Paragraph 24:15–16 Saying 27
In this saying, the teacher advises his son not to be involved in robbing or destroying the house and property of a righteous man (24:15). He then gives a reason or motivation for obeying this advice (24:16).
24:15
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
15a
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling place of the righteous;
15b
do not destroy his resting place.
The two commands refer to different stages of the same crime.
24:15a
Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous: In Hebrew, the verb lie in wait is a single word. It refers here to a person who hides and waits for a chance to break into a righteous person’s house. The same verb was used in 1:11.
O wicked man: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “⌊O⌋ wicked ⌊man⌋ ,” as in the Berean Standard Bible. However, throughout this section the teacher has been addressing his son, and his son is not a wicked person. So here he probably commands his son not to act like a wicked person. For example:
like an outlaw (New International Version)
wicked man: The New International Version used the specific word “outlaw” (see above) instead of the general word wicked, because the context describes a person who plans to commit robbery or other violent acts. You may use either a general or specific word in your language. Choose a word that fits the context of both parallel lines.
near: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as near has a variety of meanings that fit this context. Some other ways to translate it are:
Do not wait in ambush like a criminal at a righteous person’s house.
-or-
Do not hide and wait like a wicked person near the home of a righteous man.
In some languages, the relationship between “lie in wait” and “the dwelling of the righteous” may need to be made more explicit. For example:
Do not be like a criminal who hides near a righteous person’s house ⌊in order to steal what he owns⌋ .
Be sure to consider the parallel line (24:15b) before you decide whether to make information explicit here.
24:15b
do not destroy his resting place: The Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as destroy means “assault, destroy, or ruin.” The noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as resting place refers to the house, property, or possessions of the righteous person. In this context, it is not clear whether the crime involves theft, robbery, or destruction of property. Use terms in your language that refer to one or more of these crimes.
Some ways to translate this command are:
do no violence to his home (English Standard Version)
-or-
Do not rob his house. (God’s Word)
-or-
Do not destroy his property or possessions.
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