20:7
In this proverb, the second line gives the result of the first line.
7a The righteous man walks with integrity;
7b blessed are his children after him.
The proverb indicates that the children of a righteous person have truly happy lives as a result of his blameless conduct.
20:7a
The righteous man walks with integrity: In Hebrew, this clause is more literally “The righteous who walks in his integrity—” as in the English Standard Version. In this clause, the word righteous refers to a person who obeys the LORD’s moral standard.
The word integrity or “blamelessness” has the underlying meaning of completeness or perfection. It describes a person who consistently does what he knows to be right and good.
These two words overlap considerably in meaning. (See the notes on 10:29a and 11:5a.) Another way to translate this clause is:
People who consistently do what is right and honest
The righteous man: This verse focuses on the man as the head of the typical Jewish household. However, it applies to both father and mother. In some languages, it may be appropriate to make this clear. For example:
Righteous people/parents
20:7b
blessed are his children after him: This clause describes the benefit that the children of righteous people experience.
blessed: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as blessed means “truly happy” or “fortunate.” The same word that occurs in 3:13a and 14:21b. See how you translated the same word in those verses.
In the Old Testament, a different Hebrew word is used to refer to words of blessing that the LORD speaks as well as to good things that he causes to happen. See 3:33a–b and 5:18a for more information on that word.
his children after him: This phrase simply means that a person’s children come after him as members of the following generation. Another way to translate this phrase is:
the children who follow them (New Revised Standard Version)
In some languages, it may be more natural to leave the phrase after him implied, as in the Good News Translation (quoted below).
General Comment on 20:7a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these two lines. For example:
7b Children are fortunate 7a if they have a father who is honest and does what is right. (Good News Translation)
See also 20:7a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.
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