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27 Fearing the Lord[a] prolongs life,[b]
but the life span[c] of the wicked will be shortened.[d]
28 The hope[e] of the righteous is joy,
but the expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The way of the Lord[f] is like[g] a stronghold for the upright,[h]
but it is destruction[i] to evildoers.[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The term יְהוָה (yehvah, “the Lord”) functions as an objective genitive.
  2. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “days” (so KJV, ASV).
  3. Proverbs 10:27 tn Heb “years.” The term “years” functions as a synecdoche of part (= years) for the whole (= lifespan).
  4. Proverbs 10:27 sn This general saying has to be qualified with the problem of the righteous suffering and dying young, a problem that perplexed the sages of the entire ancient world. But this is the general principle: The righteous live longer because their life is the natural one and because God blesses them.
  5. Proverbs 10:28 sn This proverb contrasts the hopes of the righteous and the wicked. The righteous will see their hopes fulfilled. The saying is concerned with God’s justice. The words תּוֹחֶלֶת (tokhelet, from יָחַל, yakhal) and תִּקְוַת (tiqvat, from קָוָה, qavah) are synonyms, both emphasizing eager expectations, longings, waiting in hope.
  6. Proverbs 10:29 tc The LXX reads “the fear of the Lord.”sn The “way of the Lord” is an idiom for God’s providential administration of life; it is what the Lord does (“way” being a hypocatastasis).
  7. Proverbs 10:29 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  8. Proverbs 10:29 tc Heb “for the one with integrity” (לַתֹּם, lattom). The versions appear to read לְתַם (letam) “for the blameless.”
  9. Proverbs 10:29 tn Or “ruin” (so NIV).
  10. Proverbs 10:29 tn Heb “those who practice iniquity.”

27 The fear of the Lord adds length to life,(A)
    but the years of the wicked are cut short.(B)

28 The prospect of the righteous is joy,
    but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing.(C)

29 The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless,
    but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(D)

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