Based upon Proverbs 25:28, the Holy Spirit showed me that the Book of Nehemiah is a blueprint for how we can learn self-control. As a basis for this study of Nehemiah, I decided to do a thorough analysis of Proverbs 25:28 to be sure that I fully understood it’s meaning from the original Hebrew that is the basis for both the Greek (LXX) and English translations of this verse. Here is the New International Version (NIV) translation:
- Proverbs 25:28 (NIV) “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”
There are two key concepts to explore in this verse.
- What is the Hebrew word picture which we are translating as “lacks self-control” and how does this compare to our modern concept?
- Jewish Rabbis believe that Solomon wrote the Proverbs as a commentary upon the Old Testament scriptures, primarily the Torah. What is the allusion to a destroyed city that is unwalled, and how does this impact our understanding of the meaning of this verse?
Here is Proverbs 25:28 in Hebrew, which reads from right to left. I did a number of word studies, the details of which I include in the appendix at the end, to choose my word-for-word interlinear translation:
Proverbs 25:28:
עִ֣יר פְּ֭רוּצָה אֵ֣ין חוֹמָ֑ה אִ֝֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אֵ֖ין מַעְצָ֣ר לְרוּחֽוֹ
to-his-spirit been-fettering there-is-not that man wall there-is-not having-been-broken-down city
I have hyphenated together the English phrases which are used to translate each Hebrew word. There are two key phrases that are critical to understand in order to have the right word picture:
עִ֣יר פְּ֭רוּצָה (ir pehr-u-tsah) which I have translated with the phrase “city having-been-broken-down”, and is similarly translated in the NIV as “a city broken through”. Notice that it is the city that has been broken down and dispersed or spread, and thus is now unwalled.
מַעְצָ֣ר לְרוּחֽוֹ (ma-eh-tsahr leh-ru-choe) which I have translated with the phrase “been-fettering to-his-spirit” which the NIV translates as “lacks self-control”. The 2nd word רוּחַ (ru-ach) can mean breath, wind or spirit. A fetter, chain or manacle are all reasonable translations of the word עְצָ֣ר, if it is a physical binding. Restrain or constrain might be a better translation if we are looking at a more figurative use, as in this example of holding back a wind or a spirit.
Here is my translation:
- Proverbs 25:28 (DCB from Hebrew) “Like a city that has been utterly broken down and unwalled is a man who does not restrain his spirit.”
As a second point of comparison, we can look at how the Rabbis hundreds of years before Christ translated this verse from Hebrew into Greek in the LXX (Septuagint):
Proverbs 25:28 (LXX)
ωσπερ πολις τα τειχη καταβεβλημενη και ατειχιστος ουτως ανηρ
Just-like city the walls having-been-cast-down and unwalled this-manner a-man
ος ου μετα βουλης τι πρασσει.
who not with a-purpose/plan/counsel anything he is doing.
- Proverbs 25:28 (DCB from LXX) “Just like a city whose walls have been cast down leaving it unwalled, is a man who does not have a design from wise counsel for the things he does.”
So, in answer to our first question, when we compare the Hebrew word picture of a man who has had no restraint for his spirit, to the Greek translation, we find that the practical manifestation of this is that the man has no plan or purpose directing his actions that are a result of seeking wisdom or counsel. This does seem to match fairly well our modern description of a man who lacks self-control and thoughtlessly follows his base desires.
What do we learn from the comparison to a city that has been utterly cast down or dispersed and unwalled? In the Septuagint the Greek word for “walled” τετειχισμέναι is only used in two places, Exodus 13:28 and Deuteronomy 1:28. Both of these verses from the Torah refer to the spies sent into the promised land. There were cities in the promised land with “walls and fortifications that rose to the heavens”. In Joshua chapter 5 we read about the fall of the city of Jericho, one such city that was renown for its protective walls. In fact the population hid behind these walls believing that they were safe from the people of God.
- Joshua 6:20 “When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.”
