Proverbs — Chapter 29

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1 He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.
2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.
3 Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.
4 The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
5 A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet.
6 In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.
7 The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.
8 Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath.
9 If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.
10 The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
11 A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
12 If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked.
13 The poor and the deceitful man meet together: the LORD lighteneth both their eyes.
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 bringeth his mother to shame.
16 When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.
17 Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
19 A servant will not be corrected by words: for though he understand he will not answer.
20 Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
21 He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
22 An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.
24 Whoso is partner with a thief hateth his own soul: he heareth cursing, and bewrayeth it not.
25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
26 Many seek the ruler's favour; but every man's judgment cometh from the LORD.
27 An unjust man is an abomination to the just: and he that is upright in the way is abomination to the wicked.
Abrahamic Catechism
Bible Study
Proverbs — Chapter 29
✦ Talmud

• Sanhedrin 90a records the foundational proof-texts for resurrection of the dead — Proverbs 29:18 "where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the Torah" is the Talmudic collapse-prediction algorithm: the loss of prophetic vision is the early-warning signal of imminent societal Sitra Achra dominance; the blessed individual who maintains Torah-observance even within a vision-deprived generation is the sole carrier of the divine intelligence network.

• Berakhot 28b records Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai's deathbed fear of divine judgment — Proverbs 29:25 "the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe" is the Talmudic fear-hierarchy order: any fear-object below the divine level is a Sitra Achra snare, and even the greatest Sage faces the temptation to orient his life's decisions around human rather than divine judgment.

• Avot 3:2 (Rabbi Chanina: "Pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear thereof, each man would swallow his neighbor alive") maps onto Proverbs 29:4 "by justice a king builds up the land, but one who exacts gifts tears it down" — the divine design of governing authority as a Sitra Achra-suppression mechanism means that the corruption of this authority from within is a Sitra Achra priority operation.

• Shabbat 88a teaches that the Israelites accepted the Torah involuntarily at Sinai but Esther's generation reaccepted it freely — Proverbs 29:19 "by mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands he will not respond" is the voluntary-versus-coerced compliance distinction: the soul that chooses Torah freely is fully operational in a way the coerced soul is not, explaining why the Sitra Achra attempts to make Torah observance feel imposed rather than chosen.

• Kiddushin 40b teaches that one mitzvah tips the entire world-scale — Proverbs 29:27 "an unjust man is an abomination to the righteous, and one whose way is straight is an abomination to the wicked" is the mutual repulsion principle that explains the Sitra Achra's hostility toward the Tzaddik: the aligned soul and the corrupted soul cannot coexist in neutral proximity; the very presence of holiness is an existential provocation to the Sitra Achra's embedded operatives.