Proverbs 27-29

Chapter 27

This chapter is mostly full of observances about human nature. Some of them are quite astute – eg v 4, 6, 13. But of course there’s the usual condemnation of women (v 15-16) and fools (v 22).

Chapter 28

On and on we go. V 2 seems like sage political advice to me; I wonder why it isn’t heeded more often? V 4, regarding obedience to the law, I find a little simplistic. Another example of black and white thinking. What if the law is an ass? V 8 sounds like more wishful thinking. V 17, if I remember correctly from high school, forms the basis of the plot of the novel Crime and Punishment. V 22 is apparently used to justify the position that the bible condemns gambling. It makes more sense in a modern translation, but it’s more fun to read the JKV “He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye”.

Chapter 29

This looks like a mixed bag of good, bad, and ugly (again).

The good – v 4, 8, 12.

The bad – v 3, 21.

The ugly – v 15 (noticeably modernized to eliminate the idea of corporal punishment in the NLT), and 19.