Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 29:10
The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
10. seek ] i.e. care for, as R.V. marg. Comp. Psa 142:4 [Hebrews 5 ], where however the Hebrew word, seek, is not the same as here. It is more in accordance with the use of the phrase to seek the life, to render, with R.V. text,
The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect:
And as for the upright they seek his life.
The LXX. however has: ; and the Vulg. justi autem qurunt animam ejus.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Seek his soul – i. e., Care for, watch over, his life (compare Psa 142:4).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Hate the upright, and consequently seek their ruin, as is implied from the following clause.
Seek his soul; either,
1. To require his soul or life at the hands of those who have taken it away. Or,
2. To preserve it from those who attempt to take it away, as this phrase is taken, Psa 142:4, though commonly it signify to seek to destroy it.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. bloodthirsty(CompareMargin), murderers (Psa 5:6;Psa 26:9).
hate, c. (Pro 1:11Gen 3:4).
seek . . . soulthatis, to preserve it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The bloodthirsty hate the upright,…. Cain did Abel; and as the wicked world hate all good men, and persecute them, even unto death;
but the just must seek his soul; either the soul of the bloodthirsty, and that either the good of their souls; seek their spiritual welfare, and pray for it, even though they are so cruel and inhuman: or just magistrates will seek after such persons, to punish them for shedding the blood of the upright. Or else the meaning is, that just persons seek the soul of the upright, and make inquisition for the blood of such, to punish for it; which comes to the same sense, as Aben Ezra observes: or rather, such seek to defend and preserve the soul or life of upright men from those that hate and persecute them. Jarchi illustrates it by 1Sa 22:23; the Targum is,
“men that shed blood hate integrity; but the upright seek it.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
We now group together Pro 29:10-14. Of these, Pro 29:10 and Pro 29:11 are alike in respect of the tense used; Pro 29:12-14 have in common the pronoun pointing back to the first member.
10 Men of blood hate the guiltless
And the upright; they attempt the life of such
The nearest lying translation of the second line would certainly be: the upright seek his soul (that of the guiltless). In accordance with the contrasted , the Aram. understand the seeking of earnest benevolent seeking, but disregarding the in ;
(Note: The Targum translates , guiltlessness, and the Venet. ( ) , turning to Pro 1:22.)
Symmachus ( ), Jerome ( quaerunt ), and Luther thus also understand the sentence; and Rashi remarks that the phrase is here , for he rests; but mistrusting himself, refers to 1Sa 21:1-15:23. Ahron b. Josef glosses: to enter into friendship with him. Thus, on account of the contrast, most moderns, interpreting the phrase sensu bono, also Fleischer: probi autem vitam ejus conservare student . The thought is, as Pro 12:6 shows, correct; but the usus loq. protests against this rendering, which can rest only on Psa 142:5, where, however, the poet does not say , but, as here also the usus loq. requires, . There are only three possible explanations which Aben Ezra enumerates: (1) they seek his, the bloody man’s, soul, i.e., they attempt his life, to take vengeance against him, according to the meaning of the expressions as generally elsewhere, used, e.g., at Psa 63:10; (2) they revenge his, the guiltless man’s, life (lxx ), which has fallen a victim, after the meaning in which elsewhere only and , Gen 9:5, occur. This second meaning also is thus not in accordance with the usage of the words, and against both meanings it is to be said that it is not in the spirit of the Book of Proverbs to think of the [the upright, righteous] as executors of the sentences of the penal judicature. There thus remains
(Note: For (will bring away?) , understood after Jer 45:5, lies linguistically yet further off.)
