Глава 12

1–3. About the internal and external opposition of good and evil in general. 4–11. About the happiness and unhappiness of home life and the reasons for both. 12–22. About positive and negative phenomena in public life, mainly in connection with the proper or inappropriate use of language 23–26. About wisdom, truth and diligence with their opposites. Proverbs 12:1. He who loves instruction loves knowledge; but whoever hates reproof is ignorant. Proverbs 12:2. He who is good receives favor from the Lord; but He will condemn the treacherous man. Proverbs 12:3. Man will not establish himself by lawlessness; but the root of the righteous is immovable. The idea that the way to wisdom is by instruction and careful attention to it (v. 1) is a repetition of what was said in Proverbs 10:17; and the idea about the strength of righteousness alone (v. 3) was expressed earlier in Proverbs 10.25. Proverbs 12:4. A virtuous wife is a crown for her husband; and shameful is like rot in his bones. Proverbs 12:5. The plans of the righteous are truth, but the plans of the wicked are deceit. Proverbs 12:6. The speech of the wicked is an ambush for shedding blood, but the mouth of the righteous saves them. Proverbs 12:7. If misfortune touches the wicked, they are no more, but the house of the righteous stands. Proverbs 12:8. A man is praised according to his understanding, but he who is corrupt in heart will be despised. Proverbs 12:9. It is better to be simple, but working for yourself, than to pretend to be noble, but in need of bread. Proverbs 12:10. The righteous also cares about the life of his livestock, but the heart of the wicked is hard. Proverbs 12:11. He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread; and whoever follows in the footsteps of idle lovers is foolish. Proverbs 12:11a. –[Whoever finds pleasure in wasting time drinking wine will leave disgrace in his home.] In the first place among the blessings of a person’s home life is a valiant wife, called the crown of her husband (4a) - because of her work, diligence, intelligence, etc. bring wealth, honor and glory to the husband (cf. Proverbs 31:10 seq.); on the contrary, the harm to a husband from an evil wife is immeasurably great: just as a worm undermines a tree, and it dries and dies, so an evil wife undermines the health and well-being of the husband and the entire family (cf. Sir 25.11 et seq.). Then, after the general contrast between the beneficial thoughts, intentions, words and deeds of the righteous and the evilness of all this among the wicked (vv. 5-6) and the indication of the contrast between the external final fate of the wicked and the righteous (v. 7, cf. Proverbs 10.25), as well as the unequal attitude of public opinion to the words and speeches of both (v. 8), the industriousness of the humble poor man is praised and the contempt for work and the inactivity of a person vain in his origin (v. 9), more particularly, the work of the farmer is praised and all idleness is condemned, leading to various vices, for example, drunkenness (v. 11 according to LXX). The characteristic of a righteous person is (v. 10) and the fact that he shows mercy to animals, obeying the suggestions of a natural feeling of compassion and following the direct instructions of the law (Exodus 20.10; Exodus 22.4–5; Lev.22:28; Deut. 25.4), which prescribed the Jew humane treatment of animals. Proverbs 12:12. The wicked desires to be caught in the net of evil; but the root of the righteous is sure. Proverbs 12:13. The wicked is caught in the sins of his mouth; but the righteous will come out of trouble.– Proverbs 12:13a. –[He who looks meekly will be pardoned, but he who meets at the gate will hinder others.] Proverbs 12:14. From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good things, and a man's reward is according to the works of his hands. Proverbs 12:15. The path of a fool is straight in his eyes; but he who listens to advice is wise. Proverbs 12:16. A fool will immediately show his anger, but a prudent person hides his insult. Proverbs 12:17. He who says what he knows speaks the truth; but a false witness is a deceiver. Proverbs 12:18. Some idle talkers wound like a sword, but the tongue of the wise heals. Proverbs 12:19. Truthful lips last forever, but a lying tongue lasts only for a moment. Proverbs 12:20. Deceit is in the heart of attackers, joy is in the hearts of peacemakers. Proverbs 12:21. No evil will befall the righteous, but the wicked will be filled with evil. Proverbs 12:22. Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who speak the truth are pleasing to Him. The desires, words and deeds of the wicked and the righteous are significantly different, the fruit is also different, their consequences for both, failure and direct death for the wicked, and salvation for the righteous (vv. 12-14, cf. Proverbs 18.7; Ps 61.13). Then the conceit and impatience of a fool are contrasted with the modesty (in accepting advice from others) and the patience and caution (in receiving insults) of a wise man (vv. 15-16), as well as the truthfulness and truthfulness of the testimony of the wise and the lies, deceit and malice of the testimony of the foolish and wicked (vv. 17-22). Being in itself evil, which always resonates painfully in the heart of a neighbor, as if inflicting a wound on him (v. 18), the testimony or false testimony of the wicked also brings death to him (vv. 19-20), the main thing is the deprivation of God’s mercy, which is inseparable from those who are upright in heart, words and deeds (v. 22). Proverbs 12:23. A prudent man hides knowledge, but the heart of a fool speaks foolishness. Proverbs 12:24. The hand of the diligent will rule, and the lazy will be under tribute. Proverbs 12:25. Longing in a person’s heart depresses him, but a kind word cheers him up. Proverbs 12:26. The righteous shows his neighbor the way, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:27. The lazy man does not roast his game; and the property of a diligent man is of great value. Proverbs 12:28. On the path of truth there is life, and on its path there is no death. The restraint in speech inherent in the wise is praised (v. 23a), his ability to console the sad with words (25a), and in general the leadership he teaches to his neighbor (v. 26), diligence and hard work (24a, 27b); on the contrary, the opposite vices of the wicked are condemned. The general conclusion of the chapter: the path of righteousness leads to true life and immortality (v. 28). You might be interested in: