אִישׁ תּוֹכָחוֹת מַקְשֶׁה־עֹרֶף פֶתַע יִשָּׁבֵר וְאֵין מַרְפֵּא

A man rebuked who stiffens his neck and takes no notice will suddenly be broken, and there is no remedy. The apparent strength of stubborn men who remain apathetic to criticism for their wrongdoings is merely transitory and soon passes.

בִּרְבוֹת צַדִּיקִים יִשְׂמַח הָעָם וּבִמְשֹׁל רָשָׁע יֵאָנַח עָם

With the rise of the righteous to a position of power the people rejoice, and with the rule of the wicked the people sigh in pain and disappointment.

אִישׁ־אֹהֵב חָכְמָה יְשַׂמַּח אָבִיו וְרֹעֶה זוֹנוֹת יְאַבֶּד־הוֹן

A man who loves wisdom gladdens his father, and a companion of harlots not only brings his father no joy but will also lose a fortune.

מֶלֶךְ בְּמִשְׁפָּט יַעֲמִיד אָרֶץ וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה

A king will uphold the land with the performance of justice, as his state is maintained by his fairness and the order he imposes, but if he is a man of donations, a man seeking donations, whether he demands money in order to give to others, or he is weak and requires the funds himself, he will thereby destroy it, the land. A king cannot establish his realm by distributing donations or by taking them for himself but by staying loyal to law and order.

גֶּבֶר מַחֲלִיק עַל־רֵעֵהוּ רֶשֶׁת פּוֹרֵשׂ עַל־פְּעָמָיו

A man who flatters his friend spreads a net for his feet. Through his seemingly sweet, pleasant statements, he effectively traps and imprisons the other person.

בְּפֶשַׁע אִישׁ רָע מוֹקֵשׁ וְצַדִּיק יָרוּן וְשָׂמֵחַ

In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare for himself; but the righteous, who act with integrity, will eventually sing and be joyous. Some explain the end of the verse to mean that the righteous will rejoice in the removal of those who perform evil.

יֹדֵעַ צַדִּיק דִּין דַּלִּים רָשָׁע לֹא־יָבִין דָּעַת

The righteous man knows the cause of the poor and the helpless. Intimately aware of their misery, the righteous person is sensitive to the poor, and he tries to help them and protect their interests. By contrast, the wicked one will not understand knowledge at all, and certainly ignores the poor and even treads upon them, until he himself falls, as stated in the previous verse.

אַנְשֵׁי לָצוֹן יָפִיחוּ קִרְיָה וחֲכָמִים יָשִׁיבוּ אָף

Scoffing men will agitate a city, as they create a destructive atmosphere and thereby harm not only themselves and those who listen to them but an entire city; alternatively, this means that they bring pain and bitter disappointment upon a city. And wise men will assuage the wrath that hovers over a city.

אִישׁ־חָכָם נִשְׁפָּט אֶת אִישׁ אֱוִיל וְרָגַז וְשָׂחַק וְאֵין נָחַת

A wise man judged in a case with a foolish man may be wrathful or amused, but either way there is no satisfaction. No good will come of this dispute, as the foolish individual will not react properly no matter what the wise man does. Therefore, quarreling with a fool is always completely pointless.

אַנְשֵׁי דָמִים יִשְׂנְאוּ תָם וישָׁרִים יְבַקְשׁוּ נַפְשׁוֹ

Bloody men, criminals, hate a virtuous person. Even when an artless person has no quarrel with such individuals, his innocence bothers them, and his abstention from their way of life upsets them. And the upright, by contrast, are favorable toward the virtuous one and seek him out, to do good to him and learn from his ways.

כָּל־רוּחוֹ יוֹצִיא כְסִיל וְחָכָם בְּאָחוֹר יְשַׁבְּחֶנָּה

The fool vents all his spirit. One of the signs of a fool is that he says everything on his mind, whether it is wise or unintelligent, whether it is suitable for the occasion or inappropriate. Furthermore, he reveals all of his spirit, his desire and intentions. But the wise man will soothe it, keeping it back. Even when he has an urge to say something, he knows when it is best not to talk. Some explain: The wise man silences and pushes aside the words of the fool when the latter “vents all his spirit.”

מֹשֵׁל מַקְשִׁיב עַל־דְּבַר־שָׁקֶר כָּל־מְשָׁרְתָיו רְשָׁעִים

In the case of a ruler who listens to falsehood, it is not the failing of one person alone, but all his servants are wicked. When people see that the head of a system accepts lies, a whole group of criminals will gather around him. For this reason the Bible always places ultimate blame for the sins of a generation upon its kings and other leaders.

רָשׁ וְאִישׁ תְּכָכִים נִפְגָּשׁוּ מֵאִיר־עֵינֵי שְׁנֵיהֶם ה'

The poor man and the deceitful man sometimes meet in the course of a quarrel or a conversation. Generally, there is nothing to be gained from an encounter of this kind, as even if the trickster successfully deceives the poor man, his victim does not have anything to give him. However, on occasion, the Lord enlightens the eyes of both of them, in which case they might discover a new path they were not previously familiar with, and perhaps they will receive mutual benefit from the meeting.

