לְתַאֲוָה יְבַקֵּשׁ נִפְרָד בְּכָל־תּוּשִׁיָּה יִתְגַּלָּע

The individual who is unconcerned about breaking social norms and possibly becoming isolated from society will seek the satisfaction of every craving; with all resourcefulness he will be exposed. The insight or advice of a wise man will eventually expose that individual’s true actions and intentions. Some interpret the first clause as follows: One who pursues his own desires will ultimately separate himself from his friends and his Creator, or, alternatively, the pursuit of desire is inherently self-centered.

לֹא־יַחְפֹּץ כְּסִיל בִּתְבוּנָה כִּי אִם־בְּהִתְגַּלּוֹת לִבּוֹ

More on fools and the wicked, and wise men and the righteous: When a fool speaks, he does not desire sagacity, but only the revealing of his heart, self-expression. The urge to verbalize one’s thoughts and feelings does not necessarily lead to the disclosure of wise or beneficial ideas.

בְּבוֹא־רָשָׁע בָּא גַם־בּוּז וְעִם קָלוֹן חֶרְפָּה

With the coming of the wicked to a specific place comes also contempt for those surrounding him; and with disgrace that the wicked bring, there is also disrepute to others.

מַיִם עֲמֻקִּים דִּבְרֵי פִי־אִישׁ נַחַל נֹבֵעַ מְקוֹר חָכְמָה

The words of a wise man’s mouth are deep waters, while the man himself is like a flowing stream, a fount of wisdom. People who speak wisely keep revealing profound and refreshing ideas, which would not otherwise have been understood.

שְׂאֵת פְּנֵי־רָשָׁע לֹא־טוֹב לְהַטּוֹת צַדִּיק בַּמִּשְׁפָּט

Favoring the wicked in judgment is no good, both because one is thereby vindicating the wicked and because one is distorting the righteous in judgment. When righteous and wicked individuals are engaged in a dispute, it is sometimes easier to help the wicked and thereby prevent disturbances. However, bias toward the wicked is wrong and will ultimately lead to punishment.

שִׂפְתֵי כְסִיל יָבֹאוּ בְרִיב ופִיו לְמַהֲלֻמוֹת יִקְרָא

The lips of a fool come with quarreling. Even when a fool lacks evil intentions, his statements lead to quarrels, either due to his manner of speech or because of his foolishness. And likewise, his mouth invites blows. His comments lead to disputes and fights.

פִּי־כְסִיל מְחִתָּה־לוֹ וּשְׂפָתָיו מוֹקֵשׁ נַפְשׁוֹ

A fool’s mouth is ruin for him, and his lips are a snare for his soul, as time and again he finds himself trapped by his own statements.

דִּבְרֵי נִרְגָּן כְּמִתְלַהֲמִים וְהֵם יָרְדוּ חַדְרֵי־בָטֶן

The aphorist now analyzes various character traits: The words of a grumbler, or an instigator, are like blows, harmful to others. One who wishes to besmirch people is critical of everything and everyone. And although his comments appear to be unimportant and easily disregarded, in actual fact they descend into the chambers of the belly and do upset people. This is not always noticeable, as such a person is considered a negative influence whom people try to ignore, but nevertheless his insults can indeed strike deep into the heart.

גַּם מִתְרַפֶּה בִמְלַאכְתּוֹ אָח הוּא לְבַעַל מַשְׁחִית

Even he who is lax in his work is brother, similar, to a master of destruction. One who shirks his responsibilities will at times cause as much damage as one who actively destroys. A destroyer breaks things, while one who slacks off causes them to be broken, and thus from the perceptive of the end result, the two are akin.

מִגְדַּל־עֹז שֵׁם ה'בּוֹ־יָרוּץ צַדִּיק וְנִשְׂגָּב

The name of the Lord is like a tower of strength; by it the righteous will run confidently, without stumbling blocks or delays, and be exalted. Righteous individuals will be protected and strengthened by the name of God, to whom they cleave.

הוֹן עָשִׁיר קִרְיַת עֻזּוֹ וכְחוֹמָה נִשְׂגָּבָה בְּמַשְׂכִּתוֹ

In contrast to the security of the righteous, the wealth of the rich is his fortified city, and it is like a high wall built in his decorated chamber, or his treasuries. The wealthy think that they are protected by the power of their money.

לִפְנֵי־שֶׁבֶר יִגְבַּהּ לֶב־אִישׁ ולִפְנֵי כָבוֹד עֲנָוָה

Before destruction a man’s heart grows haughty, and before honor, humility. Haughtiness generally comes before destruction, and conversely, humility is followed by honor. When someone acts with authentic humility, he is likely to receive honor, as true honor pursues one who is not interested in it and is not overjoyed to receive it.

מֵשִׁיב דָּבָר בְּטֶרֶם יִשְׁמָע אִוֶּלֶת הִיא־לוֹ וּכְלִמָּה

He who responds before he hears the second side, as he believes that he already knows what the other person will say, it is folly for him and humiliation, as perhaps he is mistaken about what his interlocutor intended to say.

רוּחַ אִישׁ יְכַלְכֵּל מַחֲלֵהוּ וְרוּחַ נְכֵאָה מִי יִשָּׂאֶנָּה

The spirit of confidence and joy of a man will sustain him, his body, in his illness, and he will endure; but a depressed spirit, who can bear it? Who can bear prolonged sadness, gloominess, and depression? Even if such moods do not lead to immediate crises, they make life too difficult to tolerate. One’s mood can have a great effect on one’s material reality, including his physical well-being, for better or worse.

לֵב נָבוֹן יִקְנֶה דָּעַת וְאֹזֶן חֲכָמִים תְּבַקֶּשׁ דָּעַת

The discerning heart is not satisfied only with what he already knows; rather, he will continuously acquire more knowledge. And the ear of the wise does not suffice with the wisdom he has acquired; rather, he persistently seeks to earn more knowledge.

מַתָּן אָדָם יַרְחִיב לוֹ וְלִפְנֵי גְדֹלִים יַנְחֶנּוּ

A man’s giving to others, in any form, expands and provides benefit for him and will guide him before the great. Society grants prominence to those who support its goals.

צַדִּיק הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּרִיבוֹ וּבָא רֵעֵהוּ וַחֲקָרוֹ

The aphorist now discusses disputes and adjudication: When two individuals appear for judgment, the one who presents his side first seems righteous in his case, and then his counterpart comes and interrogates him. Both with regard to a children’s quarrel, or a dispute in court between adults, the one who presents his version of events first often sounds correct, until his statements are critiqued or refuted by the other side. However, even when the second party gets the chance to present his own case, it is sometimes difficult for him to change the picture that has already been etched into the judge’s consciousness.

מִדְיָנִים יַשְׁבִּית הַגּוֹרָל וּבֵין עֲצוּמִים יַפְרִיד

Casting lots may quiet contentions and by contrast, the lot sometimes may estrange disputants. According to some commentaries, this means that casting a lot can either enable disputing parties to resolve their quarrel, or it may cause the two sides to decide that they are unable to live together. However, most commentaries maintain that the second clause is also referring to a positive separation between the litigants, upon the resolution of their dispute.

אָח נִפְשָׁע מִקִרְיַת־עֹז וּמִדְיָנִים כִּבְרִיחַ אַרְמוֹן

A treacherous brother is worse than a fortified city. Alternatively, the power of a negligent brother, a traitor, can shatter even a strong city. And his strife is strong, like the bars of a large gate of a palace that is locked before the quarreling parties. Some explain this clause as saying that their contentions are similar to a bar whose removal opens the castle gates to the enemy.

מִפְּרִי פִי אִישׁ תִּשְׂבַּע בִּטְנוֹ תְּבוּאַת שְׂפָתָיו יִשְׂבָּע

This aphorist cites two more statements involving speech and human interactions: From the fruit of a man’s mouth his belly will be satisfied, he can profit from his positive speech, and with the produce of his lips he will be satisfied. He will bear the consequences of whatever emerges from his mouth. The tongue has tremendous power, for both good and evil.

מָוֶת וְחַיִּים בְּיַד־לָשׁוֹן וְאֹהֲבֶיהָ יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it, the tongue, who guard it and use it appropriately, will eat its fruit.

מָצָא אִשָּׁה מָצָא טוֹב וַיָּפֶק רָצוֹן מֵה'

He who has found a wife has found goodness and, moreover, he elicits favor from the Lord. Some actions are considered pleasant by humans alone, but finding a wife is viewed pleasing both to the man and to God.

תַּחֲנוּנִים יְדַבֶּר־רָשׁ וְעָשִׁיר יַעֲנֶה עַזּוֹת

A poor person speaks regularly with supplications, as he cannot offer anything substantial in return for favors, and a rich one responds with impudence, with regard to both issues that pertain to him and those matters that are not connected to him at all.

אִישׁ רֵעִים לְהִתְרוֹעֵעַ וְיֵשׁ אֹהֵב דָּבֵק מֵאָח

A friendly man is fragile. One who makes many friends easily is likely to end up hurt. Having too many friends does not help a person, but rather consumes his time and energy. But there is a single loved one who is closer than a brother.