Proverbs Chapter 24
-hebraicstudies.net-
Please do NOT visit this
site on שַׁבָּת - Shabbat or on
the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts!
Tanakh
versions:
Throughout this site I will
use the following three versions of the TaNaKh: 1. “Jewish Publication Society” (JPS-1917),
2. “Sefaria.org” (SEF), and 3. “Mechon-Mamre.org” (MEC).
Colour coded details of
the - TaNaKh:
1. Torah = History &
Law, 2. Nevi’im =
The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
*The Ketuvim - Includes, Poetical
books - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, the Megillot, or Scrolls - Song
of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and
Esther, prophecy of Daniel, and history of Ezra, Nehemiah, and
Chronicles I & II.
Please Note: Some alterations have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ having been corrected as it once was, pre the “Masoretic Text”.
YYYYYYY
Remember the following three truth’s from our beloved Scriptures!
“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD
which I command you, neither shall ye
diminish from it, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (the LORD your Elo’lei’chem) which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2.
“This is My Name FOREVER, and this is My Memorial to ALL Generations”. Shemot - Exodus 3:15. (JPS).
“I am יְהוָה, that is My Name; and My glory
will I not give to another”. Yeshayahu - Isaiah 42:8. (JPS).
YYYYYYY
With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben
Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
“Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey the entire Torah My servant Moshe has given you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Torah depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
YYYYYY
Introduction:
Mishlei - Proverbs chapter 24, has a coherent collection of wisdom sayings addressing ‘envy’, the uses of ‘wisdom’ and ‘counsel’, responses to ‘folly’ and ‘wickedness’, ‘ethics’ in community and leadership, and the final admonitions to the ‘righteous’ and the ‘wicked’.
Let us look at a close-up of the meaning of this chapter?
Block A: Warnings and praise of wisdom (vv. 1–9).
1. “Be not thou
envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them.
2. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.
3. Through wisdom is a house builded; and by understanding it is established;
4. And by knowledge are the
chambers filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
5. A wise man is strong; yea, a
man of knowledge increaseth strength.
6. For with wise advice thou
shalt make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
7. Wisdom is as unattainable to a
fool as corals; he openeth not his mouth in the gate.
8. He that deviseth
to do evil, men shall call him a mischievous person.
9. The thought of foolishness is
sin; and the scorner is an abomination to men”.
Key themes: Do not envy the wicked; wisdom builds and secures the house; the value of counsel and knowledge. We may ask, what does “be not thou envious of evil men” demand of community ethics? How does “wisdom builds a house” translate into institutional practice?
Block B: Courage and rescue; the value of deliverance (vv. 10–14).
10. “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength
is small indeed.
11. Deliver them that are drawn unto death; and
those that are ready to be slain wilt thou forbear to rescue?
12. If thou sayest:
'Behold, we knew not this', doth not He that weigheth
the hearts consider it? And He that keepeth thy soul,
doth not He know it? And shall not He render to every man according to his
works?
13. My son, eat thou honey, for it is good, and
the honeycomb is sweet to thy taste;
14. So know thou wisdom to be unto thy soul; if
thou hast found it, then shall there be a future, and thy hope shall not be cut
off.”
Key themes: Perseverance in adversity; Rescuing the perishing; reward for righteousness. Who are “them that are drawn unto death” in our setting, and what forms of rescue does the proverb imply?
Block C: Justice, reproof, and restraint (vv. 15–22).
15. “Lie
not in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous, spoil not his
resting-place;
16. For a righteous man falleth
seven times, and riseth up again, but the wicked
stumble under adversity.
17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
18. Lest יְהוָה
- the LORD see it, and
it displease Him, and He turn away His wrath from him.
19. Fret
not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious at the wicked;
20. For there will be no future to the evil man, the lamp
of the wicked shall be put out.
21. My son, fear thou יְהוָה
and the king, and meddle not with them that are given to change;
22. For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth
the ruin from them both?”
Key themes: Treatment of the wicked and the righteous; timing and consequences of rebuke; the Lord’s care in crises. When is rebuke compassionate and when is it destructive? How do we avoid the excesses described here?
Block D: Principles for rulers and the closing exhortation
(vv. 23–34).
23. “These
also are sayings of the wise. To have respect of persons in judgment is not
good.
24. He that saith unto the wicked: 'Thou art righteous',
peoples shall curse him, nations shall execrate him;
25. But to them that decide justly shall be delight, and a
good blessing shall come upon them.
26. He kisseth the lips that giveth a right answer.
27. Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself
in the field; and afterwards build thy house.
28. Be
not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy
lips.
