Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

Selections from Proverbs 27 - Part 4

Verse five is entirely unremarkable. The Hebrew says: Better is uncovered reproof than hidden love. The Septuagint says: Better are uncovered reproofs than hidden love. The Peshitta says: Better is the open rebuke than the hidden love. There is no dispute either about the reading of the text or about what it means. The verse does, however, give a good example of another type of wisdom statement commonly found in Proverbs (and other wisdom literature both within and without the Bible). This is an example of the "better than" statement. It introduces a comparison in which the one item is encouraged and the other is discouraged. In this case, open reproof is encouraged, while the hiding of love is discouraged. In that sense, these "better than" statements are used to make two points at the same time.

As a brief linguistic aside, the word used in verse 5 for "reproof" in Hebrew is also found in Hebrew versions of the New Testament, for example at 2 Timothy 3:16. Like wise the Greek word used in the Septuagint is used in 2Timothy and other passages. However, the term used in the Peshitta in Proverbs 27:5 is not used in 2Timothy.

Verse six reads in the Hebrew: Faithful are the bruises (or wounds) of a friend and abundant are the kisses of an enemy. The Septuagint reads: More trustworthy are the wounds of a friend than the freely-given kisses of an enemy. The Peshitta reads: Better are the stripes of the friend than the kisses of the enemy. Though all three make essentially the same point, as with some of the previous verses, there are subtle differences among them. The Hebrew leaves the contrast implicit. The Septuagint makes the contrast explicit at the cost of perhaps leaving the implication that the kisses of an enemy may be trusted at least a little. The Peshitta, in keeping with the structure of the preceding verse, turns it into a "better than" statement. This is perhaps due to the fact that the two verses are dealing with connected themes, though the comparison differs between them. In verse 5, the comparison is between open reproof and hidden love (presumably coming from who loves the recipient). In verse 6, the comparison is between open reproof (the bruises of a friend) and false love. A further implication of the conjoining of the two verses may be that love unexpressed, even in reproof, really can’t be distinguished from the false love of the enemy.

This also illustrates another characteristic of the Book of Proverbs. It is often the case, especially in chapters 10-29, that though there is not explicit connection between succeeding verses, there may well be a thematic connection. Thus, many of the verses in chapters 10-12 contrast the righteous and the wicked. Another element used to connect succeeding verses in Proverbs is the use of a key term in a number of verses sequentially, even if the topic addressed may differ somewhat from verse to verse. This often also the case in chapters 10-12, where the contrast between the righteous and the wicked is the general theme, tied together with repeated use of the two key terms, but with different facets of the comparison in view.

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