OET interlinear PROV 12:12

12:12

Notice the parallelism:

^12a The wicked desire the plunder of evil men,

^12bbut the root of the righteous flourishes.

The underlined parallel parts contrast in meaning. The parts in bold print do not directly contrast. The part in bold print in 12:12a describes the bad desires of wicked men. The part in bold print in 12:12b describes the good result of being a righteous person.

12:12a

The wicked desire the plunder of evil men: There is a textual issue here:

1. The Masoretic Text is literally: “The wicked person desires/covets a net of evil.”The Hebrew word raʿim is plural. The BSB translates it as “evil men.” The NRSV has “wickedness.” BART has “evil [things].” For example:

   The godless delights in the snare of the wicked (NJB) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)

2. Some scholars think that the original text had: “The stronghold of the wicked person will be destroyed.” For example:

   The strong tower of the wicked comes to ruin (RSV) (NAB, RSV, REB)

3. The LXX has: “The desires of the wicked are evil.” The Syriac is similar. It has: “The wicked desire to do evil.” For example:

   All that wicked people want is to find evil things to do (GNT) (GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars.There are several reasons for preferring the MT. Although it is difficult to decide between the homonyms “net” and “stronghold” (mǝṣod), scholars have proposed understandable interpretations for both words. When the MT is clearly understandable, it seems ill-advised to follow a substantially different text, as the RSV or REB have done. As for the LXX and Syriac, they have apparently chosen to simply not translate mǝṣod. If this word were not in the original text, it is difficult to see why scribes would have inserted it, since it results in a more difficult reading. Scholars that recommend the MT include Waltke, McKane, Garrett, Delitzsch, Kidner, Cook, Fox, and Murphy. Ross simply lists the options. Scott supports a different text. Waltke (pp. 528–529) provides a complete discussion of both textual options and interpretations.

The wicked…evil men: The words wicked and evil are synonyms. In Hebrew, the word translated as wicked is singular, and the word translated as evil men is plural. This difference probably implies that a wicked person desires the same kind of things as other people who are evil/wicked like himself.

desire: Other ways to translate the word that the BSB translates as desire are:

delights in (NJB)

covets (NRSV)

the plunder of evil men: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as plunder is literally “net/snare.”The actual situation is far more complicated. The Hebrew word meṣod may be derived from a homonym that means “stronghold.” This meaning is supported by NIDOTTE and HALOT, as well as by Waltke and Cohen. However, no versions that follow textual option (1) translate this word as “stronghold” except the NET, which has: “The wicked person desires a stronghold.” BDB, Delitzsch, McKane, Murphy, Garrett, and Ross support the homonym “net,” though not with the same interpretation. The GW is an example of a different interpretation from the BSB. It has: “A wicked person delights in setting a trap for other evil people.” The whole phrase has at least two figures of speech. The word “net” represents what is caught in the net. It is also a metaphor. It compares the wealth that evil people obtain by violent or dishonest means to an animal or bird that a hunter catches in a net or snare.

In most languages, it will not be possible to make explicit all the parts of this complex metaphor. Most English versions translate this phrase without using a figure of speech. For example:

the proceeds of wickedness (NRSV)

what other evil people have stolen (NCV)

each other’s loot (NLT)

12:12b

but the root of the righteous flourishes: There is a textual issue here:

1. The Masoretic Text has: “but the root of the righteous gives.” The object of “gives” is not expressed, but most versions understand the phrase to mean “bears fruit.” With this text, the line describes the productive lives of the righteous. It contrasts their lives with the temporary wealth that the wicked desire to gain dishonestly. For example:

   but the root of the righteous bears fruit (ESV) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)

2. The LXX has: “but the root of the righteous endures.” With this text, the line describes the secure lives of the righteous. It contrasts their lives with the dishonestly gained wealth on which the wicked rely. For example:

   but the root of the righteous stands firm (RSV) (NET, NIV11, REB, RSV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions. However, there is also good support for option (2).The verb “gives” (yitten) normally has an explicit object, so the MT, as it stands, is an incomplete clause. The meaning of the verb “stands firm” (ʾetan) is elsewhere used in connection with the figure of a root, so internal evidence favors the idea of stability/security over productivity. Scholars who support “stands firm” include Waltke, Whybray, McKane, Cohen, Fox, and Longman. However, the choice of “net” in 12:12a (followed by most versions) favors the idea of productivity for the parallel in 12:12b. This idea is supported by Murphy, Garrett, and Delitzsch. The BSB translation flourishes is actually ambiguous, since a flourishing root connotes a tree that is both secure (firmly rooted) and productive (bears fruit). You may be able to include both ideas in your translation, as the BSB has done.

The phrase that the BSB translates as the root of the righteous flourishes is a metaphor. This metaphor compares the productive life of righteous people to a tree with a strong root system that produces fruit. In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may not be clear or natural. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate the metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

  but righteous people are like a fruit-bearing tree with strong roots

  good people are like trees with deep roots (CEV)

• Express the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:

  but the lives of righteous people are useful/beneficial to others