the interpretation (3): the upright – they (the bloody men) seek the soul of such an one. The transition from the plur. to the sing. is individualizing, and thus the arrangement of the words is like Gen 47:21: “And the people (as regards them), he removed them to the cities,” Gesen. 145. 2. This last explanation recommends itself by the consideration that and are cognate as to the ideas they represents-let one call to mind the common expression [perfect and upright, e.g., Job 1:1; Job 2:3], – that the same persons are meant thereby, and it is rendered necessary by this, that the thought, “bloody men hate the guiltless,” is incomplete; for the same thing may also be said of the godless in general. One expects to hear that just against the guiltless, i.e., men walking in their innocence, the bloody-mindedness of such men is specially directed, and 10b says the same thing; this second clause first brings the contrast to the point aimed at. Lutz is right in seeking to confute Hitzig, but he does so on striking grounds.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
Note, 1. Bad men hate their best friends: The blood-thirsty, all the seed of the old serpent, who was a murderer from the beginning, all that inherit his enmity against the seed of the woman, hate the upright; they seek the ruin of good men because they condemn the wicked world and witness against it. Christ told his disciples that they should be hated of all men. Bloody men do especially hate upright magistrates, who would restrain and reform them, and put the laws in execution against them, and so really do them a kindness. 2. Good men love their worst enemies: The just, whom the bloody men hate, seek their soul, pray for their conversion, and would gladly do any thing for their salvation. This Christ taught us. Father, forgive them. The just seek his soul, that is, the soul of the upright, whom the bloody hate (so it is commonly understood), seek to protect it from violence, and save it from, or avenge it at, the hands of the blood-thirsty.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Hatred Or Compassion For Upright
Verse 10 affirms that. bad men hate the upright as first demonstrated in Gen 4:5-8; but the just will seek to preserve his life as Jonathan sought to protect David, 1Sa 19:1-3; 1Jn 3:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES.
Pro. 29:10. Delitzsch translates this verse:Men of blood hate the guiltless and the upright; they seek his soul.
Pro. 29:11. His mind. Rather his wrath. Keepeth it till afterward. Rather restraineth it, keeps it in the background.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF Pro. 29:10
SOUL-SEEKERS AND SOUL-HATERS
I. A proof of the unnatural condition of the human family. When we look at a human body we see that every limb and organism belonging to it ministers to the well-being of the whole frame, and thus to the comfort of the living soul that inhabits it. This we recognise to be a natural and fitting state of thingsjust what we should have expected to find before experience. If in any human body we at any time see the hand inflicting injury upon the head, or any one member causing discomfort to another, we conclude, and with reason, that some disturbance of the natural condition has taken placethat there is physical disease in some bodily organism, or moral disease in the spirit that animates the body. So our human instincts and our reason force us to the conclusion that the natural relation of the members of the great body of humanity is one in which each for all and all for each should be the rule of action. That it is not so, can but strike all thinking men and women as a terrible incongruity. That most men not merely regard their human brethren with indifference, but that many actually hate and seek to injure their fellow-creatures is surely an evidence that some fatal moral distemper has laid hold of the race. And the evidence becomes stronger when we consider the truth of the first assertion in the proverbthat not only do bloodthirsty men seek to injure other men in general, but that the objects of their especial malignity are the uprightthose who have given them no provocation, but whose desire and aim is to bless their human brothers and sisters.
II. An example in renewed men of what human brotherhood ought to be. Notwithstanding the great amount of self-seeking and enmity that is found in the world, there always has been found a small minority who have been seekers of the good of others, and in whom love to their human brethren has been the keynote of existence. And this love has been felt, and this seeking has been active, in behalf of those who hated them, and sought to do them ill. All such members of the human family are doing their part towards restoring men to the condition of peace and goodwill in which their Creator intended them to live, and help us to form some idea of what earth would have been if sin had never entered it. It is true they would then have had no opportunity of loving their enemies, and of doing good to those who hate them, but the love which seeketh not her own would have found free scope for her activities in going out towards those animated by the same spirit of love and would never have had to sorrow over efforts to seek and save that have been apparently fruitless. All just men who are seekers of the well-being of others, and especially those who seek the good of their enemies, are followers of that Just One who was hated by the bloodthirsty of His day, and who sought their souls while they sought His life. The history of the martyr Church in all ages has been the history of the bloodthirsty hating the upright, and of the just treading in the footsteps of their Divine Master, and seeking the souls of their persecutors.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
These words may meanand probably do meanthat the upright, in opposition to the blood-thirsty by whom the just is hated, seek his soul,that is, the soul or life of the object of the hatredof the just or the upright. Of the Lord Himself it is saidHe loveth the righteous. And in this all His people resemble Him. It is one of their characteristic distinctions. They pray for the upright, and endeavour, by all means in their power, to preserve them from the deadly machinations of their persecutors. The amount of love required of Gods people towards Gods people is that they be ready to lay down their lives for the brethren. And if for the brethrenhow much more for THE JUST ONE. Wardlaw.
The just seek his soul. As Paul did of his countrymen the Jews, of whom five times he received forty stripes save one (2Co. 11:24); as the disciples did of those spiteful Pharisees that had causelessly accused them (Mat. 15:2-12); as that martyr Master Saunders did: My lord, said he to Bishop Bonner, you seek my blood, and you shall have it. I pray God you may be so baptized in it as hereafter you may loathe blood-sucking, and so become a better man.Trapp.
