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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comKeil and Delitzsch Commentary - Proverbs 13:17 - 13:17
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17 A godless messenger falls into trouble;
But a faithful messenger is a cordial.
The traditional text, which the translations also give (except Jerome, nuntius impii, and leaving out of view the lxx, which makes of Pro 13:17 a history of a foolhardy king and a wise messenger), has not מַלְאַךְ, but מַלְאָךְ; the Masora places the word along with המלאָך, Gen 48:16. And יפל is likewise testified to by all translators; they all read it as Kal, as the traditional text punctuates it; Luther alone departs from this and translates the Hiph.: “a godless messenger bringeth misfortune.” Indeed, this conj. יַפִּל presses itself forward; and even though one read יִפֹּל, the sense intended by virtue of the parallelism could be no other than that a godless messenger, because no blessing rests on his godlessness, stumbles into disaster, and draws him who gave the commission along with him. The connection מלאָך רשׁע is like אדם רשׁע, Pro 11:7 (cf. the fem. of this adj., Eze 3:18). Instead of בְּרָע is בְּרָעָה, Pro 17:20; Pro 28:14, parallels (cf. also Pro 11:5) which the punctuators may have had in view in giving the preference to Kal. With מלאך, from לָאַךְ, R. לך, to make to go = to send, is interchanged צִיר, from צוּר, to turn, whence to journey (cf. Arab. ṣar, to become, to be, as the vulg. “to be to Dresden = to journey” is used). The connection ציר אֱמוּנִים (cf. the more simple צִיר נֶֽאֱמָן, Pro 25:13) is like Pro 14:15, עֵד אמונים; the pluralet. means faithfulness in the full extent of the idea. Regarding מַרְפֵּא, the means of healing, here to strength, refreshment, vid., Pro 4:22; Pro 12:18.