PROV 16:27 Interlinear View

16:27 OSHB variant note: שפתי/ו: (x-qere) ’שְׂ֝פָת֗/וֹ’: lemma_8193 n_0.0 morph_HNcfsc/Sp3ms id_20LMG שְׂ֝פָת֗/וֹ

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

16:27

The first line of this proverb indicates that a scoundrel makes plans to harm other people. The second line draws attention to the harmful words that he speaks. It compares them to a very hot fire that destroys what it burns.

^27aA worthless man digs up evil,

^27band his speech is like a scorching fire.

The parallelism implies that there is a close connection between his plans and his destructive words. It probably implies that he specifically plans to use destructive words in his efforts to cause harm and trouble to others.McKane (page 494) says that the two figures of speech in v.27a and 27b are not necessarily related. Most other scholars identify a definite connection.

16:27a

A worthless man digs up evil,

Bad, useless people look for ways to harm their fellowmen.
People who are wicked and worthless plan how to do bad things to others.

A worthless man digs up evil: In Hebrew, this line is more literally “A scoundrel digs evil.” There are two main ways to interpret the meaning of this line:

The word “digs” means “plots” or “plans.” A scoundrel exerts effort to design a plan to harm other people. For example:
Worthless people plan trouble (CEV) (CEV, ESV, GW, NCV, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, GNT)
The word “digs” means “digs up.” A scoundrel exerts effort to find information that will harm other people. For example:
A worthless man digs up evil (NASB) (BSB, KJV, NASB, NET, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.Ross, Murphy, and NET footnote (b) support interpretation (2). For example, Murphy (page 123) defines the verb as “digging or raking up the past.” Toy and Cook understand “dig evil” in the same sense as Proverbs 26:27 (digging a pit that will harm/trap someone). Whybray, Delitzsch, Kidner, Waltke, and Fox all support interpretation (1). Waltke (page 32) says that the troublemaker “concocts inflammatory speech,” that dig “never refers to what is dug,” and that “the meaning is not significantly different from the sense of prepare.” Fox (page 621) says that the verb “suggests the schemer’s eagerness and intensity in contriving his plots.” Kidner (page 122) says that digging is “a stock word for plotting.”

A worthless man: The Hebrew phrase (“person of worthlessness”) that the BSB translates as worthless man refers to a person who is both wicked and produces no good. (See the note on 6:12a.) Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

A wicked scoundrel (NET)

A worthless person (NJB)

digs up evil: In this context, the word evil means “harm,” “misfortune,” or “trouble.”

Some other ways to translate this line are:

Useless people make evil plans (NCV)

Evil people look for ways to harm others (GNT)

16:27b

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

The bad things they say about others are like a blazing/flaming fire.
Even their words destroy the lives of other people like an extremely hot fire.

and his speech is like a scorching fire: This line is a simile that compares the scoundrel’s words to the destructive effects of a scorching fire. The verse does not specifically define the scoundrel’s speech. It may refer to insults, malicious gossip, slander, or any words that destroy another person’s reputation or the harmony of a group of people.See Fox (page 622), Whybray (page 250), and Longman (page 337).

In some languages, it may be necessary to use a word or phrase that refers specifically to one kind of harmful speech. For example, the NET refers specifically to slander. It has:

and his slander is like a scorching fire

If possible, use a word or phrase that can refer to more than one kind of destructive speech. For example:

and their words are like a burning fire (NCV)

Even their words burn like a flaming fire. (CEV)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

אִ֣ישׁ בְּ֭לִיַּעַל

(a)_man worthless

See how you translated this phrase in [6:12](../06/12.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

אִ֣ישׁ בְּ֭לִיַּעַל & שפתי⁠ו

(a)_man worthless & lip_of,his

A man of worthlessness and his refer to a type of person in general, not a specific man. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person of worthlessness … that person’s lips”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

כֹּרֶ֣ה רָעָ֑ה

digs_up evil

Here Solomon speaks of a person planning how to harm other people as if that person were digging evil out of the ground. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “plans how to harm people” or “plans how to harm people as if he were digging up evil”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

רָעָ֑ה

evil

Here, evil refers to trouble or harm that someone experiences as a result of the planning done by A man of worthlessness. See how you translated the same use of evil in [12:21](../12/21.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וְ⁠עַל־שפתי⁠ו כְּ⁠אֵ֣שׁ צָרָֽבֶת

and_[is],on lip_of,his like,a_fire scorching

Here, on his lips refers to what a person says while moving his lips. See how you translated the same use of lips in [10:13](../10/13.md). Alternate translation: “and what he says is like a scorching fire”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כְּ⁠אֵ֣שׁ צָרָֽבֶת

like,a_fire scorching

Solomon is saying that the evil things that A man of worthlessness says are like a scorching fire because both can hurt people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “it hurts people like a scorching fire”

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

16:27 OSHB variant note: שפתי/ו: (x-qere) ’שְׂ֝פָת֗/וֹ’: lemma_8193 n_0.0 morph_HNcfsc/Sp3ms id_20LMG שְׂ֝פָת֗/וֹ

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 16:27

Hebrew word order

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

16:27

16:27a

16:27b

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