On the subject of Pro. 29:11 see on chap. Pro. 10:19-21, page 168.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
TEXT Pro. 29:10-18
10.
The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect:
And as for the upright, they seek his life.
11.
A fool uttereth all his anger;
But a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it.
12.
If a ruler hearkeneth to falsehood, all his servants are wicked.
13.
The poor man and the oppressor met together;
Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both.
14.
The king that faithfully judgeth the poor,
His throne shall be established for ever.
15.
The rod and reproof give wisdom;
But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother.
16.
When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth;
But the righteous shall look upon their fall.
17.
Correct thy son, and he will give thee rest;
Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul.
18.
Where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint;
But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 29:10-18
1.
What two things does Pro. 29:10 say the bloodthirsty do?
2.
What does Pro. 29:11 say about losing ones temper?
3.
Why would this be the case (Pro. 29:12)?
4.
Why does Pro. 29:13 say, Jehovah lighteneth the eyes of them both?
5.
What promise does Pro. 29:14 contain?
6.
Differentiate between rod and reproof (Pro. 29:15)?
7.
Describe a child left to himself (Pro. 29:15).
8.
What increases transgression (Pro. 29:16)?
9.
Comment upon the truthfulness of the first statement in Pro. 29:17.
10.
What two things will a properly trained child bring to his parents (Pro. 29:17)?
11.
What is meant by vision in Pro. 29:18?
PARAPHRASE OF 29:10-18
10.
The godly pray for those who long to kill them.
11.
A rebel shouts his anger; a wise man holds his temper in and cools it.
12.
A wicked ruler will have wicked aides on his staff.
13.
Rich and poor are alike in this: each depends on God for light.
14.
A king who is fair to the poor shall have a long reign.
15.
Scolding and spanking a child helps him to learn. Left to himself, he bring shame to his mother.
16.
When rulers are wicked, their people are too; but good men will live to see the tyrants downfall.
17.
Discipline your son and he will give you happiness and peace of mind.
18.
Where there is ignorance of God, the people run wild; but what a wonderful thing it is for a nation to know and keep His laws!
COMMENTS ON 29:10-18
Pro. 29:10. One must pause to analyze this verse. It is Hebrew parallelism in which the latter statement is a restatement of the first. Let us rerun the verse in our own understanding of it: The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; they (the bloodthirsty) seek the life of the upright. Why do they do this? Some out of envy (like Cain1Jn. 3:12). Some because they are rebuked by the upright (like Ahab1Ki. 22:7-8). Some because the upright are an abomination to them (see Pro. 29:27 of this chapter). Some because they fear the upright (like King Saul1Sa. 18:5-9; 1Sa. 24:17-20; 1Sa. 26:1-2). Some because they can more easily get what the perfect have than they can what others have (see Pro. 1:11-13). Three times does Psalms 37 refer to the wicked seeking to devour the righteous: The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth (Psa. 37:12); The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way (Psa. 37:14); The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him (Psa. 37:32).
Pro. 29:11. A fool does not exercise self-control, for self-control is based upon wisdom which he does not have. Therefore, a wise person quiets his spirit when it could erupt, but a fool doesnt. Compare Pro. 14:33 : Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding; but that which is in the inward part of fools is made known.
Pro. 29:12. This verse pictures a wicked ruler of which there have been many. Both their advisers are wicked (he hearkens to their falsehood), and his servants are wicked. A wicked ruler, wicked counselors, and wicked servants can only add up to a wicked reign.
Pro. 29:13. Pro. 22:2 is similar. Whether a man is poor or an oppressor, God has made him (Pro. 22:2), he lives in Gods world, and he is a recipient of Gods good whether he makes good use or it or not: He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust (Mat. 5:45). This does not say that God is pleased with both (or with either).