29. Say not: 'I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I
will render to the man according to his work.'
30. I
went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of
understanding;
31. And, lo, it was all grown over with thistles, the face
thereof was covered with nettles, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
32. Then I beheld, and considered well; I saw, and received
instruction.
33. 'Yet a little sleep, a little
slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep’
34. So shall thy poverty come as a runner,
and thy want as an armed man”.
Key themes: Impartial judgment; the
harm of partiality; final proverbs on laziness, plotting, and the wise response
to danger. What safeguards
against partiality should leaders adopt? Which contemporary “plots” and
“snares” mirror vv. 30-34?
Block A: Envy of Evil Men and Wisdom Building a House.
Moral baseline: “Be not thou envious of evil men” requires an ethical posture that refuses to let another’s apparent success gained by injustice, violence, or duplicity, distort our values. For a community this means: refuse admiration of outcomes divorced from means; train moral discernment so praise is given to character and not only to results.
A
man who wishes to live his own way (apart from אֱלֹהִים – God’s wisdom) will feel the consequences of
such folly. However, by acquiring wisdom through good and wise faithful
counsellors, he will be made strong. He will be mighty in the land. “Wisdom is
too lofty for a fool; He does not open his mouth in time of need”.
In closing:
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim is calling His people to rescue those who need the Tanakh. And Proverbs 24 makes clear that אֱלֹהִים is calling people to rescue them, to pull them back from disaster, and to uphold the Torah which is full of יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים - The LORD Elohim’s love for those who will return to Him!
YYYYYYY
Conclusion, a Question
to Deepen the Conversation:
Which part of the Tanakh study, or possibly a particular line or
statement within it has touched you the most? And how do you feel
about spending more time studying our beloved Tanakh? I pray that you are doing
well as a faithful Hebrew, and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim willing you are upholding as many of our
blessed Mitzvoth’s?
Dear reader, please remember this, pray for peace and
solitude in your life, and then work on keeping as calm as possible and learn
to improve your life, for אֱלֹהִים - בָּרוּךְ
אֱלֹהִים - Bless Elohim, He is
always there and ready to help and guide you!
YYYYYYY
PLEASE NOTE: If you need assistance in some way, just ask, I can email you special items to help you with whatever you may need, etc! Just email me (using the link further below) and I will send it to your email, without any follow up whatsoever, or any requests from me! The email is just down this page.
This site was originally for those who needed
to return to our blessed and wonderful faith, thus be wise and work on your
faith and pray at least two or of possible three times a day and always seek אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance!
But as you may have discovered it has become very much a teaching site!
Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following, via a
number of our prophets...
“Return unto Me,
and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts”. Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. MEC).
And Remember ...
Enjoy your Sabbath Rest, Shabbat
Shalom!
אֲנִי יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, בְּחֻקּוֹתַי
לֵכוּ; וְאֶת-מִשְׁפָּטַי
שִׁמְרוּ, וַעֲשׂוּ
אוֹתָם
וְאֶת-שַׁבְּתוֹתַי, קַדֵּשׁוּ; וְהָיוּ
לְאוֹת, בֵּינִי
וּבֵינֵיכֶם-לָדַעַת, כִּי
אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם
“I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה (the LORD your Elo’hei’chem); walk in My statutes,
and keep Mine ordinances, and do them; and hallow My Sabbaths, and they shall
be a sign between Me and you, that ye may know that I am אֱלֹהֵיכֶם יְהוָה - YaHVaH your Elo’hei’chem”.
Yechezkel - Ezekiel 20:19-20. (JPS).
YYYYYYY
“Hebraic Studies” motto is as follows;
“The More Torah, the More Life”.
For our Elohim is the One who gave us our ... Life!
May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts. be with
you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the ‘מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your
daily תְּפִלָּה - Te’fee’lah’s (Prayers) and
regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s (blessings) before food and
drinks, etc!
שָׁלוֹם
עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!
Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben
Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
iiEnter the Main Site IndexI
Or ...
http://www.hebraicstudies.net/Site-Index.htm
0Or Return to the FRONT PAGE0
Or ...
https://www.hebraicstudies.net
-hebraicstudies.net-
Email the Rabbi
If the
email link does not open - You can also copy the link and use it.
Although
the author does not believe in having to copyright “Hebraic Studies” which
commenced in the mid 1980’,
but there have been
occasions where there parts of his studies have been taken and quoted out of
context
under his name, and
thus he has been misquoted by those who have their own reasons for doing
so.
Thus, it is
only for this reason these works are covered under strict ...
Copyright © 2025 - “Hebraic Studies” - All rights reserved.