First Things First according to Proverbs 2

Proverbs 2 is an eloquent 22 line poem. It instantiates an unusually regular mashal meter: each half line consists of 7 to 9 syllables. Its macrostructure is also transparent. Onsets of macrostructural units are printed in a larger, bolded font. 

בְּנִי אִם־תִּקַּח אֲמָרָי              וּמִצְוֹתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ

לְהַקְשִׁיב לַחָכְמָה אָזְנֶךָ          תַּטֶּה לִבְּךָ לַתְּבוּנָה

בְּנִי* אִם־לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא          לַתְּבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלֶךָ

אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף             וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה

 

אָז־תָּבִין יִרְאַת יְהוָה           וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים תִּמְצָא

כִּי־יְהוָה יִתֵּן חָכְמָה             מִפִּיו דַּעַת וּתְבוּנָה

יִצְפֹּן לַיְשָׁרִים תּוּשִׁיָּה           מָגֵן לְהֹלְכֵי תֹם

לִנְצֹר אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט           וְדֶרֶךְ חֲסִידָיו יִשְׁמֹר

 

אָז־תָּבִין צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט        וּמֵישָׁרִים כָּל־מַעְגַּל־טוֹב

כִּי־תָבוֹא חָכְמָה בְלִבֶּךָ        וְדַעַת לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנְעָם

מְזִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ            תְּבוּנָה תִנְצְרֶכָּה

 

לְהַצִּילְךָ מִדֶּרֶךְ רָע            מֵאִישׁ מְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת

הַעֹזְבִים אָרְחוֹת יֹשֶׁר          לָלֶכֶת בְּדַרְכֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ

הַשְּׂמֵחִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רָע          יָגִילוּ בְּתַהְפֻּכוֹת רָע

אֲשֶׁר אָרְחֹתֵיהֶם עִקְּשִׁים      וּנְלוֹזִים בְּמַעְגְּלוֹתָם

 

לְהַצִּילְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה           מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה

הַעֹזֶבֶת אַלּוּף נְעוּרֶיהָ            וְאֶת־בְּרִית אֱלֹהֶיהָ שָׁכֵחָה

כִּי־שָׁחָה אֶל־מָוֶת נְתִבָתָהּ*  וְאֶל־רְפָאִים מַעְגְּלֹתֶיהָ

כָּל־בָּאֶיהָ לֹא יְשׁוּבוּן             וְלֹא־יַשִּׂיגוּ אָרְחוֹת חַיִּים

 

לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים       וְאָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר

כִּי־יְשָׁרִים יִשְׁכְּנוּ אָרֶץ            וּתְמִימִים יִוָּתְרוּ בָהּ

וּרְשָׁעִים מֵאֶרֶץ יִכָּרֵתוּ           וּבוֹגְדִים יִסְּחוּ מִמֶּנָּה

*NB: the second בני is restored on the assumption that MT’s כי, which hardly makes sense in context, is a corruption thereof. The emendation of ביתה to נתיבתה is defended by Michael Fox, Proverbs (AB 18A; New York: Doubleday, 2000) 121-122.

My son, if you take my words

        and put my dictates in your safekeeping,

lending your ear to wisdom,

        you will direct your heart to understanding;

My son, if it’s knowledge you cry out for,

        understanding you insist on,

if you look for her as for silver,

       dig for her as for buried treasure,

 
You will learn the fear of יהוה,

        you will discover knowledge of God;

for יהוה is the one who bestows wisdom,

       from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

to the upright he vouchsafes ability,

       a shield to those who journey with integrity;

standing watch over the course of justice,

       he protects the way ahead of those devoted to him;

 
You will learn rectitude and justice,

       fairness, every good path;

for wisdom will enter your heart,

        knowledge delight your soul;

forethought will protect you,

       understanding watch over you,

 
Saving you from the way of the evildoer,

       from the one of devious speech;

who abandon paths of uprightness

       to walk the roads of darkness;

who rejoice in doing evil,

        they find glee in the deviousness of evil;

whose paths are crooked,

        twisted in their ways.

 
Saving you from a woman who is not yours,

        from an interloper whose words are smooth,

who abandons the partner of her youth,

        forgets her covenant with God;

for her path descends to death,

       her course to the Shades;

none who resort to her ever return,

      nor regain the path of life,

 
So that you walk

        in the way of the good,

                   and keep to the paths of the righteous,

for the upright settle the land,

         the blameless remain there;

but malefactors are cut off from the land,

         the faithless rooted out of it.

