PRO 28

Proverbs 28:15

WEB

As a roaring lion or a charging bear, so is a wicked ruler over helpless people.

BSB

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

KJV

As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.

Matthew Henry

Verse 15

Proverbs 28:15

It is written indeed, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people; but if he be a wicked ruler, that oppresses the people, especially the poor people, robbing them of the little they have and making a prey of them, whatever we may call him, this scripture calls him a roaring lion and a ranging bear. 1. In respect of his character. He is brutish, barbarous, and blood-thirsty; he is rather to be put among the beasts of prey, the wildest and most savage, than to be reckoned of that noble rank of beings whose glory is reason and humanity. 2. In respect of the mischief he does to his subjects. He is dreadful as the roaring lion, who makes the forest tremble; he is devouring as a hungry bear, and the more necessitous he is the more mischief he does and the more greedy of gain he is.

Hebrew interlinear

H738

אֲרִיʼărîy/ar-ee'/

n-m — lion

Derivation: or (prolonged) אַרְיֵה; from 717 (in the sense of violence);

a lion

KJV: (young) lion, pierce (from the margin).

אֲרִי

n.m — lion

אֲרִי n.m. lion

אַרְיֵה

n.m — lion

אַרְיֵה n.m. lion

H5098

נָהַםnâham/naw-ham'/

v — growl

Derivation: a primitive root;

to growl

KJV: mourn, roar(-ing).

נָהַם

vb — growl

[נָהַם] vb. growl, groan

H1677

דֹּבdôb/dobe/

n — bear

Derivation: or (fully) דּוֹב; from 1680;

the bear (as slow)

KJV: bear.

דֹּב

n.m — bear

דֹּב n.m., f. bear (from soft or gliding motion)

H8264

שָׁקַקshâqaq/shaw-kak'/

v — course, seek

Derivation: a primitive root;

to course (like a beast of prey); by implication, to seek greedily

KJV: have appetite, justle one against another, long, range, run (to and fro).

שָׁקַק

vb — run

[שָׁקַק] vb. run, run about, rush

Qal rush at, upon

Hithpalp. of chariots, they rush to and fro.

H4910

מָשַׁלmâshal/maw-shal'/

v — rule

Derivation: a primitive root;

to rule

KJV: (have, make to have) dominion, governor, × indeed, reign, (bear, cause to, have) rule(-ing, -r), have power.

מָשַׁל

vb — rule

מָשַׁל vb. rule, have dominion, reign

Qal

1. human subj., rule, have dominion over

2. of heavenly bodies

3. of God

Hiph. cause to rule; exercise dominion

H7563

רָשָׁעrâshâʻ/raw-shaw'/

a — wrong, bad

Derivation: from 7561;

morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person

KJV: condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.

רָשָׁע

adj — wicked

רָשָׁע 263 adj. wicked, criminal

H5921

עַלʻal/al/

prep — above, over, upon, against

Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);

above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications

KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.

כִּי עַל כֵּן

forasmuch as

כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as

עַל

subst — above

עַל, עָ֑ל

I. subst. height

II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against

1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed

a.

(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears

(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it

b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him

c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him

d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him

e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)

f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done

2. It expresses excess

3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence

4. It expresses addition

5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over

6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)

7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)

8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative

9. With other particles:

III. As conj.

a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that

b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent

c. עַל alone:

(a). because

(b). notwithstanding that, although

IV. Compounds:

1. with כְּ (rare and late)

a. as concerning, as upon

b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay

2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by

H5971

עַםʻam/am/

n-m — people, tribe, troops, attendants, flock

Derivation: from 6004;

a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock

KJV: folk, men, nation, people.

עַם

n.[m.] — kinsman

[עַם] n.[m.] kinsman (on father's side)

עַם

n.m — people

עַם, עָם 1810 n.m. people

1. a people, nation

2. = smaller units

3. = common people

4. people in gen., persons

5. phrases

H1800

דַּלdal/dal/

a — dangling, weak, thin

Derivation: from 1809;

properly, dangling, i.e. (by implication) weak or thin

KJV: lean, needy, poor (man), weaker.

דַּל

adj — low

דַּל adj. low, weak, poor, thin (especially common in Wisd. lit. and poet.)

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