- Why is only one verse devoted to the qualities of a woman?
- Should Proverbs 14:4 be understood literally or metaphorically?
- Doesn’t Proverbs 14:5 state the obvious?
- Does Proverbs 14:6 imply that a scoffer lacks intelligence?
- The commentaries offer a variety of interpretations of Proverbs 14:9. How do you understand it?
- Does Proverbs 14:10 imply that empathy is impossible?
- Proverbs 14:12 -13 are reminiscent of what other book attributed to King Solomon?
- In Proverbs 14:15-18, does it appear that people of lower intelligence are treated with disdain? In the light of our understanding of the human mind, is such an attitude fair?
- Are Proverbs 14:20-21 simply a statement of fact or a lesson in an important Jewish value?
- How do you explain the obvious redundancy in the clause, “the stupidity of dullards is stupidity” (Proverbs 14:24)? How do you explain the apparent insensitivity of this clause?
- What is especially distinctive about Proverbs 14:26-27 compared to the rest of the chapter?
- How does tradition apply the first half of Proverbs 14:28 (numbers) to a requirement of synagogue ritual?
- In Proverbs 14:30, the Hebrew phrase hayei v’sarim literally means “the life of the flesh.” JPS renders it “bodily health.” Explain the interesting ambiguity.
- In Proverbs 14:31, is the offender or the poor person the antecedent of the pronoun in the phrase, “his Maker”? Why is this grammatical detail significant?
- The familar meaning of hesedThere is no perfect translation, but is generally defined as “loving-kindness.” When we act with Hesed, we are doing Gemilut Hasadim. Also spelled: chesed Read more (Proverbs 14:34) is “kindness.” How does it suddenly acquire the meaning “reproach”? Who is the “nation” and who are the “people”?
- Is there more than meets the eye in the apparently trite statement in Proverbs 14:35?
