 |
 |
| PROVERBS |
| Explanatory Footnotes - page 2 |
| with a cleansing liquid if any irritant enters; nerve endings scream "danger" at the slightest pain or pressure. Proverbs urges you to take as much care of its teachings as you do of your eye. 8:13 The Fear of the Lord The phrase "fear of the Lord" doesn't mean fright or terror. It means "a good relationship with God," based on reverence and respect for him and his commands. Here, for instance, the fear of the Lord means righteous living. 10:1 Making Sense of Parallelism "Parallelism" is a technical term for the form of Hebrew poetry that repeats a thought in slightly different ways. "Synonymous parallelism" is found in Proverbs 15:30, "A cheerful look brings you to the heart, and good news gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." In studying parallelism the trick is to compare each part with its pair in the other half of the proverb. For instance, in 14:30 "a heart at peace" pairs with its opposite, "envy," and "rots the bones" is the opposite of "gives life to the body." Sometimes these comparisons bare subtle shades of meaning. 10:12 The Greatest of These is Love If you think of love as restricted to the New Testament, Proverbs will surprise you. Here love is the all-purpose cure, covering all wrongs. It is worth searching for. It should be expressed openly. Some of the proverbs on love are found in the following passages: 3:3-4; 9:8; 10:12; 14:22; 15:17; 16:6; 17:9; 19:22; 20:6, 28; 32:21; 27:5. 12:17 Deeper Meanings Some proverbs, disarmingly obvious at first glance, offer |