PROV 11:1 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

11:1

This verse contrasts the LORD’s attitude toward sellers who cheat and sellers who are honest. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^1a Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,

^1bbut an accurate weight is His delight.

In Hebrew, as in the BSB, these lines are not arranged in the form of a chiasm. That is, the parts in 11:1b do not occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 11:1a. However, some English versions do present these parallel parts in the form of a chiasm. For example:

The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him. (NIV)

11:1a–b

Dishonest scales…an accurate weight: These contrasting parallel phrases are figures of speech (metonymy). They represent the people who use inaccurate scales and the people who use accurate weights. Some ways to translate these figures of speech are:

Keep the metonymy. For example:
The LORD detests inaccurate scales, but accurate weights make him happy.
Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:
A seller who cheats when weighing things is disgusting to the LORD, but a person who uses accurate scales/weights is pleasing to him.

scales…weight: The word scales refers to a weighing device. This device had two pans that hung from each end of a bar. A merchant placed stones that weighed a known amount in one pan. He placed the objects to be weighed in the other pan.

The merchant normally carried a bag with him. This bag contained all the “weights” or stones that he needed to measure the merchandise.NIDOTTE (H4404).

11:1a

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,

Scales that do not show the correct weight cause Yahweh to be disgusted,
It is detestable/disgusting to Yahweh when people use scales with false/inaccurate weights in order to cheat others.

Dishonest scales: This phrase refers to using an incorrect weight on a balance scale in order to cheat someone who is buying or selling something.

In some languages, the word Dishonest is not used to describe inanimate objects such as scales. Some other ways to translate the phrase Dishonest scales are:

inaccurate scales

scales whose measure/weight is not correct

The expression “dishonest scales” also occurs in 20:23b.

are an abomination to the LORD: The phrase that the BSB translates literally as an abomination to the LORD is a very strong expression. Other ways to translate this expression are:

abhorrent” (NJB)

disgusting (GW)

repulsive

nauseating

Many English versions translate this expression with a word such as “hates.” For example:

The Lord hates anyone who cheats (CEV)

If you translate the expression that way, it is recommended that you supply additional emphasis. For example:

The LORD utterly hates

The same phrase occurs in 3:32a. See how you translated it there.Other occurrences in Proverbs of the phrase “abomination of the LORD” are: 11:20; 12:22; 15:8–9, 26; 16:5; 17:15; 20:10, 23.

11:1b

but an accurate weight is His delight.

but scales that are correct cause him to be pleased.
But he is pleased/happy when people are honest and use correct/accurate weights when they sell things.

but an accurate weight is His delight: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as delight is the same word that it translates as “favor” in 8:35b and as “fitting” in 10:32a. In those verses it refers to something that is favorable, pleasing, or fitting. The BSB may have used the stronger word delight here to form a better contrast with the word “abomination” in 11:1a. Some other ways to translate this line are:

a just weight is pleasing to him (NJB)

He is happy with honest weights. (GNT)

but he delights in a person who uses accurate weights

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

מֹאזְנֵ֣י מִ֭רְמָה תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת & וְ⁠אֶ֖בֶן שְׁלֵמָ֣ה

balance_of false abomination_of & and=stone_of accurate

Solomon does not mean that Yahweh actually hates these Scales or has delight in this whole stone. Rather, he means that Yahweh hates it when people use these Scales and has delight when people use a whole stone. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The use of scales of deceit is an abomination to … but the use of a whole stone”

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

מֹאזְנֵ֣י מִ֭רְמָה

balance_of false

Scales describes an instrument for determining the weight of an object or comparing the weight of two objects. It consists of a central post with a crossbar from which two pans are hung. An object may be placed in one pan and known weights placed in the other pan until the crossbar remains level, indicating that both pans contain an equal weight. Or one object may be placed in one pan and a different object in the other pan; the pan that hangs lower contains the heavier object. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of weighing instrument, you could use the name of something similar in your area, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “a balancing scale of deceit” or “a weighing instrument of deceit”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

מֹאזְנֵ֣י מִ֭רְמָה

balance_of false

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe Scales that are used for deceit. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “Scales used to deceive people” or “Scales people use to deceive others”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה

abomination_of YHWH

See how you translated an abomination to Yahweh in [3:32](../03/32.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וְ⁠אֶ֖בֶן שְׁלֵמָ֣ה

and=stone_of accurate

Here, whole stone refers to a stone people use as a standard weight on a pair of Scales that accurately weighs the whole amount that people expect it to weigh. Merchants could deceive and cheat their customers by using a stone that was not the correct weight. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but an accurate weight” or “but a stone that weighs the correct weight”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

רְצוֹנֽ⁠וֹ

pleasure_of,[is]_his

See how you translated the abstract noun delight in [8:30](../08/30.md).

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.