PROV 11:21 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Χειρὶ χεῖρας ἐμβαλὼν ἀδίκως οὐκ ἀτιμώρητος ἔσται, ὁ δὲ σπείρων δικαιοσύνην λήψεται μισθὸν πιστόν.
(Ⱪeiri ⱪeiras embalōn adikōs ouk atimōraʸtos estai, ho de speirōn dikaiosunaʸn laʸpsetai misthon piston. )

BrTr He that unjustly strikes hands shall not be unpunished: but he that sows righteousness shall receive a faithful reward.

ULT Hand to hand, a wicked one will not remain blameless,
⇔ but the seed of the righteous will safely escape.

UST It is certain that Yahweh will punish wicked people,
⇔ and that he will not punish those who belong to the righteous group.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Most certainly, the evil man will not be unpunished,
⇔ but the offspring[fn] of the righteous will be delivered.

11:21 or, seed

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET Be assured that the evil person will certainly be punished,
⇔ but the descendants of the righteous will not suffer unjust judgment.

LSV Hand to hand, the wicked is not acquitted,
And the seed of the righteous has escaped.

FBV You can be certain of this: the wicked won't go unpunished, but the good will be saved.

T4T ⇔ It is certain that Yahweh will punish evil people
⇔ and that righteous people will escape from being punished.

LEB • Rest assured ,[fn] the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring[fn] of the righteous will escape.

11:? Literally “Hand to hand”

11:? Or “seed”

BBE Certainly the evil-doer will not go free from punishment, but the seed of the upright man will be safe.

Moff Be sure of this: bad men never go unpunished,
⇔ but all is well with the good.

JPS My hand upon it! the evil man shall not be unpunished; but the seed of the righteous shall escape.

ASV Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished;
⇔ But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

DRA Hand in hand the evil man shall not be innocent: but the seed of the just shall be saved.

YLT Hand to hand, the wicked is not acquitted, And the seed of the righteous hath escaped.

Drby Hand for hand! an evil [man] shall not be held innocent; but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

RV Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

SLT Hand to hand, the evil one shall not be unpunished: and the seed of the just were delivered.

Wbstr Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

KJB-1769 Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.

KJB-1611 Though hand ioyne in hand, the wicked shall not be vnpunished: but the seede of the righteous shall be deliuered.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps Though hand be ioyned in hande, yet the wicked shall not escape: but the seede of the ryghteous shalbe preserued.
(Though hand be joined in hand, yet the wicked shall not escape: but the seed of the righteous shall be preserved.)

Gnva Though hande ioyne in hande, the wicked shall not be vnpunished: but the seede of the righteous shall escape.
(Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall escape. )

Cvdl It shal not helpe ye wicked, though they laye all their hondes together, but the sede of the rightuous shalbe preserued.
(It shall not help ye/you_all wicked, though they lay all their hands together, but the seed of the righteous shall be preserved.)

Wycl Thouy hond be in the hond, an yuel man schal not be innocent; but the seed of iust men schal be sauyd.
(Though hand be in the hand, an evil man shall not be innocent; but the seed of just men shall be saved.)

Luth Den Bösen hilft nichts, wenn sie auch alle Hände zusammentäten; aber der Gerechten Same wird errettet werden.
(The evil/evil_people help(v) nothing, when they/she/them also all hands togethertäten; but the/of_the righteous_(ones) seed becomes saved/rescued become.)

ClVg Manus in manu non erit innocens malus; semen autem justorum salvabitur.[fn]
(The_hands in/into/on by_hand not/no will_be innocent bad; seed however of_the_righteous will_saveur. )

11.21 Manus in manu. Qui manum jungit in manu, etc., usque ad unde præmissum est: Abominabile Domino cor pravum.

11.21 The_hands in/into/on by_hand. Who hand joins in/into/on by_hand, etc., until to from_where/who beforemissum it_is: Abominabile Master heart wicked.

SOTN 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

11:21

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^21aBe assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,

^21bbut the offspring of the righteous will escape.

11:21a–b

will not go unpunished…will escape: Both of these phrases probably have a legal sense here. When the wicked and the righteous are judged, the wicked will receive a verdict of guilty and will be sentenced to punishment. The righteous will be declared innocent, so they will escape punishment.

