Pro 20 | TNotes | STEP | 20:1 Too much alcohol clouds a person’s judgment. The Old Testament is not against drinking wine in moderation (3:10 ; 9:5 ; Ps 104:14-15 ), but it adamantly opposes excessive drinking (Prov 21:17 ; 23:29-35 ; 31:4-5 ).

20:1 ^a Too much alcohol clouds a person’s judgment. The Old Testament is not against drinking wine in moderation (3:10 ^b; 9:5 ^c; Ps 104:14-15 ^d), but it adamantly opposes excessive drinking (Prov 21:17 ^e; 23:29-35 ^f; 31:4-5 ^g).
20:2 ^h Queen Esther was willing to rouse the king’s anger and risk her life (Esth 7 ⁱ).
20:6 ^j True friends are reliable even in difficulties.
20:8 ^k The king should be the epitome of wisdom and justice.
20:9 ^l Wise people recognize their own weaknesses. Pride prohibits people from seeing their faults (6:17-18 ^m; 11:2 ⁿ; 13:10 ^o; 15:33 ^p; 16:18 ^q; 18:12 ^r; see also 1 Jn 1:8-10 ^s).
20:10 ^t False weights and unequal measures: Merchants, for example, should not cheat their customers by using false weights to weigh out grain (cp. 11:1 ^u; 16:11 ^v; 20:23 ^w).
20:12 ^x The ability to observe and learn from experience is a divine gift.
20:13 ^y Laziness generally leads to poverty (see 10:4-6 ^z, 26 ^aa; 12:11 ^ab; 13:4 ^ac; 14:4 ^ad; 15:19 ^ae; 18:9 ^af; 19:15 ^ag, 24 ^ah; 20:4 ^ai).
20:14 ^aj Sellers must see past a buyer’s words to avoid being cheated.
20:16 ^ak // 27:13 ^al A wise lender gets security or a deposit on a loan. A stranger was an Israelite unknown to a lender, who required security. Proverbs warns the wise to avoid borrowing altogether (see 6:1-2 ^am).

• The message of this proverb is repeated in 6:1-5 ^an; 11:15 ^ao; 17:18 ^ap; 22:26 ^aq.
20:19 ^ar This perspective on the gossip is repeated in 11:13 ^as.
20:21 ^at An inheritance gained early in life is likely to be spent long before death, leaving nothing to live on.
20:22 ^au See also Rom 12:17-21 ^av.
20:23 ^aw The message of this proverb is presented in three other proverbs (cp. 11:1 ^ax; 16:11 ^ay; 20:10 ^az).
20:24 ^ba God’s role in guiding our steps is clear (see 16:1 ^bb, 9 ^bc, 33 ^bd). We do not need to understand why things happen, but we should not lose hope, for God is in control.
20:25 ^be Counting the cost is particularly important when making a promise to God (see Judg 11:29-40 ^bf; Eccl 5:4-6 ^bg).
20:26 ^bh A king represents God on earth, so he should support the godly and punish the wicked.
20:27 ^bi The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit: God sees deep into people’s hearts (see 16:2 ^bj).
20:28 ^bk God’s unfailing love and faithfulness are closely connected to his covenant with his people (see Exod 34:5-7 ^bl; Deut 7:7-9 ^bm). The king represents God on earth, so God will protect him (see 2 Sam 7 ^bn).
20:30 ^bo Physical punishment cleanses away evil: See 13:24 ^bp; 22:15 ^bq; 23:13-14 ^br.