10
Menאַנְשֵׁיof bloodדָמִיםhateיִשְׂנְאוּthe blameless,תָםbutוִthe uprightישָׁרִיםseekיְבַקְשׁוּhis soul.נַפְשׁוֹ
Proverbs 29:10
Study it in the app“Men of blood hate the blameless, but the upright seek his soul.”
With the Hebrew beneath
Proverbs 29:10, word by word
- Menאַנְשֵׁיanshe
man
An adult male person; also each man of a people, a trade or a place.
Where else “anshe” appears- of bloodדָמִיםdamim
bloodguilt
A murder, and the guilt it leaves on the killer.
Where else “damim” appears- hateיִשְׂנְאוּyisnu
hate
To feel rejection and hostility toward someone, to the point of wishing him harm.
Where else “yisnu” appears- the blamelessתָםtam
blameless
Upright, without deceit.
Where else “tam” appears- the uprightישָׁרִיםysharim
upright
Acting well before YHWH, without bending.
Where else “ysharim” appears- seekיְבַקְשׁוּyevakshu
seek
To go after someone or something in order to find it.
Where else “yevakshu” appears- his soulנַפְשׁnafsh
life
Life, when it is at stake.
Where else “nafsh” appears
Translation note
To “seek the soul” of someone usually means to want to kill him; here, with the upright as subject, it can be understood as “look after his life,” or, referring to the men of blood, “they seek to kill him.”
The context
9A wise man who goes to law with a foolish man, whether he rages or laughs, there is no rest.
10 · This verse (above)
11All his spirit the senseless man lets out, but the wise calms it back.