PROV 10:30 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.

In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.

In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.

Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.

Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you^(sing), you^(plur), we^(dual), or we^(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.

Some other headings for this section are:

Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)

Here are many wise things that Solomon said

10:30

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^30a The righteous will never be shaken,

^30bbut the wicked will not inhabit the land.

Together the parallel lines imply that righteous people will live securely in the land. Wicked people will be forcibly removed.

10:30a–b

The righteous…the wicked: In Hebrew, the word righteous is singular. The word wicked is plural. Both words refer to categories of people who share the same character. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

10:30a

The righteous will never be shaken,

No one will be able to move/remove righteous people from where they are located,
Righteous people will always live securely in their land,

The righteous: The word righteous refers to a person who obeys or conforms to God’s moral standard. The same word occurs in 10:31a and 10:32a.

will never be shaken: In Hebrew, this verb phrase means “will never be shaken, overthrown or moved from one’s place.”UBS (page 236). The parallel contrast in the second line implies here that righteous people will never be forcibly removed from the land. In English versions, “from the land” is left implicit. For example:

A righteous person will never be moved (GW)

In some languages, it may be clearer to make this idea explicit in 10:30a. See the meaning lines in the Display.

Some versions also express the meaning positively. For example:

Righteous people will always have security (GNT)

In languages which do not use passive verbs, another way to translate this line is:

No one will be able to remove a righteous person from his location

10:30b

but the wicked will not inhabit the land.

but evil people will be taken away from the land/country.
but wicked people will not continue to live there.

but the wicked will not inhabit the land: The phrase the land may refer specifically to the land of Israel. It may also refer more generally to “the earth.” See the notes on 2:21a–b and 2:22a–b.

will not inhabit the land: This phrase may imply either that the wicked will be exiled from their own land or that they will die. If they die, they will no longer be in their own land or on the earth.

If possible, translate in a way that implies either exile or death. Some ways that English versions have translated this line are:

but the wicked will be removed from the land (NLT)

but the wicked will not survive in the land (GNT)

but wicked people will not continue to live in the land (GW)

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.