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OET interlinear PROV 12:9

◄ ← PROV 12:9 ↓ → ► ║ ©

Hebrew word order

    1. Hebrew word
    2. Hebrew lemma
    3. OET-LV words
    4. OET-RV words
    5. Strongs
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. Gloss
    8. CAPS codes
    9. OET tags
    10. OET word #
    1. טוֹב
    2. 391182
    3. +is good
    4. -
    6. P-Aamsa
    7. [is]_good
    8. S
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272458
    1. נִקְלֶה
    2. 391183
    3. one who +is lightly esteemed
    4. -
    5. 7034
    6. S-VNrmsa
    7. [one_who_is]_lightly_esteemed
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272459
    1. וְ,עֶבֶד
    2. 391184,391185
    3. and a servant
    4. servant ≈but
    5. 5650
    6. S-C,Ncmsa
    7. and,a_servant
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272460
    1. ל,וֹ
    2. 391186,391187
    3. to him/it
    4. -
    6. P-R,Sp3ms
    7. to=him/it
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272461
    1. מִ,מְּתַכַּבֵּד
    2. 391188,391189
    3. more than one who honours himself
    4. -
    5. 3513
    6. S-R,Vtrmsa
    7. more,than_[one_who]_honors_himself
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272462
    1. וַ,חֲסַר
    2. 391190,391191
    3. and he +is lacking of
    4. -
    5. 2638
    6. S-C,Aamsc
    7. and,[he_is]_lacking_of
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272463
    2. 391192
    3. -
    4. -
    6. -x-maqqef
    8. -
    9. -
    10. 272464
    1. לָחֶם
    2. 391193
    3. food
    4. -
    5. 3899
    6. S-Ncbsa
    7. food
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272465
    2. 391194
    3. -
    4. -
    6. -x-sof-pasuq
    8. -
    9. -
    10. 272466

OET (OET-LV) is_good one_who_is_lightly_esteemed and_a_servant to_him/it more_than_one_who_honours_himself and_he_is_lacking_of food.

OET (OET-RV) It’s better to be little known yet have a servant,
 ⇔ than to be self-important but have nothing to eat.

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

12:9

This proverb compares the living situation of two people. The situation of the person in 12:9a is better than the situation of the person in 12:9b. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

9aBetter to be lightly esteemed and yet have a servant,

9bthan to be self-important but lack food.

Verse 12:9a describes an unimportant person. But at least this person has a servant, which indicates a moderate standard of living. This person’s life is better than the person in 12:9b, who pretends to be important but does not have enough food to eat.

This is the first four-part “better than” proverb in this book. It compares two different situations. In each situation there is something good and something bad. This type of proverb has the following pattern:

It is better to have A (bad/undesirable situation) + B (very good/desirable situation)

than to have C (good/desirable situation) + D (very bad/undesirable situation)

For 12:9, the four parts are:

A: low social status (undesirable)

B: has a servant (very desirable)

C: appears to be important (desirable)

D: has no food (very undesirable)

The overall situation in the first line (A + B) is better than the overall situation in the second line (C + D). The reason is that the very desirable situation is more important than the very undesirable situation. It has a greater overall effect.Waltke (pp. 525–526) and Fox (p. 597) have essentially the same analysis of these complex four-part “better than” proverbs.

The other proverbs with this pattern are 15:16, 15:17, 16:8, 16:19, 17:1, 27:5, and 28:6.

12:9a

Better to be lightly esteemed yet have a servant,

Better to be lightly esteemed: The phrase to be lightly esteemed means to be considered unimportant or of low social status. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

a person of humble standing (NET)

to be unimportant (GW)

to be an ordinary person (NLT)

yet have a servant: There is a textual issue here:The textual issue involves the vowels that are used in the word that the BSB translates as “servant.” The choice of vowels affects the meaning of the following preposition (lo). With the vowels used in the MT (ʿebed), the word means “servant” and the following preposition means “to.” With the vowels used in the LXX (ʿobed), the word means “works” and the following preposition means “for.” See McKane (p. 37).

  1. The Masoretic Text is literally “and-a-servant to-him.” This means that he has a servant, perhaps implying only one servant. For example:

    It’s better to be ordinary and have only one servant (CEV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)

  2. The LXX is literally “and-works for-himself.” This means that he is self-supporting or earns his own living. For example:

    It is better to be an ordinary person working for a living (GNT) (REB, RSV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars.

If the significance of having a servant is not clear in your culture, you may want to add a footnote. A suggested footnote is:

In the Jewish culture of that time, a person who had a servant was not considered to be wealthy. However, he could live fairly comfortably, because his servant did most of the hard work.

12:9b

than to be self-important but lack food.

than to be self-important but lack food: This line indicates that the person pretends to have a higher status than he actually has. In reality, he is poor and lacks food. Some other ways to translate this line are:

than pretend to be somebody and have no food (NIV)

than to act important and have nothing to eat (GW)

General Comment on 12:9a–b

In some languages, it may be difficult to express a complex comparison in one sentence. Another way to translate it is to divide this verse into two sentences and change the order of 12:9a and 12:9b. For example:

9bSome people pretend to be of high status, but the truth is that they have nothing to eat.

9aIt is better if people consider you to be someone of low status, but at least you have one servant.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

נִ֭קְלֶה

be_lowly

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “is the one whom others disrespect”

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וְ⁠עֶ֣בֶד ל֑⁠וֹ & וַ⁠חֲסַר־לָֽחֶם

and,a_servant to=him/it & and,[he_is]_lacking_of food

In both of these phrases, and indicates that what follows is in contrast to what precedes it. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate a contrast. Alternate translation: “but has a servant … but is lacking of bread”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

לָֽחֶם

food

See how you translated the same use of bread in [9:5](../09/05.md).

TSN Tyndale Study Notes:

12:9 Reality is more important than appearance.

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

    1. OET-LV words
    2. OET-RV words
    3. Strongs
    4. Hebrew word
    5. Hebrew lemma
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. Gloss
    8. CAPS codes
    9. OET tags
    10. OET word #
    1. +is good
    2. -
    3. 2866
    5. 391182
    6. P-Aamsa
    8. S
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272458
    1. one who +is lightly esteemed
    2. -
    3. 6953
    5. 391183
    6. S-VNrmsa
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272459
    1. and a servant
    2. servant ≈but
    3. 1987,5754
    5. 391184,391185
    6. S-C,Ncmsa
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272460
    1. to him/it
    2. -
    3. 3705,1978
    5. 391186,391187
    6. P-R,Sp3ms
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272461
    1. more than one who honours himself
    2. -
    3. 4129,3592
    5. 391188,391189
    6. S-R,Vtrmsa
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272462
    1. and he +is lacking of
    2. -
    3. 1987,2594
    5. 391190,391191
    6. S-C,Aamsc
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272463
    1. food
    2. -
    3. 3759
    5. 391193
    6. S-Ncbsa
    8. -
    9. Y-1000
    10. 272465

OET (OET-LV) is_good one_who_is_lightly_esteemed and_a_servant to_him/it more_than_one_who_honours_himself and_he_is_lacking_of food.

OET (OET-RV) It’s better to be little known yet have a servant,
 ⇔ than to be self-important but have nothing to eat.

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 logo mark

◄ ← PROV 12:9 ↑ → ► ║ ©