is just.
16 One who wanders from the way of good sense
    will rest in the assembly of the dead.

There are several verses that deal with what we might call “imprudence.” Two verses that stand out that would be great for young men to memorize, but then never actually quote in an argument with their spouse are…
9 It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
    than in a house shared with a quarrelsome wife.
19 It is better to live in a desert land
    than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

One verse that might cause some confusion if you look at different translations is verse 4. I prefer the rendering in the ESV, “Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.” The word “lamp” in Hebrew is nēr. Other translation prefer the reading with nir, which is the Hebrew word for “tillage,” or as the NET translates it “agricultural byproduct.” As the relationship between pride and sin is well established in the Bible, the confusion here isn’t too discouraging. At issue, however, is which comes first.

If you assume the word “tillage” (nir), the meaning of the verse says something like, “sinful pride and arrogance are the product of the wicked.” However, if you assume the word “lamp” (nēr), then sinful pride and arrogances aren’t the product, but rather the means by which the wicked live. To me, this is a “which came first, chicken or egg” scenario. I prefer the reading of the “lamp” for some technical reasons, but also because it teaches me that that the wicked only see the world through arrogance and pride. It’s still true that sin produces pride and arrogance in the wicked, but the meaning here is that they will never be able to see the world any differently.

Another possibility, and here is the real point to why God gave us proverbs in His revealed word, is that because Hebrew is only written in consonants nir and nēr could both be valid readings as the only thing written is “n” and “r.” An ancient Hebrew man probably wouldn’t have struggled this way, but there is beauty in the ambiguity. We are meant to ponder such things.

By: Tyler Short