In miraculous fashion God brought down all the walls allowing the Israelite army to enter the city and totally destroy it. In my mind’s eye, I imagine the ground shaking at the thunderous noise and the walls falling down. However, the Jewish Book of Legends gives commentary about this verse and describes the event like this: “the wall of Jericho that was swallowed up into the ground upon which it stood”[1] So the oral tradition of the Jews presents an even more miraculous description of these events, more akin to the description of the earth opening up and swallowing Korah and his rebellious followers in Numbers 16:31. There was not even rubble from the walls left as a defense. It was literally unwalled in an instant, opening the city to attack from every direction simultaneously. The result was a complete rout of Jericho and the armies of Israel burned the whole city and everything in it. This is a sobering image of complete chaos and utter ruin.
Proverbs 25:28 (DCB from Hebrew) “Like a city that has been utterly broken down and unwalled is a man that does not restrain his spirit.”
Truly we must learn to restrain our spirits, even as a city must rebuild its walls of defense. Thankfully self-control is a fruit of God’s spirit working in us (see Galatians 5:22) so we do not need to seek after self-control on our strength alone. God has given us his Holy Spirit and the Book of Nehemiah, the story of a man rebuilding the crumbled walls of Jerusalem, as a guide. I will explore this theme in future posts.
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Appendix with Word Studies for the Biblical Language Lovers
Let’s check and refine our definitions of the key words in this verse by doing a few specific Hebrew word studies comparing how these Hebrew words are used elsewhere in scripture.
Word study 1: פְּ֭רוּצָה (pe-ru-tsah) “having-been-broken-down”
(Hebrew Grammar: a feminine singular passive participle of a (Qal) perfect strong verb)
Unfortunately, this exact grammatical form is only used in Proverbs 25:28. However we can learn much from the other uses of the root word:
פָּרַ֨ץ (pah-rats) used 49 times in the Bible:
Definition from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance [2]:
- abroad, make a breach, break away, down burst out, come spread abroad, compel, disperse, grow,
- A primitive root; to break out (in many applications, direct and indirect, literal and figurative) — X abroad, (make a) breach, break (away, down, -er, forth, in, up), burst out, come (spread) abroad, compel, disperse, grow, increase, open, press, scatter, urge.
It is always important to look at the first use of a word in scripture to understand its meaning.
The first use of פָּרַ֨ץ (pahrats) is found in Genesis 28:14. It is found in a promise spoken by God to Jacob:
- Genesis 28:12-15 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Here is the interlinear transliteration of the Hebrew phrase containing וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ (u-phah-rats-tah).
Genesis 28:14b:
כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה
to-the-East and to-the-sea (West) you-will-spread-and of-the-earth like-the-dust ,
- Gen 28:14b: (NIV) “like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east”
So the analogy is that his offspring would be like a dust storm, or perhaps like a wine skin that bursts spreading wine everywhere.
So in Proverbs 25:28 the city is “burst apart, or spread about”. Probably the ultimate expression of this sentiment is when the people of Jerusalem were literally carried off into exile because their walls were breached in the siege of Nebuddchadnezzer.
Here are a few other uses for comparison (italics is the translation of פָּרַ֨ץ pahrats):
- 2 Samuel 5:20 NAS: The LORD has broken through my enemies
- 2 Samuel 6:8 NAS: of the LORD’S outburst against Uzzah,
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 NAS: God has broken through my enemies
- 1 Chronicles 15:13 NAS: our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek
- 2 Chronicles 20:37 NAS: the LORD has destroyed your works.
- Job 1:10 NAS: and his possessions have increased in the land.
Perhaps rather than “increased”, we would now say that they have “spread forth” covering the land.
This word is used in the context of tearing down a wall of a city in 2 Kings 14:13:
- 2 Kings 14:13 (NIV) “Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah, at Beth Shemesh. Then Jehoash went to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section about four hundred cubits long.”
Here is my interlinear transliteration of the Hebrew phrase containing וַיִּפְרֹץ֩ (way-yiph-rots):
2 Kings 14:13:
יְר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם וַיִּפְרֹץ֩ בְּחוֹמַ֨ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם
of-Jerusalem in/by/with-the-wall and-tore-down to-Jerusalem
2 Kings 14:13b (NIV) “to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem”
This one is interesting because it is very clear in context that the action is specifically to tear down a large section of the wall around the city. In this case “bursting forth and spreading” in regards to a city wall which was a fortification, is viewed not just as we would view a dam bursting. The invading army wanted to permanently damage the defense of the city, so they stone by stone knocked down and dispersed 600ft of the city wall!