מֶלֶךְ שׁוֹפֵט בֶּאֱמֶת דַּלִּים כִּסְאוֹ לָעַד יִכּוֹן

The king who judges the impoverished truthfully and consistently, his throne will be established forever.

שֵׁבֶט וְתוֹכַחַת יִתֵּן חָכְמָה וְנַעַר מְשֻׁלָּח מֵבִישׁ אִמּוֹ

Both the rod of punishment and verbal rebuke will grant wisdom, as some people change their ways as soon as they hear rebuke, whereas others become wise only when they are struck with the rod. And a dissolute, wild and abandoned, youth shames his mother, who was unsuccessful at raising him properly.

בִּרְבוֹת רְשָׁעִים יִרְבֶּה פָּשַׁע וְצַדִּיקִים בְּמַפַּלְתָּם יִרְאוּ

Transgression does not thrive in a vacuum. Rather, with the increase of the wicked who perform such acts, transgression likewise increases. But because sin is not constructive and instead brings ruin and disaster, the righteous will ultimately see their fall, the fall of the wicked and sinful.

יַסֵּר בִּנְךָ וִינִיחֶךָ ויִתֵּן מַעֲדַנִּים לְנַפְשֶׁךָ

Admonish your son both verbally and by dispensing punishments, and he will give you rest, comfort and satisfaction; and what is more, he will provide delights to your soul. It is therefore important to concern yourself with educating and disciplining your children.

בְּאֵין חָזוֹן יִפָּרַע עָם וְשֹׁמֵר תּוֹרָה אַשְׁרֵהוּ

Where there is no broad vision, prophecy, ideal, or plan for the future, the people become unruly, wild and uninhibited; and happy is he who keeps the Torah, which provides him with vision and ideals.

בִּדְבָרִים לֹא־יִוָּסֶר עָבֶד כִּי יָבִין וְאֵין מַעֲנֶה

A servant will not be admonished and trained with words; though he understands what he is told, there is no response. He does not respond or accept authority. A servant who is not particularly sharp or faithful will not act based upon internal motivation, nor is he willing to listen to reproof. Consequently, he should be addressed in a different manner.

חָזִיתָ אִישׁ אָץ בִּדְבָרָיו תִּקְוָה לִכְסִיל מִמֶּנּוּ

Have you seen a man hasty in his affairs, who makes impulsive decisions? From him there is hope even for a fool, as such a person will certainly commit many errors (see 26:12), and even a fool will be able to take advantage of him.

מְפַנֵּק מִנֹּעַר עַבְדּוֹ וְאַחֲרִיתוֹ יִהְיֶה מָנוֹן

He who pampers his servant from youth, in the end he, the servant, will become master [manon] of the house. Some explain manon to refer to weakness and sluggishness. If one indulges his servant excessively he will become indolent. If a servant is not interested in working, it is inadvisable to allow him to do as he wishes.

אִישׁ־אַף יְגָרֶה מָדוֹן וּבַעַל חֵמָה רַב־פָּשַׁע

A man of wrath provokes strife. One who becomes angry with everything and everyone will over time amass many enemies for himself. And a man of fury ultimately also abounds in transgression.

גַּאֲוַת אָדָם תַּשְׁפִּילֶנּוּ שְׁפַל־רוּחַ יִתְמֹךְ כָבוֹד

A man’s pride will debase him. One who grows excessively arrogant will eventually be lowered by that very haughtiness. Pride is not merely a repulsive character trait; it is an actual stumbling block in life. And the lowly spirit will attain honor.

חוֹלֵק עִם־גַּנָּב שׂוֹנֵא נַפְשׁוֹ אָלָה יִשְׁמַע וְלֹא יַגִּיד

He who shares with a thief hates himself. Apart from wretched individuals who steal bread to eat, thieves generally require a partner with whom to trade their stolen wares. Although the partner does not steal, he still harms himself, as he will hear an oath imposed by the government upon the public, compelling anyone who knows details of the crime to speak to the authorities, but he will not tell. In addition to the fact that he has violated the prohibition against being an accomplice to a crime, this person will eventually suffer the same downfall as the thief.

חֶרְדַּת אָדָם יִתֵּן מוֹקֵשׁ וּבוֹטֵחַ בַּה' יְשֻׂגָּב

A man’s fear sets a snare for himself, as he falls into the trap; and he who trusts in the Lord while remaining aware of potential dangers on his path will be exalted, established in a strong, protected place.

רַבִּים מְבַקְשִׁים פְּנֵי־מוֹשֵׁל ומֵה' מִשְׁפַּט־אִישׁ

Many seek a ruler’s favor, as they are under the assumption that he fixes the outcome of legal cases, but in fact a man’s judgment is from the Lord. True judgment comes from God, while the ruler is merely a tool in His hand. Therefore, rather than flattering the ruler, one should approach the One who leads him.

תּוֹעֲבַת צַדִּיקִים אִישׁ עָוֶל ותוֹעֲבַת רָשָׁע יְשַׁר־דָּרֶךְ

A man of iniquity is an abomination to the righteous, and the reverse is also true, as the individual who is straight of path is an abomination to the wicked. The wicked person loathes a man of integrity. The righteous not only performs good deeds, but also combats evil. Correspondingly, the wicked person is not satisfied with merely performing evil; he actively hates those that follow the upright path, as their very existence is a reproach to him.