The implied judge of both wicked and righteous people is the LORD. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

The LORD will indeed punish wicked people, but he will declare that righteous people are innocent.

11:21a

Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished,

Remember this: wicked people will certainly not escape punishment,
It is certain that Yahweh will punish wicked people,

Be assured that: This phraseIn Hebrew, this phrase is literally “hand to hand.” It may be based on the custom of striking or clasping the hands together to confirm an agreement, as in 11:15b. See Fox (p. 539), Waltke (p. 503), Longman (p. 260), and Delitzsch (p. 176). emphasizes the truth of the following statement. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Depend upon it (REB)

You can be sure that (GNT)

will not go unpunished: The double negative will not go unpunished may be expressed as a simple negative. For example:

will not escape punishment (REB)

It may also be translated as a positive statement. For example:

will be punished (GNT)

Some scholars identify the double negative as a figure of speech that emphasizes the opposite meaning.The NET footnote on this phrase identifies the figure of speech as tapeinosis. Fox (p. 539) agrees that this phrase, along with the initial phrase “Be sure of this,” underscores the emphatic meaning of this statement. So if you translate this expression with a positive statement, it may be more accurate to add positive emphasis. For example:

will certainly be punished (NET)

Be careful that this emphasis is not redundant in light of the initial phrase “Be sure of this.”

11:21b

but the offspring of the righteous will escape.

but those who do what is right will be acquitted, they and their descendants.
but he will not punish the righteous and their descendants/offspring.

but the offspring of the righteous: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “the seed of the righteous.” There are two ways to interpret this phrase:

It refers to the offspring or descendants of the righteous. For example:
the descendants of righteous people (GW) (BSB, ESV, GW, NASB, NJPS, NLT, REB)
It refers to righteous people as a class or group of people having the same quality. For example:
those who are righteous (NRSV) (NAB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NRSV, GNT)

You may follow either interpretation. Both are well supported by versions and scholars.The following scholars support the first interpretation: Fox, Longman, Whybray, Murphy, Garrett, Delitzsch, TWOT, and NIDOTTE. The second interpretation is supported by Ross, Waltke, Kidner, Toy, and BDB. It is suggested that you put the other interpretation in a footnote. Interpretation (1) is used in the Display for the following reasons:The main reason given in favor of the righteous (as a class) is that it provides better parallelism with “the wicked” in 11:21a. However, a common feature of parallelism is that the second line advances, emphasizes, or adds to the thought of the first line in some way. Isaiah 1:4 and 65:23 are also given as examples of the meaning “class/race,” but both these examples can just as easily be understood as referring to offspring/descendants, as evidenced by the NRSV’s translation “offspring” in both verses.

When referring to people, “offspring/descendants” is by far the most frequent meaning of “seed.”
Throughout Proverbs, the author uses the word “righteous” to refer to righteous people as a group or class. Since this is the only time in Proverbs where he uses the word “seed,” one would expect it to have a significant meaning.

The phrase “seed of the righteous” does not exclude the righteous themselves. It is implied that the righteous will go free along with their descendants. For example:

the righteous and all their offspring (REB)

will escape: In Hebrew, this verb is literally “will be delivered.” It is implied that righteous people will escape from the judgment or punishment that the LORD will give to the wicked. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

will go free (NIV)

will come to no harm (NJB)

will not suffer unjust judgment (NET)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

יָ֣ד לְ֭⁠יָד

hand to,hand

This phrase is an idiom that refers to something being certain. 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: “As sure as the sun comes up” or “Assuredly”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

רָּ֑ע

wicked

See how you translated this phrase in [9:7](../09/07.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

לֹא־יִנָּ֣קֶה

not go_unpunished

See how you translated this phrase in [6:29](../06/29.md).

Note 4 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

וְ⁠זֶ֖רַע

and_[the],offspring_of

Here, the word seed is singular in form, but it refers to all seeds as a group. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say this plainly. Alternate translation: “but the seeds of”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠זֶ֖רַע

and_[the],offspring_of

Here Solomon refers to all righteous people as though they were the seed of a righteous plant, or of all righteous people as though they were all descendants in a line of righteous people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but everyone having the characteristic of”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

נִמְלָֽט

escape

Here Solomon implies that the escape is from punishment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “will escape punishment” or “will not be punished”

Parallel PROV 11:21

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

11:21

11:21a–b

11:21a

11:21b