OET interlinear PROV 28:1

28:1

This proverb contrasts wicked and righteous people. Wicked people are anxious and fearful. Righteous people are brave and confident.

^1a The wicked flee when no one pursues,

^1bbut the righteous are as bold as a lion.

The proverb does not give an explicit reason for the contrasting attitudes of these two kinds of people. But it implies a situation in which a guilty person fears punishment or revenge, but a righteous person has nothing to fear.

28:1a–b

The wicked…the righteous: In Hebrew, the first phrase is singular. The second phrase is plural. Each phrase refers to a group of people who share a common trait. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

28:1a

The wicked flee when no one pursues: This clause is probably a metaphor. It compares an evil person to someone who runs away even when no one is chasing him. The implied similarity is that both are anxious and fearful that something bad will happen to them.Waltke (p. 406) says that the insecurity of the wicked “is implicitly likened to that of warriors or prey fleeing when no enemy or predator is pursuing.” Other scholars also describe the behavior of the wicked in terms of their attitude. Fox (p. 819) says that they “live in constant anxiety.” Ross (p. 1102) says that they “become fearful and suspicious of everyone” due to “a guilty conscience or a fear of judgment.” McKane (p. 621) says that a “wicked person has the mentality of a fugitive and is under the impression that he is being hunted, even though his pursuers are the product of his own imagination.” Some other ways to translate this implied comparison are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

  Evil people run even though no one is chasing them (NCV)

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the implied similarity. For example:

  A wicked person is always anxious and afraid. He is like a person who runs even when there is nobody chasing him.

wicked: The Hebrew word used here refers to people who are habitually evil in their character and conduct. People who are wicked rebel against the LORD and disobey his commands.

28:1b

but the righteous are as bold as a lion: This clause is a simile. It compares righteous people to a lion. The similarity is that both are brave or confident. They have nothing to fear. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

but the righteous person is as confident as a lion (NET)

but those who live right are as brave as lions (CEV)

righteous: In Hebrew, this word refers to people who do what is right and obey the law of the LORD.

bold: In Hebrew, this word is a verb that can mean “to trust,” “to be confident” or “to feel safe/secure.”In six of its nine other occurrences in Proverbs, the BSB translates it as “trust(s)” (“trust in the Lord”—3:5, 16:20, 28:25, 29:25; “trusts in his riches”—11:28; “trusts in himself”—28:26). Here in 28:1, the object of the verb is not expressed and the comparison is to a lion, so the sense of “bold” is more appropriate here than “trust(s).” In this context, many English versions use a word such as bold or “brave” because of the comparison to a lion. In some languages, it may be more natural to use different words or phrases to describe a righteous person and a lion. For example:

but a righteous person has courage to face his enemies. He is like a brave lion.