Word Study 2: מַעְצָר (ma-eh-tsahr) “fetter/restrain/constrain/control”
מַעְצָר (ma-eh-tsahr) is translated as “restraint, control” [3], but in this exact form it is a hapax legomenon, meaning it is only used once in the Bible. How do we discover what it means if there is no other uses to compare it to?
There are a few possibilities relative to this word. The first question is whether the leading מַ (mem) is a preposition or indicates a participial tense:
מָעֳצָר (mah-ah-tsar) if it were like this vowel pointing it would be a Hophal passive participle. Hophal is causative and passive: “causing to be restrained”
מַעֳצִיר (ma-ah-tsir) if it were like this vowel pointing it would be a Hִִiphil active participle. Hiphil is causative” “Causing to restrain”
You may be thinking, don’t we know the vowel pointing? It is right there in the text you showed! The short answer is that it was not in the original Biblical text. The vowel pointing was added by the Masoretes between the 6th and the 10th centuries CE, literally more than 1500 years later in an attempt to preserve thousands of years of commentary and oral tradition.
Regardless of the vowel pointing, the root word is עצר. The question is which vowel pointing to choose. Here are different options from a lexicon (Osburn):
- עָצִר (ah-tsir) (future יַעְצֹר ya-tzor) I) shut up, restrain, detain, with לְ. II) with כֹּחַ retain power, reign. Niphal (passive): נֶעֶצַר (neh-eh-tsar) I) was shut up, detained. II) was assembled.
- עָצֶר (ah-tzehr) masculine, rule, supreme power, Judges 18:7 עֶ֔צֶר
- עֹצֶר (o-tsehr) masculine, I) shutting up the womb from child-bearing, Proverbs 30:16 (וְעֹ֪צֶ֫ר barren) II) in prison, Isaiah 53:8 מֵעֹ֤צֶר, Psalm 107:39 מֵעֹ֖צֶר
- עֲצִרָה ,(eh-tsi-rah) עֲצֶרֶה (eh-tseh-reh) feminine I) day of assembly II) restraint
- מַעְצָר (ma-eh-tsahr) masculine, restraint, hindrance, Proverbs 25:28 מַעְצָ֣ר
- מַעְצוֹר (ma-eh-tsohr) masculine, the same, 1 Samuel 14:6 מַעְצ֔וֹר
So there are five biblical verses given by the lexicon, four with very similar forms to ours from Proverbs 25:28 מַעְצָ֣ר: Isaiah 53:8 מֵעֹ֤צֶר, Psalm 107:39 מֵעֹ֖צֶר, and Samuel 14:6 מַעְצ֔וֹר
Lets start with 1 Samuel 14:6. This is the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer bravely climbing a cliff to confront and kill twenty Philistines at their outpost. God then miraculously sent confusion upon the entire camp of the Philistines so that they were routed thus saving Israel from the Philistine army.
- 1 Samuel 14:6 (NIV) Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Hebrew with my interlinear translation:
1 Samuel 14:6b
אוּלַ֛י יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה לָ֑נוּ כִּ֣י אֵ֤ין לַֽיהוָה֙ מַעְצוֹר לְהֹושִׁ֥יעַ בְּרַ֖ב אֹ֥ו בִמְעָֽט
by-few or by-many to-save restrain for-LORD there-is-no because for-us LORD work perhaps
Note that the verb “save” is in a Hiphil form, which means it is causative.
The preposition לְ can be translated “to, toward, or for” when appended to Lord (לַֽיהוָה֙) where I have chosen “for the Lord” based upon the context.
- 1 Samuel 14:6b (DCB) “Perhaps the Lord will work for us because there is nothing, for the LORD, to restrain Him to cause to save by many or by a few.”
So the NIV (above) captures the Hebrew well and it is clear that the word in question, מַעְצוֹר means “restrain or hinder”.
Note however that this word could be “constrain” rather than “restrain”. The problem with translating this word as restraint is that we use restrain primarily to mean “from oneself” i.e. it is primarily reflexive in English. I restrain myself from eating. I restrain my anger. Constraints are limitations placed upon my freedom by outside forces (time, budget, another agenda). So we could translate the verse:
- 1 Samuel 14:6 Perhaps the Lord will work using us because there is no constraint, for the LORD can cause to save by many or by a few.
