Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28 is the 28th chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The book is a compilation of several wisdom literature collections, with the heading in 1:1 may be intended to regard Solomon as the traditional author of the whole book, but the dates of the individual collections are difficult to determine, and the book probably obtained its final shape in the post-exilic period. This chapter is the last part of the fifth collection of the book, so-called "the Second Solomonic Collection."

Hebrew
The following table shows the Hebrew text of Proverbs 28 with vowels alongside an English translation based upon the JPS 1917 translation (now in the public domain).

Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B; $$ \mathfrak{G}$$B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: $$ \mathfrak{G}$$S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; $$ \mathfrak{G}$$A; 5th century).

Analysis
This chapter belongs to a further collection of Solomonic proverbs, transmitted and edited by royal scribes during the reign of Hezekiah, comprising Proverbs 25–29. Based on differences in style and subject-matter there could be two originally separate collections:
 * 1) Proverbs 25–27: characterized by many similes and the 'earthy' tone
 * 2) Proverbs 28–29: characterized by many antithetical sayings and the predominantly 'moral and religious' tone (cf. Proverbs 10–15)

Verse 1

 * The wicked flee when no one pursues,
 * but the righteous are bold as a lion.


 * "The wicked flee": the insecurity of a guilty person—that person flees because of a guilty conscience, or because of suspicion of others around, or because that person fears judgment.

Verse 2

 * New Revised Standard Version attempts to clarify the verse with a more intelligible reading:


 * The reign of Hezekiah is associated with attempts to restore the union of Judah and Israel by political and religious means, which both proved unsuccessful.


 * In the Septuagint, this verse is presented as a saying about quarrelling:

Verse 8

 * "Usury": is banned under the Mosaic law, by and.