Proverbs 12 Study Notes

12:15 To judge one’s way merely in one’s own eyes is to be purely independent, not to seek out others’ opinions and advice.

12:16 What is recommended is self-control.

12:17 This is courtroom terminology. The person who speaks the truth is the opposite of the false witness who has first-hand knowledge but utters lies (6:19; 14:5,25; 19:5,9). To declare what is right is to provide the necessary information for a correct verdict, which could literally save the life of an innocent person (14:25).

12:18 Speaking rashly, without thinking, could involve either saying something inconsiderate (Nm 20:10; Ps 106:33) or making reckless vows (Lv 5:4).

12:19 Truthful lips endure forever because they gain the Lord’s favor.

12:20 Peace is the opposite of evil in the sense that success or welfare is the opposite of disaster (Is 45:7; Jr 29:11).

12:21 As Bruce Waltke explains, “The promise must be interpreted in the light of the final outcome.”

12:22 On detestable, see note at 3:32.

12:23 On shrewd, see note at 1:4. The shrewd person holds his tongue unless the situation is right. What he has is knowledge. The foolish (Hb kesiyl) person does not restrain himself. What’s worse, his speech is pure stupidity (see note at 5:23).

12:24 For examples of forced labor, see Ex 1:11; Jdg 1:28; 1Kg 5:13-14; 12:18; Lm 1:1.

12:25 Cp. 12:18b: “but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Anxiety “denotes the extreme emotional distress caused by the situation of fearing to lose something vital to life” (Bruce Waltke). A good word restores hope.

12:26 The righteous person literally “spies out” (Nm 13:2) or “investigates” (Ec 7:25) his neighbor to make sure he will not mislead him.

12:27 The lazy hunter (v. 24; 10:4; 19:15; cp. “slacker” in note at 6:6) has failed to put in the time it takes to obtain any game, but the diligent person has obtained precious . . . wealth. This proverb may also imply that the lazy man does not finish what he started and roast what he has brought home, so it goes to waste; the diligent man takes care of what God has given him.

12:28 On life, see note at 3:22.