PROV 11:27 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
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 Τεκταινόμενος ἀγαθὰ ζητεῖ χάριν ἀγαθὴν, ἐκζητοῦντα δὲ κακὰ καταλήψεται αὐτόν.
(Tektainomenos agatha zaʸtei ⱪarin agathaʸn, ekzaʸtounta de kaka katalaʸpsetai auton. )

BrTr He that devises good counsels seeks good favour: but as for him that seeks after evil, evil shall overtake him.

ULT One diligently seeking good seeks favor,
⇔ but one searching for evil, it will come to him.

UST If you sincerely want to do what is right, people will treat you well,
⇔ but evil things happen to people who try to do what is evil.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who diligently seeks good seeks favour,
⇔ but he who searches after evil, it shall come to him.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
⇔ but the one who searches for evil – it will come to him.

LSV Whoever is earnestly seeking good
Seeks a pleasing thing,
And whoever is seeking evil—it meets him.

FBV If you look to do good, you'll be appreciated; but if you look for evil, you'll find it!

T4T ⇔ If you sincerely want to do what is right, people will respect you,
⇔ but if you are wanting to cause trouble, trouble is what you will get.

LEB • He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but he who inquires of evil, it will come to him.

BBE He who, with all his heart, goes after what is good is searching for grace; but he who is looking for trouble will get it.

Moff He whose aims are good wins the goodwill of God:
⇔ he whose aims are evil, evil shall befall him.

JPS He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favour; but he that searcheth for evil, it shall come unto him.

ASV He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;
⇔ But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.

DRA Well doth he rise early who seeketh good things; but he that seeketh after evil things shall be oppressed by them.

YLT Whoso is earnestly seeking good Seeketh a pleasing thing, And whoso is seeking evil — it meeteth him.

Drby He that is earnest after good seeketh favour; but he that searcheth for mischief, it shall come upon him.

RV He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favour: but he that searcheth after mischief, it shall come unto him.
(He that diligently seeketh/seeks good seeketh/seeks favour: but he that searcheth after mischief, it shall come unto him. )

SLT He seeking good shall strive after acceptance: and he seeking evil, it shall come to him.

Wbstr He that diligently seeketh good procureth favor: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come to him.

KJB-1769 He that diligently seeketh good procureth favour: but he that seeketh mischief, it shall come unto him.
(He that diligently seeketh/seeks good procureth favour: but he that seeketh/seeks mischief, it shall come unto him. )

KJB-1611 He that diligently seeketh good, procureth fauour: but hee that seeketh mischiefe, it shall come vnto him.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps He that searcheth for good thynges fyndeth fauour: but who so seketh after mischiefe, it shall happen vnto hym.
(He that searcheth for good things findeth/finds favour: but whoso/whoever seeketh/seeks after mischief, it shall happen unto him.)

Gnva He that seeketh good things, getteth fauour: but he that seeketh euill, it shall come to him.
(He that seeketh/seeks good things, getteth favour: but he that seeketh/seeks evil, it shall come to him. )

Cvdl He that laboureth for honesty fyndeth his desyre: but who so seketh after myschefe, it shal happe vnto him.
(He that laboureth for honesty findeth/finds his desire: but whoso/whoever seeketh/seeks after mischief, it shall happen unto him.)

Wycl Wel he risith eerli, that sekith good thingis; but he that is a serchere of yuels, schal be oppressid of tho.
(Well he riseth/rises early, that seeketh/seeks good things; but he that is a serchere of evils, shall be oppressed of those.)

Luth Wer da Gutes sucht, dem widerfährt Gutes; wer aber nach Unglück ringet, dem wird‘s begegnen.
(Who there goodness/good_(person) searches, to_him againstfährt goodness/good_(person); who but after accident/misfortune/disaster wrestling, to_him it_will meet/encounter.)

ClVg Bene consurgit diluculo qui quærit bona; qui autem investigator malorum est, opprimetur ab eis.[fn]
(Well he_gets_up in_the_early_morning who/which seeks good(s); who/which however investigator of_evil it_is, opprimetur away to_them. )

11.27 Bene consurgit diluculo qui quærit bona, etc., id est ad vitam consurgit in tempore resurrectionis, quia nunc bona agit in tempore operationis. Qui autem mala, quæ dicat vel agat, inquirit, eorum pondere ab altioribus retardatur.

11.27 Well he_gets_up in_the_early_morning who/which seeks good(s), etc., that it_is to life he_gets_up in/into/on at_the_time resurrection, because now good(s) acts in/into/on at_the_time operation. Who however evil, which let_him_say or act, inquirit, their by_weight away altioribus retardatur.

