PROV 11:12 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

11:12

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^12a Whoever…lacks judgment shows contempt for his neighbor,

^12bbut a man of understanding remains silent.

11:12a

Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment,

A person who lacks good sense speaks scornfully about his fellow man,
If you^(sing) have no sense, you will say bad things about your companions to belittle them.

Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment: The phrase Whoever…lacks judgment refers to a person who does not have good sense. See lacks judgment in the Glossary.

shows contempt for his neighbor: Other ways to translate the expression that the BSB translates as shows contempt are:

One who belittles others (REB)

Whoever derides their neighbor (NIV)

A person who does this is contrasted with a person who “remains silent” in 11:12b. The contrast probably implies that a person who lacks judgment shows contempt through what he says to others about his neighbor.Delitzsch (p. 171) says that this verbal contempt does not refer to words spoken in the neighbor’s presence. According to Waltke (p. 493), the close parallel with 11:13 suggests that the contempt is expressed by slander. Some other ways to express this meaning are:

It is foolish to speak scornfully of others. (GNT)

It’s stupid to say bad things about your neighbors. (CEV)

11:12b

but a man of understanding remains silent.

but an intelligent/sensible person will refrain from speaking.
If you^(sing) are intelligent/wise, you will keep quiet.

but a man of understanding remains silent: The contrast with 11:12a implies that a person with good sense remains silent rather than slandering his neighbor.

a man of understanding: In this context, a man of understanding is a person who has discretion, good sense, and intelligence. The word that the BSB translates as understanding was last used in 10:23b. See understanding (good sense) in the Glossary.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

If you are smart, you will keep quiet. (GNT)

but an intelligent person remains silent (NRSV)

Notice that the GNT addresses the readers directly in 11:12b. It uses “you” pronouns. Versions such as the BSB or NRSV state a general principle. They do not address the readers directly. Use a natural way in your language to translate this kind of proverb.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בָּז־לְ⁠רֵעֵ֥⁠הוּ

belittles (to),neighbor_of,his

Contrasting this clause with the second clause indicates that Solomon is referring to someone despising his neighbor by what he says. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “One who vocally despises his neighbor” or “One who despises his neighbor in what he says”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

לְ⁠רֵעֵ֥⁠הוּ & וְ⁠אִ֖ישׁ תְּבוּנ֣וֹת

(to),neighbor_of,his & and,a_person_of understanding

Although his and man are masculine, Solomon is using these words in a generic sense that could refer to either a man or woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: “that person’s neighbor … but a person of understanding”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

חֲסַר־לֵ֑ב

lacks_of sense

See how you translated this phrase in [6:32](../06/32.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וְ⁠אִ֖ישׁ תְּבוּנ֣וֹת

and,a_person_of understanding

Solomon is using this possessive form to mean that a characteristic of this man is that he understands many things. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. See how you translated the similar “a man of understanding” in [10:23](../10/23.md). Alternate translation: [but a man who understands things]

Note 5 topic: translate-plural

תְּבוּנ֣וֹת

understanding

Here Solomon is using the plural understandings where he could have used the singular form. This suggests that he is using the plural form to emphasize the breadth or depth of this person's understanding. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the singular and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [great understanding] or [deep understanding]

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.

OET interlinear PROV 11:12

Hebrew word order

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

11:12

11:12a

11:12b

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