פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם לֶב־מֶלֶךְ בְּיַד־ה' עַל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַטֶּנּוּ

A king’s heart in the hand of the Lord is streams of water. People may believe that a particular ruler is stable and reliable. However, just as canals or tributaries are carved and shaped by the owner of the field, the hearts of kings are entirely in the hand of God: To wherever He wishes He turns it. This is the case even though the king himself is often unable to sense his change of direction.

כָּל־דֶּרֶךְ־אִישׁ יָשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו וְתֹכֵן לִבּוֹת ה'

Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, as he is confident that he is pursuing the proper path, but only the Lord measures, evaluates, hearts.

עֲשֹׂה צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט נִבְחָר לַה' מִזָּבַח

Acting with righteousness and justice is preferential to the Lord than sacrifice. This notion that justice is preferable to bringing offerings is expressed numerous times by the prophets.

רוּם־עֵינַיִם וּרְחַב־לֵב נִר רְשָׁעִים חַטָּאת

Haughtiness and a proud heart, full of great and pretentious desires, are a furrow of the wicked, a path comprised entirely of sin.

מַחְשְׁבוֹת חָרוּץ אַךְ־לְמוֹתָר כָל־אָץ אַךְ־לְמַחְסוֹר

The thoughts of the diligent individual, who evaluates his actions and plans them thoroughly, are only for benefit. They are nothing but advantageous and profitable, even though the execution of the task itself is thereby delayed. And all the hastiness of those continuously rushing to make a profit is only for detriment.

פֹּעַל אֹצָרוֹת בּלְשׁוֹן שָׁקֶר הֶבֶל נִדָּף מְבַקְשֵׁי־מָוֶת

Making treasures through a false tongue is fleeting vapor. Those who act in that manner accomplish nothing substantial. On the contrary, they are in effect seekers of death and destruction.

שֹׁד רְשָׁעִים יְגוֹרֵם כִּי מֵאֲנוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט

The wicked’s pillaging will cause them to fear, for they refuse to act with justice, and all of their actions are wicked.

הֲפַכְפַּךְ דֶּרֶךְ אִישׁ וָזָר וְזַךְ יָשָׁר פָּעֳלוֹ

Erratic is the way of man, and strange. Many people act in inconsistent and unreasonable ways, both in their personal and public lives, yet are not even aware of this fact. And the individual is pure in his own eyes; his conduct is upright. Alternatively, the latter half of the verse is the inverse of the first half. The verse, then, is conveying that most people act in ways that are erratic and strange, and only the pure-hearted conduct themselves in an upright manner.

טוֹב לָשֶׁבֶת עַל־פִּנַּת־גָּג אֵשֶׁת מִדְיָנִים וּבֵית חָבֶר

Better for one to live on the secluded corner of a roof, even if it is uncomfortable or lacks protection, than to reside with a woman of strife in a comfortable house, one that is spacious and has other people around. It is better to live in a secluded, quiet area than to live in a comfortable and social framework with a contentious woman.

נֶפֶשׁ רָשָׁע אִוְּתָה רָע לֹא־יֻחַן בְּעֵינָיו רֵעֵהוּ

The soul of the wicked desires evil; therefore his friend will not find favor in his eyes. He has no mercy or compassion upon his neighbor.

בַּעֲנָשׁ לֵץ יֶחְכַּם־פֶּתִי וּבְהַשְׂכִּיל לְחָכָם יִקַּח־דָּעַת

With the punishment of a scoffer, the naïf becomes wise. Although a naïve person does not understand very much, he can learn from the experience of the scorner (see 19:25). And with the education of the wise, he acquires knowledge and insight. Consequently, there are three levels here: Scorners, who fail to learn at all; the naïve, who do not gain knowledge on their own, but when they reflect upon the punishment of others they can understand the difference between appropriate and inappropriate conduct; and the wise, who can recognize proper behavior on their own even without a living example.

מַשְׂכִּיל צַדִּיק לְבֵית רָשָׁע מְסַלֵּף רְשָׁעִים לָרָע

The righteous advising the house of the wicked only further suborns the wicked, leading him to greater evil. Some wicked individuals are merely encouraged to persist in their evil ways by the attempts of others to help or guide them.

אֹטֵם אָזְנוֹ מִזַּעֲקַת־דָּל גַּם־הוּא יִקְרָא וְלֹא יֵעָנֶה

He who seals his ears to the cry of the impoverished, because he is preoccupied with other matters, he too will ultimately become destitute as well, or suffer some other calamity, and he will call and not be answered.

מַתָּן בַּסֵּתֶר יִכְפֶּה־אָף וְשֹׁחַד בַּחֵק חֵמָה עַזָּה

An inappropriate gift, such as a bribe, given in secret overcomes wrath, and a bribe found in the bosom appeases harsh fury. Giving such gifts is wrong, but this is the reality.

שִׂמְחָה לַצַּדִּיק עֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁפָּט וּמְחִתָּה לְפֹעֲלֵי אָוֶן

Acting with justice is a joy to the righteous, whether the just act is performed by the righteous person himself or someone else. In either case, when justice is achieved, the righteous are happy, but the same situation brings fear and ruin to the performers of iniquity, criminals. Alternatively, this is referring specifically to wicked people who try to perform justice. Since they are unhappy when justice is achieved, their judgment will emerge twisted.