Pro. 29:14, There will be the poor in every kings realm, and the law of God is to care for them: The poor will never cease out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, thou shalt surely open thy hand unto thy brother, to thy needy, and to thy poor, in thy land (Deu. 15:11). This verse makes a special promise to the king who obeys Gods will in the matter as does Psa. 72:2-3 : He will judge thy people with righteousness, And thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people, And the hills, in righteousness. Other factors establishing ones throne: Kindness and truth (Pro. 20:28); Righteousness (Pro. 25:5),
Pro. 29:15. When children misbehave, they need correction (Correct thy son, and he will give thee restPro. 29:17), If you dont, if you let him keep on in his ways, he will bring shame to his mother and other heartaches to both parents: A foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Pro. 10:1); He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy (Pro. 17:21); A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him (Pro. 17:25). In correcting, some merely talk to their children, and others merely whip them. But this verse points out the necessity of doing both properly, for it speaks of the rod (whipping) and of reproof (talking) giving wisdom. Dont you want your child to be wise? Then wisely reprove him and wisely whip him. This is Bible: Pro. 19:18; Pro. 22:15; Pro. 23:13-14; Eph. 6:4; Heb. 12:9. A child left to himself is one who is neglected, whose parents have not taught him, have not overseen him, have not been with him, have not loved him, and have not corrected him. Pulpit Commentary: The verb translated left is used in Job. 39:5 of the wild ass left to wander free where it wills. No child is capable of self-rearing. Such neglected offspring causeth shame. His parents who neglected him will be ashamed of him, and his desire to get away from home will probably be matched by their relief to see him go!
Pro. 29:16. The more wicked those people are, the more sin there will be. Sin spreads like a mighty contagion: Because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many will wax cold (Mat. 24:12). John tells us that there has been a big take-over of this world by sin: The whole world lieth in the evil one (1Jn. 5:19). Paul speaks of this present evil world (Gal. 1:4). If you follow the crowd, you will be lost, for Jesus said, Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby (Mat. 7:14). Knowing the tendency of mankind to do whatever the crowd does, Exo. 23:2 says, Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to turn aside after a multitude to wrest justice. Thank God, there will always be some who will not give in to the ways of the world. They are the righteous. There will always be a Noah or a Jeremiah or an Elijah or a Daniel or a Caleb and Joshua to uphold what is right and who will be spared when the wicked fall: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall surely abide under the shadow of the Almighty…A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked (Psa. 91:1-8).
Pro. 29:17. Any godly parent is grieved at the wrongdoing of a child. And an undisciplined child will go from bad to worse until his parents nerves can take no more. Correct him, and he will give you rest; yes, and more: he will actually grow out into something good to bring Delight to your heart. Your author observes in his book, Simple, Stimulating Studies in the Proverbs: Some parents have no rest because of the misdeeds of their children. They are always into something, always tearing something up, always breaking something, always doing something the parents dont want them to do; in short, they weary the parents going from one thing to another. The right kind of correction…will not only give you rest concerning your child, but the child will actually be a delight to your soul. What a difference!
Pro. 29:18. The word vision here implies the inspired message of God (often by a living representative of it). When there was not prophet to reveal Gods will to the people or no preacher to hinder their going into sin, people get into sin with nothing to restrain them. We note the license of Elis time, when there was no open vision (1Sa. 3:1); in Asas day, when Israel had long been without a teaching priest (2Ch. 15:3); and when the impious Ahaz made Judah naked (2Ch. 28:19); or when the people were destroyed by reason of lack of knowledge of Divine things (Hos. 4:6) (Pulpit Commentary). Yet, even in those days there would still be some who would keep the law, and those who did would be blessed of God: Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it (Luk. 11:28); If you know these things, blessed are ye if ye do them (Joh. 13:17); He that looketh into the perfect law…and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgetteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing (Jas. 1:25).
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 29:10-18
1.
Why do the wicked seek the life of the upright (Pro. 29:10)?
2.
Self-control is based upon what which a fool lacks (Pro. 29:11)?
3.
Locate three wicked persons or groups in Pro. 29:12.
4.
Where did Jesus show that God makes earthly benefits available to both just and unjust (Pro. 29:13)?
5.
What is Gods promise for the king who properly regards the poor in his realm (Pro. 29:14)?
6.
According to Pro. 29:15, where do some parents fail?
7.
Who have been some of the righteous when sin has flourished (Pro. 29:16)?
8.
Correction of a child can change a parents disgust to . (Pro. 29:17).
9.
Comment upon the first statement in Pro. 29:18.
10.
What are some Bible promises to the obedient (Pro. 29:18)?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(10) The bloodthirsty hate the upright.Or, perfect man. for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness (2Co. 6:14); the life of the perfect man is a continual reproach to them.
But the just (or upright) seek his souli.e. care for the life of the perfect; their uprightness shows itself in active help-giving.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. The bloodthirsty Literally, men of blood.
