5:12–13

In these two verses, the young man admits the reasons for his present condition in the form of a lament. A lament is an expression of grief or remorse. This lament expresses his regret and self-condemnation.

5:12

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

12a and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

12b and my heart despised reproof !

In Hebrew, these lines are arranged in the form of a chiasm. The parts in 5:12a occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 5:12b.

12a and you will say, “How I hated discipline,

12b and reproof my heart despised !

Arrange the parallel parts in a natural order in your language.

5:12a–b

hated…despised: For despised, see the note on 1:7b. To “despise reproof” means to scorn or reject it.

discipline…reproof: For discipline, see the note on 1:2a. For reproof, see the note on 1:23a. See also 3:11a–b, where the same Hebrew terms are used together in a context that is similar to this one.

5:12a

and you will say, “How I hated discipline: Some other ways to express feelings of this nature are:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers? (New Living Translation (2004))

• Use an exclamation of remorse or self-blame. For example:

What a fool I am! I hated advice!

General Comment on 5:12a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. See the Display for 5:12a–b (combined/reordered).

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