PROV 12:28 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

12:28

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^28a There is life in the path of righteousness ,

^28bbut another path leads to death.

12:28a

There is life in the path of righteousness,

A righteous person follows a way/path that leads to life,
There is life on the path of those who do what is right.

There is life in the path of righteousness: This clause means that righteous conduct results in life. As in similar verses in Proverbs, life probably implies a long and happy life. Another way to translate this clause is:

Doing what is right is the way to life (NCV)

12:28b

but another path leads to death.

not to death.
That path does not lead to death.

but another path leads to death: There are textual as well as interpretation issues in this line. They will be grouped according to the kind of parallelism that results:

The Masoretic Text ends this line with the words “no-death.” The whole line is literally “and way of path no-death.” With this option, the parallel lines have a similar meaning. For example:
in walking its path there is no death (NRSV) (CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)
The ancient versions and more than 20 Hebrew manuscripts end this line with the words “to-death.” The whole line is literally “but way of path to-death.” There are two ways to interpret the meaning of the difficult phrase “way of path.” They are listed as bulleted options below. With both options, the parallel lines contrast in meaning:
- The phrase means: “way of error/wickedness.” For example:
  but the way of error leads to death (RSV) (NAB, NJB, RSV, GNT)
- The phrase means: “there is another way.” For example:
  but there is another way that leads to death (NCV) (BSB, NCV, NET, REB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) and that you put the two parts of option (2) in a footnote. Both options are well supported by the versions and scholars.The main arguments for the MT include the following: 1) The phrase “no-death” occurs only once in the OT, so it is the harder reading. 2) The phrase “way of path” may be taken to mean “treading of the path” or “direction in which the path leads,” so it is not as redundant as it sounds. 3) Although immorality is not elsewhere specifically mentioned in Proverbs, the concept of eternal life is certainly implied in a number of verses. See Cohen (p. 79) and Waltke (pp. 543–545) for complete arguments and references. The main arguments for the other textual traditions include the following: 1) The phrase ʾal-mawet “no-death” occurs nowhere else in the OT, and the negative particle ʾal is only used with verbs, never with a noun. 2) The phrase “way of path” occurs nowhere else, although “way” and “path” are commonly used as synonyms in parallel lines. 3) An explicit reference to immortality would be unparalleled in Proverbs. 4) The other proverbs in this chapter are all antithetical. Since all the ancient versions have the commonly occurring phrase ʾel mawet “to death,” there are strong reasons for not following the unnatural “way of path” and instead following something like “way of error,” which forms a natural contrast to “way of righteousness” in 12:28a. See Fox (p. 560), Whybray (p. 199), and Toy (p. 259) for further discussion.

A suggestion for a footnote is:

This is the meaning of the Masoretic Text. Other Hebrew texts mean: (a) “but wicked people follow a path that leads to death” or (b) “but there is another path that leads to death.”

to death: The BSB translates is following ancient versions and some Hebrew manuscripts that read to death. As noted above, it is recommended that you follow the Masoretic Text, which reads “no-death.” One way to translate this is:

along that path is immortality (NIV)

However, since “death” in Proverbs often refers to premature physical death, it is recommended that you use a more general term. (See the notes on “death” in 10:2b and 11:4a–b.) For example:

in walking its path there is no death (NRSV)

their path does not lead to death (NLT96)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

בְּ⁠אֹֽרַח־צְדָקָ֥ה חַיִּ֑ים וְ⁠דֶ֖רֶךְ נְתִיבָ֣ה אַל־מָֽוֶת

[is]_in_[the],path_of righteousness life(pl) and_[the],direction_of path not death

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and that shows that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “In the path of righteousness is life, yes, the way of the beaten path is not death”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠אֹֽרַח־צְדָקָ֥ה

[is]_in_[the],path_of righteousness

See how you translated the path of righteousness in [8:20](../08/20.md).

Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

חַיִּ֑ים & אַל־מָֽוֶת

life(pl) & not death

In this verse, is indicates that what follows is the result of the preceding phrase. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate result. Alternate translation: “results in life … results in no death”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חַיִּ֑ים

life(pl)

See how you translated the same use of life in [10:16](../10/16.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וְ⁠דֶ֖רֶךְ נְתִיבָ֣ה

and_[the],direction_of path

Here Solomon uses the possessive form to indicate that the way is the beaten path. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “and the way that is the beaten path”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠דֶ֖רֶךְ נְתִיבָ֣ה

and_[the],direction_of path

Here, the way of the beaten path refers to the path of righteousness in the previous clause. Solomon refers to living righteously as if one were walking on a beaten path that is safe because it was made well. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and living righteously”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אַל־מָֽוֶת

not death

Here, no death could refer to: (1) a person not dying earlier than expected, which is the opposite way of saying the same idea used for life in the previous clause. Alternate translation: “is not dying early” (2) a person having immortality. Alternate translation: “is immortality”

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 12:28

Hebrew word order

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

12:28

12:28a

12:28b

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