Hate the upright The perfect man, the man of integrity; or, they hate integrity itself.
Seek his soul Or, his life. The phrase is ambiguous. To “seek life” is, ordinarily, to desire to destroy it. This, according to Gesenius, is the only place where the phrase is used in a good sense to seek to preserve life. But some understand it, as seeking to avenge the life requiring the life of the murderer, according to law.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Pro 29:10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
Pro 29:10
Word Study on “the upright” Strong says the Hebrew word “upright” ( ) (H8535) literally means, “complete,” and used in a figurative or moral sense to mean, “pious,” and it can also carry the meaning of “gentle or dear.” He says it comes from a primitive root ( ) (H8552), meaning, “to be complete.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 13 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “perfect 9, undefiled 2, plain 1, upright 1.”
Comments This Hebrew word is used to describe the character of Jacob as a man of a “gentle” lifestyle.
Gen 25:27, “And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.”
It is used five times in the book of Job to describe his character as a pious man.
Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.”
Comments – Perhaps the best illustration of the bloodthirsty hating the upright in the Scriptures is seen in Cain’s hatred for Abel (1Jn 3:12), and in Saul’s hatred for David (1Sa 20:31).
1Jn 3:12, “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.”
1Sa 20:31, “For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.”
We see it in King Ahab and Jezebel’s hatred for Elijah and Micah.
1Ki 21:20, “And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.”
1Ki 22:8, “And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.”
We see it in the hatred that Herod’s wife had for John the Baptist.
Mar 6:18-19, “For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife. Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:”
We see how the Jewish leaders hated Jesus, as well as the disciples of the early church.
Joh 15:18-19, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
Pro 29:10 “but the just seek his soul” Word Study on “just” The word “just” is in the plural in the Hebrew text, so that it more properly reads, “the just ones.”
Word Study on “seek” Strong says the Hebrew word “seek” ( ) (H1245) is a primitive root that means, “to search out.” It implies, “to search out, to strive after.” The Enhanced Strong says it is used 225 times in the Old Testament, being translated in the KJV as, “seek 189, require 14, request 4, seek out 4, enquired 3, besought 2, ask 2, sought for 2, begging 1, desire 1, get 1, inquisition 1, procureth 1.”
Comments – Commentators offer four views for this phrase.
(1) The Just Person Seeks the Well being of the Upright – The interpretation that is most accurate to the Hebrew text is to say that this phrase refers to the way the just person seeks the well being of the upright soul and attempts to protect him from evil men. He seeks such people to befriend and care for, in contrast to the hatred that bloodthirsty men have for the upright. This reading is most accurate to the Hebrew text; the bloodthirsty (plural) hate the upright (singular), while the just (plural) seek his soul (singular). Note:
Darby, “The bloodthirsty hate the perfect, but the upright care for his soul.”
(2) The Just Person Seeks the Well being of the Bloodthirsty This statement may refer to the way a just man seeks the well being of the unjust, such as Samuel praying for King Saul, or as Jeremiah praying for the sins of his nation, or as Jesus praying for those who crucified Him, or as Stephen prayed for those who were stoning him or as Paul prayed for his nation, which had persecuted him and rejected the Gospel.
1Sa 15:11, “It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.”
Jer 13:17, “But if ye will not hear it, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore, and run down with tears, because the LORD’S flock is carried away captive.”
Jer 18:20, “Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.”
Luk 23:34, “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
Act 7:60, “And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Rom 10:1, “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.”
One problem with this interpretation is that “the bloodthirsty” is plural in the Hebrew text and “his soul” is singular.
(3) The Bloodthirsty Seeks the Life of the Upright – A third reading that is allowed within the Hebrew text is, “ and [as for] the upright, they seek his life.” This would mean that the bloodthirsty both hate the upright and they also seek his life to kill him. Several translations carry this meaning:
HNV, “The bloodthirsty hate a man of integrity; And they seek the life of the upright”
NIV, “Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.”
However, for this reading to be fully justified, the Hebrew would have to read, “and (as for) the upright, they seek their life.” Instead, the Hebrew text actually reads, “ his life.” Other translations also take this interpretation, but adjust the text to make “the upright” read as a singular noun instead of plural so that it reads properly.
ASV, “The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; And as for the upright, they seek his life.”
BBE, “Men of blood are haters of the good man, and evil-doers go after his soul.”