As we will see below, Isaiah 53:8 and Psalm 107:39 use the root word in the context of captivity, where I think neither “restrain” nor “constrain” is really a powerful enough word. Perhaps “fetters”, “manacles” or “shackles” captures the kind of literal “restraint” that makes sense in these kind of passages! If we used this idea in this verse from Samuel we would say:
- 1 Samuel 14:6 “Perhaps the Lord will work using us because there is no fetter, for the LORD can cause to save by many or by a few.”
This meaning of fettered, or restrained or constrained makes sense of וְעֹ֪צֶ֫ר (weh-o-tsehr) being translated “barren” in Proverbs 30:16.
- Proverbs 30:15b-16 “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’”
A “restrained” or “fettered” womb is closed and infertile, hence barren.
Isaiah 53:8 is the next verse of interest. Here it is in context, where I have highlighted in bold and italics the translation of מֵעֹ֤צֶר:
- Isaiah 53:4-12 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.
- 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. - 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
When you know what happened to Jesus, the incredible accuracy and detail of these prophesies, written 700 years earlier by Isaiah, is overwhelming evidence that Jesus is the Messiah that Israel had long awaited. It is such strong evidence that the Jews, even to this day, do not ever read Isaiah 53 in their regular yearly liturgy of Old Testament readings in the synagogues. Sadly many Jews have never read Isaiah 53.
Focusing on the verse in question:
Isaiah 53:8
מֵעֹ֤צֶר וּמִמִּשְׁפָּט֙ לֻקָּ֔ח
he-was-taken and-from-judgement from-restraint
- Isaiah 53:8 (DCB transliteration) From restraint and from judgment he was taken.
- Isaiah 53:8 (NIV) By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
- Isaiah 53:8 (NIV footnote) From arrest and judgment he was taken away.
It is translated “By oppression” in the NIV, although the footnote does capture the concept of “restraint” in the context of an arrest.
Interestingly in this verse, מֵעֹ֤צֶר is clearly a prefixed מִן preposition where the ן has assimilated and, since the guttural ע has rejected the dagesh, the vowel has lengthened to Tsere. It is usually translated “from”, but could be a comparative “better, more”, or superlative “best, most” or partitive “some of”. I chose the most common form, “from restraint”, when I translated it based on the sense of the context.
Again since restraint is primarily reflexive in english and we are talking about captivity, here, I prefer “fetters” to capture the kind of literal “restraint” that makes sense.
- Isaiah 53:8 (DCB translation) To fetter and for judgment he was taken away.
We now know how this verse applies to Jesus who was literally taken away in fetters (bound in John 18:12) and was questioned by the High Priest (John 18:19-24, Luke 22:66-71) and judged by Pontius Pilate (John 18:28-19:16, Luke 23:13-25) before he was scourged and then crucified for our sins.
Looking at another verse from the Psalms:
- Psalm 107:39: “Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow; “(NIV)
The NIV uses “oppression”, let’s look at the Hebrew:
וַיִּמְעֲט֥וּ וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ מֵעֹ֖צֶר רָעָ֣ה וְיָגֹֽון
and-sorrow affliction from-restraint and-they-bowed-down and-they-became-few/diminished
There is quite a range of meaning in several of these words:
וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ and-they-bowed-down/brought low/humbled/made to despair
מֵעֹ֖צֶר from-restraint/fetters/oppression
רָעָ֣ה affliction/wicked/hurt/harm/evil Note, however, that the feminine adjective רָעָ֣ה is not modifying either of the masculine nouns so it is being used substantively as a noun. “A wicked one” or “affliction” or “harm” or “evil”.
- Psalm 107:39: 39 (DCB) They diminished and were brought low from fetter, harm, and sorrow.
While the NIV uses oppression, fetter seems to work well here as well.
So lets look at one last verse which the lexicon gave with a form of this word:
Judges 18:7 (NIV) So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.
The bold text has a footnote in the NIV that the meaning of the phrase is uncertain. This NIV translation is inconsistent with the variety of possibilities I have found so far for the meaning of this word. Here are other possibilities for translation of the word עֶ֔צֶר from this verse:
My Hebrew interlinear (Kohlenburger) uses “prosperous” as a translation of עֶצֶר in this verse, like the NIV, while Osburn’s lexicon gave “rule, supreme power”. The “Bible hub” website gives three different options, “blank” (leaving it off completely), “ruler” or “restraint”.
