PROV 18:5 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

18:5

This proverb criticizes the action of an unjust judge. This judge gives an unfair verdict in favor of a guilty person and/or prevents an innocent person from getting a fair verdict.

^5aShowing partiality to the wicked is not good,

^5bnor is depriving the innocent of justice.

In Hebrew, the word “nor” does not occur here. The second part of the verse is more literally “to deprive the righteous of justice” (REB). There are two main ways to interpret the relation between the two parts of the verse:

The verse discusses a single legal case. In this case, a judge shows favoritism to a guilty person (18:5a). He also deprives an innocent person of justice (18:5b). Verse 18:5b probably gives the result of the judge’s favoritism or the circumstances in which he showed favoritism.The Hebrew construction used here is the infinitive construct with the preposition lǝ. This construction has “a wide variety of complementary and explanatory uses” (Lambdin, page 129). Waltke thinks that the probable function is to explain “either the purpose/result or circumstances of showing favoritism” (2005, page 72). Fox says that it introduces a circumstance which defines the meaning of “to be partial” (2009, page 639). For example:
^5aIt is not good to be partial to the wicked ^5band so to deprive the innocent of justice. (NIV11)
^5aIt is not good to be partial toward a wicked person, ^5bthereby depriving an innocent person of justice. (GW)
^5aIt is terrible to show partiality to the wicked, ^5bby depriving a righteous man of justice. (NET) (CEV, GW, NAB, NET, NIV11, NJB, NJPS, GNT)
The verse discusses two different legal cases. In the first, a judge shows favoritism to a guilty person (18:5a). In the second, a judge deprives an innocent person of justice (18:5b). For example:
^5aIt is not right to acquit the guilty ^5bor deny justice to the innocent. (NLT) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NRSV, NLT)These versions all connect the two lines with the word “or.” The Notes, as well as other scholars, have interpreted this English construction to refer to two different legal cases. See UBS (page 385).

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the verse parts. For example:

It is not right to keep an innocent person from getting his legal rights in order to show favoritism to a guilty person.

For similar verses about unjust judges, see 17:15, 17:23, 17:26.

18:5a–b

wicked…innocent: The BSB usually translates the contrasting words wicked and innocent as “wicked” and “righteous.” In a court context, such as here, these words refer to people who are “guilty” and people who are “innocent.”

18:5a

Showing partiality to the wicked is not good,

It is not good/right to decide a court case in favor of a wicked/guilty person,
It is very wrong for a judge to declare that a guilty person is not guilty.

Showing partiality to the wicked: This phrase means “to take the side of the guilty person” in a court case. It probably means that the judge decides the case in his favor by declaring him not guilty.This phrase is literally “to lift up [the] face” (BART interlinear). According to a number of scholars, this was a gesture by which a superior showed his favor to a petitioner. As Waltke (page 72) points out, the gesture of a judge lifting the bowed head of a guilty person signified that the person was not guilty. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

to favor the guilty (GNT)

to acquit the guilty (NLT)

is not good: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates literally as is not good is probably a figure of speech (understatement).Ross (page 1024), Whybray (page 251). It emphasizes the opposite meaning. For example:

It is terrible (NET)

It’s wrong (CEV)

18:5b

nor is depriving the innocent of justice.

thereby preventing a righteous/innocent person from receiving a fair verdict/trial.
When he does that, he denies justice to an innocent person.

depriving the innocent of justice: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “to turn away…in the judgment.”BART interlinear gloss. This phrase may indicate that the judge gives an unfair verdict against an innocent person. It may also indicate that he refuses to hear the innocent person’s case. If possible, translate in a way that allows either situation. For example:

to reject a rightful claim (NAB)

keep the innocent from getting justice (CEV)

to be unfair to the innocent (NCV)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

לֹא־ט֑וֹב

not good

Solomon is using a figure of speech here that expresses a strongly positive meaning by using a negative word, not, together with an expression that is the opposite of the intended meaning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the positive meaning. Alternate translation: “It is surely bad”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

שְׂאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי־רָשָׁ֣ע & צַ֝דִּ֗יק בַּ⁠מִּשְׁפָּֽט

to_elevate/lift_up face/surface_of wicked & law-abiding/just in,judgment

Here, the face, the wicked one, the righteous one, and the judgment represent these things and people in general, not specific things and people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “to lift the faces of the wicked ones … the righteous ones in the judgments”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

שְׂאֵ֣ת פְּנֵי

to_elevate/lift_up face/surface_of

Here, to lift the face is an idiom that means “to show partiality” or “to favor”. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use an idiom from your language that does have this meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to show favoritism to” or “to be partial to”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

רָשָׁ֣ע & צַ֝דִּ֗יק

wicked & law-abiding/just

In this verse, the wicked one refers to someone who is guilty of doing something wicked and the righteous one refers to someone who is innocent of doing something wicked. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar use of wicked and righteous in [17:15](../17/15.md). Alternate translation: “the guilty one … the innocent one”

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

לְ⁠הַטּ֥וֹת

to,turn_aside

Here, to marks turn aside as the goal or purpose of lifting the face of the wicked one. Use a natural way in your language to express a purpose. Alternate translation: “for the purpose of turning aside”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לְ⁠הַטּ֥וֹת

to,turn_aside

Here, depriving an innocent person of a just judgment is spoken of as if the righteous one were made to turn aside when judged in court. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to deprive of justice”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בַּ⁠מִּשְׁפָּֽט

in,judgment

Here, the judgment refers to the verdict of a judge in a legal case. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “regarding the verdict of his case” or “when his case is decided”

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.