 
The core of the unit’s initial macrostructure reads thus: 

בְּנִי אִם־לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא         לַתְּבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלֶךָ

אָז־תָּבִין יִרְאַת יְהוָה           וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים תִּמְצָא

My son, if it’s knowledge you cry out for,

          understanding you insist on,

You will learn the fear of יהוה,

          you will discover knowledge of God.

 

Wisdom begins with fear of the Lord. For the thought, cf. Job 28:28; Prov 1:7; 9:10; 15:33. For בין ‘acquire, learn,’ see Prov 1:2; 8:5; 23:1; Ps 50:22; cf. Prov 4:1; 17:27; 24:14.

In point of fact, the structure is more complex and repeats itself:

בְּנִי אִם־תִּקַּח אֲמָרָי            וּמִצְוֹתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ

לְהַקְשִׁיב לַחָכְמָה אָזְנֶךָ        תַּטֶּה לִבְּךָ לַתְּבוּנָה

בְּנִי אִם־לַבִּינָה תִקְרָא         לַתְּבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלֶךָ

אִם־תְּבַקְשֶׁנָּה כַכָּסֶף            וְכַמַּטְמוֹנִים תַּחְפְּשֶׂנָּה

 

אָז־תָּבִין יִרְאַת יְהוָה          וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים תִּמְצָא

אָז־תָּבִין צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט        וּמֵישָׁרִים כָּל־מַעְגַּל־טוֹב

 My son, if you take my words

        and put my dictates in your safekeeping,

lending your ear to wisdom,

         you will direct your heart to understanding;

My son, if it’s knowledge you cry out for,

         understanding you insist on,

if you look for her as for silver,

        dig for her as for buried treasure,

 
You will learn the fear of יהוה,

       you will discover knowledge of God;

You will learn rectitude and justice,

       fairness, every good path.

 

Wisdom further consists in the practice of ethical righteousness. Cf., once again, Job 28:28. As Arndt Meinhold saw, Prov 2 is a single conditional sentence (Fox, op. cit., 126).

The core of the unit’s concluding macrostructure reads thus:

 
כִּי־תָבוֹא חָכְמָה בְלִבֶּךָ          וְדַעַת לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנְעָם

מְזִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ               תְּבוּנָה תִנְצְרֶכָּה

 

לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים      וְאָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר

For wisdom will enter your heart,

         knowledge delight your soul;

forethought will protect you,

         understanding watch over you,

 
So that you walk

         in the way of the good,

                   and keep to the paths of the righteous.

 

In point of fact, the structure once again repeats itself and is more complex:

 
כִּי־יְהוָה יִתֵּן חָכְמָה           מִפִּיו דַּעַת וּתְבוּנָה

יִצְפֹּן לַיְשָׁרִים תּוּשִׁיָּה          מָגֵן לְהֹלְכֵי תֹם

לִנְצֹר אָרְחוֹת מִשְׁפָּט           וְדֶרֶךְ חֲסִידָיו יִשְׁמֹר

 

כִּי־תָבוֹא חָכְמָה בְלִבֶּךָ        וְדַעַת לְנַפְשְׁךָ יִנְעָם

מְזִמָּה תִּשְׁמֹר עָלֶיךָ             תְּבוּנָה תִנְצְרֶכָּה

 
לְהַצִּילְךָ מִדֶּרֶךְ רָע            מֵאִישׁ מְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת

 
לְהַצִּילְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה         מִנָּכְרִיָּה אֲמָרֶיהָ הֶחֱלִיקָה

 
לְמַעַן תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ טוֹבִים     וְאָרְחוֹת צַדִּיקִים תִּשְׁמֹר

For יהוה is the one who bestows wisdom,

         from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

to the upright he vouchsafes ability,

        a shield to those who journey with integrity;

standing watch over the course of justice,

       he protects the way ahead of those devoted to him;

 
For wisdom will enter your heart,

       knowledge delight your soul;

forethought will protect you,

     understanding watch over you,

 

Saving you from the way of the evildoer,

     from the one of devious speech;

Saving you from a woman who is not yours,

    from an interloper whose words are smooth;

 
So that you walk

     in the way of the good,

             and keep to the paths of the righteous.

 

In my view, the bolding of elements is necessary to follow the unit’s structure n translation.

Macrostructure is a neglected topic. For a description of the macrostructure of Job 28, go here, here, and here.

Comments

[Andrew Compton]

Thanks for the post John; definitely a helpful follow up to some of my E-mail questions!

[JohnFH]

It always pains me to emend MT as I do twice in the space of 22 lines - not a high average - but the proposals are not radical from the text-critical point of view.