Interesting.
Since the verse contains our key word of interest let’s look at the Hebrew ourselves:
Judges 18:7b
וְאֵין־מַכְלִ֨ים דָּבָ֤ר בָּאָ֙רֶץ֙ יֹורֵ֣שׁ עֶ֔צֶר
fetter/restraint inheriting/dispossessing in the land word/thing cause humiliating and-there-is-no
וּרְחֹקִ֥ים הֵ֙מָּה֙ מִצִּ֣דֹנִ֔ים וְדָבָ֥ר אֵין־לָהֶ֖ם עִם־אָדָֽם
a man-with to them there-is-no and-word from-Sidonians and-those/they-far-away
מַכְלִ֨ים is a Hiphil (causative) active participle of כָּלָם meaning to causing shame or causing to be humiliated, putting to shame. My Hebrew interlinear (Kohlenburger) uses “lacking”, but it is not consistent with the use of the word elsewhere in the scriptures.
יוֹרֵ֣שׁ is a Qal active ms participle of יָרַשׁ meaning to inheriting, possessing, taking up, casting on or its opposite: dispossessing, disowning, casting out, taking away
Preliminary Interlinear translation (sorry this is jumbled!):
Jud 18:7 “There is no cause for humiliating a thing in the Land inheriting fetter and they are far away from the Sidonians and there is no word to them with any man.”
So one possibility, shifting the word order to make sense in English:
Jud 18:7 “And there is not a thing to cause putting a shameful fetter in inheriting the land and those ones are far away from the Sidonians and there is not a word to them with any man.”
This is perhaps not the most natural word order since the “cause to be put to shame” is closest to “thing” in Hebrew but we are associating it with fetter. However this may make the most sense toward combining the two halves of this verse into one logical whole.
Another possiblity is:
Judges 18:7 “And there is not a thing to cause shame in the land casting on a fetter (on our plans to take the land) and those ones are far away from the Sidonians and there is not a word to them with any man (so they won’t interfere).”
Since these guys from Dan were interested in taking the Land as their own inheritance, perhaps this makes the best sense.
My point is that “fetter” is reasonable as a translation here as well.
וַתֵּעָצַ֖ר (watehahtsar) this form is used 4 times: meaning to stay or hold back or restrain a plague.
Numbers 16:48 HEB: וּבֵ֣ין הַֽחַיִּ֑ים וַתֵּעָצַ֖ר הַמַּגֵּפָֽה׃ NAS: so that the plague was checked.
Numbers 25:8 HEB: אֶל־ קֳבָתָ֑הּ וַתֵּֽעָצַר֙ הַמַּגֵּפָ֔ה מֵעַ֖ל NAS: on the sons of Israel was checked.
2 Samuel 24:25 HEB: יְהוָה֙ לָאָ֔רֶץ וַתֵּעָצַ֥ר הַמַּגֵּפָ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל NAS: and the plague was held back from Israel.
Psalm 106:30 HEB: פִּֽ֭ינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּ֑ל וַ֝תֵּעָצַ֗ר הַמַּגֵּפָֽה׃ NAS: And so the plague was stayed.
So this broadens the context of the meaning of the root עָצָר from just “restraint” or “fetter” to “limit, stay or stop”.
It still paints a consistent picture of the meaning of “lacking in self control”.
Proverbs 25:28b:
אֵ֖ין מַעְצָ֣ר לְרוּחֽוֹ
toward-his-spirit restraining/constraining/fettering There-is-nothing
Proverbs 25:28b “There is nothing restraining his spirit.”
Basically the desires of his spirit are unchecked, like the missing walls of a city there is nothing keeping invaders or occupants from wandering wherever they wish.
The effect for a kingdom is that the city is easily dispersed, invaded and powerless.
I fear this is is also true for the life of a person lacking in self-control; it is dissipative, misdirected and ultimately ineffectual for God’s intended purposes.
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[1] The Book of Legends (Sefer Ha-Aggadah), Legends from the Talmud and Midrash, Edited by Bialik and Ravnitzky, pg 535 #258.
Atheist to Elder 