Section 3:21–35

Fourth lesson: Be a good neighbor and do not behave like a wicked person

The father started this lesson by exhorting his son to always use sound judgment, because then he would have nothing to fear (3:21–26). He then told his son what to avoid in order to be a good neighbor. He advised him to not follow the behavior of wicked people (3:27–31). The lesson ends with a series of contrasts between the way that the LORD will treat the righteous and the wicked (3:32–35).

Another heading for this section is:

How to be a good neighbor

Paragraph 3:21–26

3:21

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

21a My son, do not lose sight of this :

21b
Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

3:21a–b

do not lose sight of this: Preserve: The command do not lose sight of this is a figurative way of saying, “Never forget to use this.” The Contemporary English Version uses the positive equivalent of this command:

Always keep this in mind. (Contemporary English Version)

The parallel to that command explains what to not lose sight of. This word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Preserve usually means “guard” or “keep” (Revised Standard Version). The same Hebrew word occurs in 2:8a. In this context, to “preserve sound judgment” means to be careful to always use sound judgment.

3:21b

sound judgment: The Hebrew word tušiyyah, which the Berean Standard Bible translates here as sound judgment, refers to the wisdom or practical good sense that leads to a successful result. Some ways to translate this term are:

common sense (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
good planning (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
resourcefulness (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

discernment: The Hebrew word mǝzimmah, which the Berean Standard Bible translates here as discernment, means “shrewdness.” It refers to the ability to make careful plans, and thus it means essentially the same thing as the word translated as “sound judgment.” Other ways to translate this word are:

insight (Good News Translation)
-or-
ability to think of an effective plan

This word occurred previously in 1:4b and 2:11a–b.

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