PROV 14:31 Interlinear View

14:31 OSHB note: We read the punctuation in L differently from BHQ.

14:31 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

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

14:31

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^31a Whoever who oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,

^31bbut whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

The theme of this proverb is similar to 14:21, 17:5, and 19:17.

14:31a–b

poor…needy: As with the similar pair in 14:20 and 14:21, no contrast is intended here between these two terms.According to Waltke (p. 607), the words ʾebyon “needy,” dal “poor,” and ʿani/ʿanaw “poor/afflicted” are all synonyms. “No distinction is intended” between them. They both refer to the same person or group of people.

their Maker…Him: In Hebrew, these parallel terms are literally “his maker…him.” Some English versions clarify the referent of the pronoun “him.” For example:

whoever is kind to the needy honors God (NIV)

if you are kind to helpless people, it shows that you respect God (EASY)

However, if you decide to clarify the referent of “him,” it is recommended that you use the name of God, “the LORD.” In Hebrew, this name occurs over fifty times in this section (10:1–22:16). The word “God” (ʾelohim in Hebrew) does not occur in this section.The book of Proverbs usually refers to God by his name (YHWH). In chapters 1–9, a form of ʾelohim (“God”) occurs explicitly in 2:5, 2:17, and 3:4. In section 22:17–31:31, it occurs in 25:2, 30:5, and 30:9. In a few verses in section 10:1–22:16, such as here in 14:31, one or more English versions explicitly use the word “God.” In verses where the meaning lines of the Display make explicit an implied reference to the divine being, they follow the usage of the Hebrew text in that context.

In some languages, a specific term needs to occur before a general term, such as “their maker.” In these languages, it may be necessary to make “the LORD” explicit in the first line. Otherwise, it may imply that “his maker” and “the LORD” are not the same person.

14:31a

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,

A person who oppresses/mistreats those who have low status belittles/insults Yahweh who created them.
When a person causes hardship to poor people, he mocks/despises Yahweh, their maker/creator.

Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker: In Hebrew, the word poor is singular, and the phrase their Maker is literally “his maker.” So the phrase “his maker” could refer to the one who made the poor person. It could also refer to the one who made the oppressor. This ambiguity has resulted in different interpretations:

The pronoun refers to the poor. For example:
If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them (GNT) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NCV)
The pronoun refers to people who oppress the poor. For example:
If you mistreat the poor, you insult your Creator (CEV) (CEV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), because the poor is the nearest pronoun referent. Also, the advice against oppressing the poor has more weight if it emphasizes the LORD as the creator of the poor.

However, it is true that the LORD created all people, not only the poor. So it is also acceptable if you can translate in a way that allows either meaning. For example:

To oppress the weak insults the Creator (NJB)

He who oppresses a poor man insults his Maker (RSV)

Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker (NRSV)

oppresses: This word refers to creating hardship or suffering for people of lower status. A person oppresses others by forcing them to work overly hard or by cheating them by giving them low wages.

the poor: In Hebrew, this word for poor refers to people who lack material things. They belong to one of the lower social classes, so they also lack power and significance. Most versions translate this Hebrew word with the general word “poor.”The Hebrew word for “poor” that is used here is dal. TWOT (#433a) glosses it as “one who is low.” NIDOTTE (H1924) has two other glosses that are relevant in Proverbs: “insignificant” and “powerless.” The verses where this word occurs are: 10:15b, 14:31a, 19:4b, 19:17a, 21:13a, 22:9b, 22:16a, 22:22a, 28:3a, 28:8b, 28:11b, 28:15b, 29:7a, 29:14a. Some other ways to translate it are:

people who lack possessions/money

a person who lacks power

those who have low status

See the note on 10:4a and the footnote there for information on the other words for “poor” in Proverbs.

taunts: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as taunts usually means to mock or belittle someone with words. Here, however, it means to despise, scorn, or treat the LORD as worthless. A person does this by oppressing the poor. Several versions use the verb “insult.” This may be a good choice if it fits with actions as well as words.

14:31b

but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

But a person who shows kindness to these poor people who have many needs honors Yahweh by doing so.
But when he treats them with kindness, he also/thereby shows Yahweh proper respect.

the needy: The word that the BSB translates here as needy is one of the four Hebrew words that refer to the “poor” in Proverbs.The Hebrew word for “poor” that is used here is ʾebyon. Both TWOT (#3a) and NIDOTTE (H36) agree that this word emphasizes poor people who are “needy.” According to NIDOTTE, this word is used to refer to people who were “virtually destitute, the day laborers of the ancient world.” Verses where this word occurs are: 14:31b, 30:14d, 31:9b, 31:20b. This word emphasizes people who are needy. They may need food, clothing, or protection from people who oppress them. These needy people need to look for work every day. They depend on a daily wage for their survival.

Many English versions translate this word in the same way as the BSB. Some versions use a more general word. For example:

the poor (NET)

See the note on 10:4a and the footnote there for information on the other words for “poor” in Proverbs.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

עֹ֣שֵֽׁק דָּ֭ל & עֹשֵׂ֑⁠הוּ & חֹנֵ֥ן אֶבְיֽוֹן

oppresses poor & maker_of,his & kind needy

The oppressor. a lowly one, his, one showing favor, and a needy one refer to types of people in general, not to specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any oppressor of any lowly person … that person’s maker … any person who shows favor to any needy person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

דָּ֭ל

poor

The phrase lowly one refers to a poor person. See how you translated the same use of “lowly ones” in [10:15](../10/15.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עֹשֵׂ֑⁠הוּ

maker_of,his

Here, maker refers to Yahweh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “God, his maker” or “his maker, who is God” or “his Maker”

Note 4 topic: writing-pronouns

וּ֝⁠מְכַבְּד֗⁠וֹ

and_[is],honoring_of,him

Here, him refers to Yahweh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “but … honors Yahweh”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חֹנֵ֥ן

kind

See how you translated the same use of “shows favor to” in [14:21](../14/21.md).

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

14:31 OSHB note: We read the punctuation in L differently from BHQ.

14:31 OSHB note: We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.

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.