Rotherham, “Blood-thirsty men, hate the blameless man, and, as for the upright, they seek his life.”
RSV, “Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless, and the wicked seek his life.”
Although this reading has strong support, it is not as accurate to the Hebrew text as the second reading discussed above. The translation has to be altered from its original meaning in order to read smoothly.
(4) The Upright Seeks the Integrity – John Gill refers to a fourth interpretation from the Targum that reads:
“Men that shed blood hate integrity; but the upright seek it.”
This would mean that the upright seek integrity, while men of blood hate it. However, the Hebrew text literally reads, “his soul,” which refers to a person and not to a virtue. Thus, this interpretation is not likely.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Pro 29:10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
Ver. 10. The bloodthirsty hate the upright. ] As Cain did Abel for his goodness, 1Jn 3:12 and as many bloody villains still, who bear about, and, so far as they dare, make use of Cain’s club to knock on the head God’s righteous Abels. All hatred is bloody, but especially the habit of hatred. No sight pleased Hannibal better than a ditch running over with man’s blood. Nothing would satisfy Farnesius, the Pope’s champion, but to ride his horse up to the skirts in the blood of the Lutherans. Charles IX of France, author of the Parisian Massacre, looking upon the dead carcase of the admiral, that stank by being long kept unburied, uttered this most stinking speech: Quam suaviter olet cadaver inimiei! – How sweet is the smell of an enemy’s carcase! And the queen mother of Scotland, beholding the dead bodies of her Protestant subjects, whom she had slain in battle, said that she never saw a finer piece of tapestry in all her life.
But the just seek his soul.
a Acts and Mon., fol. 1358.
b Ibid.
The bloodthirsty = men of bloods. Hebrew. ‘enosh. App-14.
hate the upright. Illustrations: Ahab (2Ch 18:7); Jezebel (1Ki 18:4; 1Ki 19:2); Jews (Act 23:12); Cain (Gen 4:8. Compare 1Jn 3:12).
the upright = upright ones.
the just = an honest one.
seek his soul: i.e. to preserve it. Illustrations: Jonathan (1Sa 19:2); Obadiah (1Ki 18:4); believers (Act 12:5); Priscilla and Aquila (Rom 16:4).
soul = life. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
Pro 29:10
Pro 29:10
“The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; And as for the upright, they seek his life.”
The inherent antagonism between good men and bad men, between righteousness and wickedness, between God and sin appears here. “And Cain who was of the evil one slew his brother; and wherefore slew he him? because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1Jn 3:12). The very goodness of righteous, God-fearing people is more than sufficient grounds for the murderous hatred of them by wicked people.
Pro 29:10. One must pause to analyze this verse. It is Hebrew parallelism in which the latter statement is a restatement of the first. Let us rerun the verse in our own understanding of it: The bloodthirsty hate him that is perfect; they (the bloodthirsty) seek the life of the upright. Why do they do this? Some out of envy (like Cain-1Jn 3:12). Some because they are rebuked by the upright (like Ahab-1Ki 22:7-8). Some because the upright are an abomination to them (see Pro 29:27 of this chapter). Some because they fear the upright (like King Saul-1Sa 18:5-9; 1Sa 24:17-20; 1Sa 26:1-2). Some because they can more easily get what the perfect have than they can what others have (see Pro 1:11-13). Three times does Psalms 37 refer to the wicked seeking to devour the righteous: The wicked plotteth against the just, And gnasheth upon him with his teeth (Psa 37:12); The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, to slay such as are upright in the way (Psa 37:14); The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him (Psa 37:32).
The bloodthirsty: Heb. Men of bloods, Gen 4:5-8, 1Sa 20:31-33, 1Sa 22:11-23, 1Ki 21:20, 1Ki 22:8, 2Ch 18:7, Mar 6:18, Mar 6:19, Mar 6:24-27, Joh 15:18, Joh 15:19, 1Jo 3:12, 1Jo 3:13
but: 1Sa 15:11, Jer 13:15-17, Jer 18:20, Jer 40:14-16, Luk 23:34, Joh 5:34, Act 7:60, Rom 10:1
Reciprocal: Psa 37:14 – slay Mat 14:8 – Give Mat 14:11 – and given
Pro 29:10. The blood-thirsty hate the upright And consequently seek their ruin, as may be inferred from the following clause; but the just seek his soul To preserve it. Schultens renders this verse, Bloody men hate the upright, and seek the life of the just.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments