PROV 14:19 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

14:19

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^19a The evil bow before the good,

^19band the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

In these two pairs of parallel terms, no distinction is intended between “The evil” and “the wicked.” Similarly, “the good” and “the righteous” both refer to the same group of people.

There is an ellipsis in 14:19b. In some languages, the missing verb will need to be supplied from 14:19a. For example:

^19band the wicked will bow down at the gates of the righteous.

14:19a

The evil bow before the good,

People who are evil will bow down before those who are good to show them respect.

bow before: This expression means to bow down in front of someone. That is an action that shows submission or respect. If the meaning of the action is not understood in your language, you have several options:

Make the meaning of the action explicit. For example:
Evil people will bow down to people who are good in order to show them respect
Translate the meaning of the action, but not the action itself. For example:
Evil people will show respect to good people
Use a different action that indicates respect in your culture. For example:
Evil people will clasp their hands in front of good peopleThis suggestion is taken from UBS (p. 316).
Translate the action and add a footnote that gives the meaning.

14:19a–b

(combined/reordered)

In the future, evil people will bow down in humility before those who are righteous to request their help.

14:19b

and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

Yes, people who do what is wrong will kneel outside the house of a man who does what is right to beg for his help.

at the gates of: This phrase may have a more specific meaning than the parallel phrase in 14:19a. It may imply that someone bows down at the entrance of a wealthy person’s house to make a request or beg for his help. For example:Scholars who suggest that one of the purposes of bowing at the gate of a righteous person is to beg for their help include UBS (p. 316), Toy (p. 293), Murphy (p. 105), Delitzsch (p. 220), and Hubbard (p. 318).

humbly beg their favor (GNT)

Wicked people will ask righteous people to be kind to them. (EASY)

General Comment on 14:19a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the parallel parts. For example:

Evil people will have to bow down to the righteous and humbly beg their favor. (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-symaction

שַׁח֣וּ

bow_down

To bow down is a symbolic action that shows humble respect or submission to someone. If it would be helpful in your language, you could explain the significance of this action in the text or in a footnote. Alternate translation: “will bow down to show respect”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לִ⁠פְנֵ֣י

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before

Here, the word face represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in the presence of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וּ֝⁠רְשָׁעִ֗ים עַֽל־שַׁעֲרֵ֥י צַדִּֽיק

and,wicked_[people] on/upon gates_of law-abiding/just

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and the wicked will bow down at the gates of the righteous one”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עַֽל־שַׁעֲרֵ֥י

on/upon gates_of

Here, gates refers to the doorway of the house of the righteous one. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “at the gates of the house of”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

צַדִּֽיק

law-abiding/just

See how you translated the same use of this phrase in [10:3](../10/03.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.

OET interlinear PROV 14:19