אָדָם תּוֹעֶה מִדֶּרֶךְ הַשְׂכֵּל בִּקְהַל רְפָאִים יָנוּחַ

A person who wanders from the way of sense, the proper path, will ultimately rest in the congregation of ghosts. He is fast approaching the dwelling of the dead.

אִישׁ מַחְסוֹר אֹהֵב שִׂמְחָה אֹהֵב יַיִן ושֶׁמֶן לֹא יַעֲשִׁיר

He who loves rejoicing and pursues excessive indulgence is a man who lacks, as he will never be satisfied. Likewise, he who loves drinking wine and smearing oil upon himself, chasing a life of physical gratification, will not become rich.

כֹּפֶר לַצַּדִּיק רָשָׁע וְתַחַת יְשָׁרִים בּוֹגֵד

The wicked is ransom for the righteous. The wicked will find himself ensnared in the troubles from which the righteous has just escaped, and the treacherous will take the place of the upright and be struck by calamity in their place.

טוֹב שֶׁבֶת בְּאֶרֶץ־מִדְבָּר אֵשֶׁת מִדְיָנִים וָכָעַס

Better to live in a wilderness land, not merely on a corner of a roof, as stated above (verse 9), than to live with a woman of strife and anger. Life with such a woman is more unpleasant and harmful than remaining in complete isolation.

אוֹצָר נֶחְמָד וָשֶׁמֶן בִּנְוֵה חָכָם וּכְסִיל אָדָם יְבַלְּעֶנּוּ

Precious treasure and scented oil are often found in the abode of the wise, and the foolish person will swallow it, as he destroys the entire supply.

רֹדֵף צְדָקָה וָחָסֶד יִמְצָא חַיִּים צְדָקָה וְכָבוֹד

He who pursues righteousness and kindness will find a reward of long life and health, as well as righteousness, or merit and blessing, and honor, which he receives for the acts of kindness he has performed.

עִיר גִּבֹּרִים עָלָה חָכָם וַיֹּרֶד עֹז מִבְטֶחָה

The wise goes up against the well-protected city of the mighty and removes the strength of its stronghold. It is therefore advisable to let a wise individual take command in such situations.

שֹׁמֵר פִּיו וּלְשׁוֹנוֹ שֹׁמֵר מִצָּרוֹת נַפְשׁוֹ

He who guards his mouth and his tongue guards himself from troubles. Silence generally does not lead to serious negative consequences, but improper speech, even uttered on a single occasion, can cause major harm. Alternatively, the expression “guards his mouth” is referring to guarding one’s mouth from eating unhealthy foods.

זֵד יָהִיר לֵץ שְׁמוֹ עוֹשֶׂה בְּעֶבְרַת זָדוֹן

A spiteful and arrogant man, scoffer is his name; he acts with spiteful ire. Some people present themselves as somewhat flighty or lightheaded, but in fact they engage in highly calculated acts of evil. They may try to conceal their evil intentions and make it seem as though their actions are unintentional, but they are actually premeditated and thoroughly planned.

תַּאֲוַת עָצֵל תְּמִיתֶנּוּ כִּי־מֵאֲנוּ יָדָיו לַעֲשׂוֹת

The craving of the idler will kill him, as his hands refuse to do anything. When one’s inaction causes his desires to be left unfulfilled, he is left empty and hungry. A great unfilled desire can cause harm and even death.

כָּל־הַיּוֹם הִתְאַוָּה תַאֲוָה וצַדִּיק יִתֵּן וְלֹא יַחְשֹׂךְ

All day he, that lazy person, is seized with craving, and yet he is not prepared to expend effort in order to achieve his desires. But by contrast, the righteous will give him charity and not stint, despite the fact that the recipient is responsible for his own troubles.

זֶבַח רְשָׁעִים תּוֹעֵבָה אַף כִּי בְזִמָּה יְבִיאֶנּוּ

The sacrifice of the wicked is always an abomination; certainly, when he brings it in depravity, with wicked thoughts. The wicked brings an offering in an attempt to extricate himself from a difficult situation. He supposes that he can obtain atonement for his sins without emending his ways, and he will thereby be saved from the hand of God, so to speak. However, God despises his offering.

עֵד כְּזָבִים יֹאבֵד וְאִישׁ שׁוֹמֵעַ לָנֶצַח יְדַבֵּר

A lying witness will perish, and a man who listens, and is insightful and examines matters carefully, will forever speak, as people will always be interested in hearing what he has to say.

הֵעֵז אִישׁ רָשָׁע בְּפָנָיו ויָשָׁר הוּא יָבִין דַּרְכּוֹ

A wicked man is insolent, impudent and defiant; and the upright, he discerns his way and walks with confidence.

אֵין חָכְמָה וְאֵין תְּבוּנָה וְאֵין עֵצָה לנֶגֶד ה'

There is no wisdom, no sagacity, and no counsel to act against the Lord. As much as one might try to outsmart God or scheme against Him in order to achieve his goals, the will of God will ultimately be fulfilled.

סוּס מוּכָן לְיוֹם מִלְחָמָה וְלַה' הַתְּשׁוּעָה

A horse is ready for the day of battle, but although the horse is an important weapon of war, salvation is for the Lord. Horses and weaponry do not win the war; success is in God’s hands, and one should look to Him for salvation.