Read Pray Love: Proverbs 10:1-5 (Week 1)

As you read through, think about, reflect, and meditate on the Scripture this week, here are a few things to keep in mind about Proverbs.

Genre: Proverb (short wise saying)

As a proverb, these sayings are intentionally kept short (in Hebrew) to provide readers with a general truth about life. Remember that Proverbs are NOT Promises from God; they simply describe some pattern about life that is generally true.

Also, sometimes proverbs are intentionally cryptic (especially in the grammar), so that it forces readers to think and debate what the proverb is teaching, what the limits of the application are, and what situations the proverb might apply to. Please feel free to discuss and debate this amongst your groups.

Historical or Literary Observations (Insights):

One feature to look out for in proverbs (and all other Hebrew poetry) is Parallelism. What you may notice is that in proverbs, often the second line of the proverb completes the idea of the first proverb in some way. Many times, there is a repetition of the same idea using different “word pairs” (i.e. “father” in line one, matching with “mother” in line 2). Sometimes, the author of the proverb will teach the same truth from opposite perspectives (i.e. the wise do ___, but the fool does ___). All of this helps reinforce and/or complete the teaching of the proverb. There are a lot of different types of parallelism used, so I will point them out as they occur.

Interpretation:

10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

• The word that is translated “wise” means “skilled, able” and when used in religious contexts, it means someone who is “God-fearing, one who knows the law and keeps it.”
• The contrast word is the word translated “fool’ which means someone “foolish in practical affairs” or “shameless in religious matters”
• Generally, parents are glad when their children do what is right. In a way, it shows that they have done well in raising their child.
• Parallelism: “father” is paired with “mother.” “Wise” and “fool” are opposite pairs, as well as “joy” and “grief/sorrow.” This type of parallelism, scholars call antithetical parallelism.

10:2 Ill-gotten treasures are of no value, but righteousness delivers from death.

• The phrase translated ‘ill-gotten treasures” is literally “treasures of wickedness.” In Hebrew, this word is used in courts to speak of innocent and guilty. So, in this context, it carries the sense of “something gained by injustice,” which is why it is translated “ill-gotten gains.”
• The phrase translated “are of no value” means “does not profit.”
• The apparent contrast is that “righteousness’ (either referring to treasures gained honestly, or righteous behavior in general) has the power to deliver from death (literally, or also “grave danger”)
• Antithetical parallelism, yet again.

10:3 The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

NET The LORD satisfies the appetite of the righteous, but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.

• The contrast here is at first a lot harder to see in most translations. There is a phrase “soul/being of the righteous” that many translations simply translate as “righteous (person).” However, the NET translation raises a good point: the word normally translated soul/being (omitted in NIV) can also in many contexts be translated “desire” (therefore, desire of the righteous).
• If so, then the contrast shown is that the LORD satisfies the desires of the righteous, while the wicked end up living ultimately unfulfilling lives.

10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

• “A lazy hand makes a man poor; a diligent hand makes a man rich.”
• Not much to say here, except that this is generally true in life. Work hard.

10:5 He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

ESV He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

• Expect there to be a lot of farm, agriculture, and livestock imagery in the OT because that is the predominant culture that people lived in.
• The word translated “wise” is a different Hebrew word from before. This one has the sense of “prudent” (one who is prudent and therefore becomes successful). It refers to someone who knows the importance of seizing the opportunity of the season (NET notes)

Application:

Remember to ask each member of your group, “What came to mind as you were reading and thinking about the passages throughout this week?”

Possible topics for discussion: How does these passages apply to your life? Or how might they apply in general, etc.?