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

11:27

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^27a He who searches out good finds favor,

^27bbut evil will come to him who seeks it.

The BSB has arranged the parallel parts in the form of a chiasm in order to emphasize the contrast between goodwill and evil. There is no chiasm in this verse in Hebrew, and many English versions follow the Hebrew word order. For example:

The one who diligently seeks good seeks favor, but the one who searches for evil—it will come to him. (NET)

Arrange the parallel parts in a natural way in your language.

11:27a–b

searches out good finds favor…seeks it: The verbs that the BSB translates as searches out, finds, and seeks are all synonyms in Hebrew. All basically mean to search for something. They imply that a person searches for something in order to find or obtain it.

The idea of finding or obtaining favor provides a good parallel with “evil comes to him” in 11:27b. This may be why the BSB and some other versions focus on the aspect of finding rather than searching. For example:

Someone who seeks what is good wins much favour (REB)

Whoever strives for good obtains favour (NJB)

If you search for good, you will find favor (NLT)

The first and last of the three synonyms have a more intensive meaning. They have the connotation of searching diligently or carefully. (See the notes on 1:28b and 8:17a–b, where the first verb also occurs.)

searches out: The verb that the BSB translates as searches out probably means to be diligent in doing what is good for others. Some other ways to translate this verb are:

diligently seeks (NRSV)

eagerly seeks (GW)

However, in some languages, a verb that means “seek” implies that something was lost. So another way to translate this is:

Try hard to do right (CEV)

11:27a

He who searches out good finds favor,

The person who diligently tries to do good to others will gain the approval/acceptance of both Yahweh and others.
If a person tries hard to do what will benefit others, approval/kindness will be his reward.

finds favor: The person who diligently tries to do what will benefit others obtains favor, goodwill, or kindness. Some versions specify that this favor is the favor that is granted by other people. For example:

you will win friends (CEV)

you will be respected (GNT)

However, most versions do not specify whether this refers to the LORD’s favor or people’s favor. Most scholars think that this phrase is talking about either the LORD’s favor or the favor of both the LORD and people.Toy, Ross, UBS, Garrett, and Waltke prefer “favor of God.” Fox, Delitzsch, and McKane prefer “favor of people.” The NET, Murphy, and Longman prefer “either or both.” So it is recommended that you leave the reference unspecified. If that is not possible, then it is recommended that you specify both the LORD and people. For example:

A person who diligently tries to do good to others will gain the approval of both the LORD and other people.

11:27b

but evil will come to him who seeks it.

But the one who tries hard to cause bad things to happen to others, those same bad things will happen to him.
But if he deliberately plans to do what is wrong to others, he will experience wrong himself.

but evil will come to him who seeks it: This line means that a person who deliberately or energetically tries to cause evil or harm to someone else will experience it himself.

seeks it: Some versions translate this phrase as:

looking for trouble (CEV, GNT)

However, that expression may mean “plans to get into mischief” or “tries to start a fight.” This line should refer to causing harm or evil to other people. That provides a clear contrast to causing benefit to other people in 11:27a.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

שֹׁ֣חֵֽר & וְ⁠דֹרֵ֖שׁ & תְבוֹאֶֽ⁠נּוּ

diligently_seeks & and,[one_who]_seeks_carefully & it,will_come_to_him

In this verse, One diligently seeking, one searching for, and him refer to types of people in general. They do not refer to specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person who diligently seeks … but any person who searches for … it will come to that person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שֹׁ֣חֵֽר & וְ⁠דֹרֵ֖שׁ

diligently_seeks & and,[one_who]_seeks_carefully

In this verse, Solomon refers to people trying to do good and trying to do evil as if good and evil were objects that someone seeks or searches for. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “One who diligently tries to do good … but one who tries to do evil”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ט֭וֹב & רָצ֑וֹן & רָעָ֣ה

good & favour & evil

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of good, favor, and evil, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “what is good … to be favored … what is evil”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

ט֭וֹב

good

Solomon is using the adjective good as a noun to mean good things. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [to do good things]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יְבַקֵּ֣שׁ רָצ֑וֹן

seeks favour

Solomon says that someone diligently seeking good also seeks favor because that is what that person receives from Yahweh and other people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “finds favor from Yahweh and people”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

תְבוֹאֶֽ⁠נּוּ

it,will_come_to_him

Here Solomon speaks of someone experiencing evil as if evil were a person who could come to that person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly Alternate translation: “he will experience it” or “it will happen to him”

Parallel PROV 11:27

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

11:27

11:27a–b

11:27a

11:27b