Glossary entry (derived from question below)
English term or phrase:
mutually reinforcing
English answer:
benefits that reinforce one another
Added to glossary by
Ana Juliá
Mar 3, 2016 12:22
8 yrs ago
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English term
mutually reinforcing
English
Art/Literary
Religion
About the book of Proverb
13:1–6 Headed by the call to be a wise son (cf. 10:1), these proverbs also utilize a play on words (cf. 10:6–32) relating to both speech (hears/listen, 13:1; mouth, vv. 2–3; lips, v. 3; falsehood, v. 5) and eating/desire (eats, v. 2; desire, v. 2; craves and richly supplied, v. 4) in order to assure those who seek to guard their mouth (v. 3) through righteousness (v. 6) that such a path has ***mutually reinforcing*** benefits in both heart and actions. The purpose of the section is integrated further by the repeated Hebrew nepesh, translated as “desire” (v. 2), life (v. 3), and soul (twice in v. 4): guarding the mouth protects the heart from being further confirmed in violence (v. 2; see 10:11) or sin (13:6), which overthrows (v. 6) a person and leads to ruin (v. 3).
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4 +6 | benefits that reinforce one another | Charles Davis |
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benefits that reinforce one another
That is the literal meaning of the expression. What it means in context is that the path recommended (guarding one's mouth), being related by wordplay to both speech (not speaking) and desire (not consuming), is beneficial both "in heart" (spiritually) and "in actions" (in practical terms), and each type of benefit augments the other ("mutually reinforcing").
This is clarified at the end of the passage quoted: the spiritual benefit of "protecting the heart from sin" reinforces the practical benefit of avoiding ruin, and vice versa.
This is clarified at the end of the passage quoted: the spiritual benefit of "protecting the heart from sin" reinforces the practical benefit of avoiding ruin, and vice versa.
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