PROV 11:30 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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

11:30 OSHB note: We agree with both BHS 1997 and BHQ on an unexpected reading.

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 Ἐκ καρποῦ δικαιοσύνης φύεται δένδρὅν ζωῆς, ἀφαιροῦνται δὲ ἄωροι ψυχαὶ παρανόμων.
(Ek karpou dikaiosunaʸs fuetai dendrhon zōaʸs, afairountai de aōroi psuⱪai paranomōn. )

BrTr Out of the fruit of righteousness grows a tree of life; but the souls of transgressors are cut off before their time.

ULT The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
⇔ and one taking souls is wise.

UST What righteous people say and do is like a tree with fruit that keeps people alive,
⇔ and people who persuade others to be righteous are wise.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.
⇔ He who is wise wins souls.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life,
⇔ and the one who wins souls is wise.

LSV The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life,
And whoever is taking souls [is] wise.

FBV The fruit of the good is a tree of life, and the wise person saves people.[fn]

11:30 “And the wise person saves people.” Septuagint version, “but the lawless are removed before their time.”

T4T ⇔ Those who live righteously will live for a long time,
⇔ but those who act violently will destroy their own lives (OR, those who are wise will have many people come and live with them).

LEB • The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life, and he who captures souls[fn] is wise.

11:? Or “persons,” or “inner selves”

BBE The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life, but violent behaviour takes away souls.

Moff Life thrives like a tree on generosity,
⇔ but grasping greed is death to men.
¶ 

JPS The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise winneth souls.

ASV The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
⇔ And he that is wise winneth souls.

DRA The fruit of the just man is a tree of life: and he that gaineth souls, is wise.

YLT The fruit of the righteous [is] a tree of life, And whoso is taking souls [is] wise.

Drby The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and the wise winneth souls.

RV The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise winneth souls.
(The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise winneth/wins souls. )

SLT The fruit of the just a tree of life; and he taking souls is wise.

Wbstr The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

KJB-1769 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.[fn]
(The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth/wins souls is wise. )

11.30 winneth: Heb. taketh

KJB-1611 [fn]The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life: and hee that winneth soules, is wise.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

11:30 Heb. taketh.

Bshps The fruite of the ryghteous is a tree of life: and he that winneth mens soules is wise.
(The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life: and he that winneth/wins men’s souls is wise.)

Gnva The fruite of the righteous is as a tree of life, and he that winneth soules, is wise.
(The fruit of the righteous is as a tree of life, and he that winneth/wins souls, is wise. )

Cvdl The frute of the rightuous is as the tre of life, a wyse man also wynneth mens soules.
(The fruit of the righteous is as the tree of life, a wise man also winneth/wins men’s souls.)

Wycl The fruyt of a riytful man is the tre of lijf; and he that takith soulis, is a wijs man.
(The fruit of a rightful man is the tree of life; and he that taketh/takes souls, is a wise man.)

Luth Die Frucht des Gerechten ist ein Baum des Lebens; und ein Weiser nimmt sich der Leute herzlich an.
(The fruit the righteous_(ones) is a tree the life; and a wise_(man) takes itself/yourself/themselves the/of_the people/folk heartfelt at/to.)

ClVg Fructus justi lignum vitæ, et qui suscipit animas sapiens est.[fn]
(Fructus just wood/timber of_life, and who/which undertake souls wise it_is. )

11.30 Qui suscipit. Qui animarum curam pro Domino suscipit, etc., usque ad ut sublimius cum Domino regnet, procurat.

11.30 Who undertake. Who of_souls care for Master undertake, etc., until to as sublimius when/with Master reigns, procurat.

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

11:30

As translated by versions such as the BSB, the second line adds to the thought of the first line. It is implied that a righteous person wins souls and is wise.

^30aThe fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

^30band he who wins souls is wise.

As translated by versions such as the NRSV, the parallel parts contrast in meaning:

^30aThe fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

^30bbut violence takes lives away. (NRSV)

These differences are due to a difference in the text and related differences in interpretation. These will be discussed in the notes on 11:30b.

11:30a

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,

The results/benefits of a righteous person’s life are like a tree that gives life.
The actions of a righteous person are like a tree whose fruit gives/sustains life.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life: This line is a complex metaphor. The first phrase, The fruit of the righteous, is a figurative expression. It refers to the good results of a righteous person’s life. These good results are compared to a tree whose fruit gives life.

In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be hard to understand. Some other ways to translate it are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
The godly are like trees that give life-giving fruit. (NLT96)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
What a righteous person does is a source of life to others.

Because tree of life is a metaphor that is used elsewhere, you are encouraged to keep the figure of speech if possible. The phrase tree of life also occurs in 3:18a. See how you translated this phrase there.

11:30b

and he who wins souls is wise.

But the result of a violent person’s life/actions is that others will die.
But what a criminal does results in people losing their lives.

and he who wins souls is wise: There is a textual issue regarding the word that the BSB translates as wise. There are also different ways to interpret the phrase that the BSB translates as wins souls. In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “takes souls.” The textual and interpretation issues are closely related, so they will be discussed together. The main interpretations are:

The LXX and the Syriac follow a Hebrew text that apparently had ḥamas “violent” or “violence.” The phrase “takes souls” means to take away lives, in other words, to kill people. Since killing people is not wise, versions that follow this interpretation also follow the text that reads “violence/violent.” For example:
but violence results in the taking of life (REB)
but violence takes lives away (NRSV) (NAB, NRSV, REB, GNT)
The Masoretic Text has ḥakam “wise” or “a wise person.” The phrase “takes souls” means to influence people. Since it is wise to influence people, versions that follow this interpretation also follow the text that reads “wise.” For example:
the wise person teaches others how to live (NCV)
and whoever captures souls is wise (ESV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) for the following reasons:

The verb “take” has many different meanings.NIDOTTE (H4374) lists nineteen senses of this verb, including take, take away, snatch, and seize, as well as get, receive, and acquire. It does not list Prov. 11:30 among the many references given. But when it occurs with the word souls, it is never used in a good sense. In the other six occurrences of this expression, it always means “take a life” or “take lives” in the sense of “kill.” (See 1:19, the only other occurrence in Proverbs.)
According to several scholars, 2 Samuel 15:6 and Proverbs 6:25 both describe a person who uses influential ideas to “capture” someone else. But neither verse uses the same Hebrew phrase that occurs in the expression “take souls.” Nor does either verse describe a morally good action.2 Samuel 15:6 is literally “stole the hearts.” Proverbs 6:25 is literally “let her take you with her eyelids.”
The idea of “winning souls” in the sense of evangelism does not occur elsewhere in the OT.

However, since both interpretations are well supported by versions and scholars,Murphy, Garrett, Whybray, Toy, and McKane support the first interpretation. Kidner, Ross, Cohen, and Delitzsch support the second. it is recommended that you put interpretation (2) in a footnote.There are also other interpretations. For example, the NLT has: “save lives.” Waltke advocates a similar meaning, “take away to life” or “take away lives from death,” but since the expression never has that meaning, he takes it as an “intentional irony” (2004, pp. 510, 513). Fox translates the phrase as “captivates souls,” and explains that “this captivation brings them life” or “preserves them” (2009, p. 545). Longman translates the phrase as “gather lives.” He tentatively interprets this to mean that “the actions and advice of the wise preserve and enhance the lives of others” (p. 266). All of these interpretations require that the phrase “takes souls” be given a meaning that is contrary to its normal usage. A suggested footnote is:

This is what it says in the LXX and Syriac. What it says in the Hebrew (Masoretic Text) is: “the one who ‘takes lives’ is wise.” Some scholars think that ‘takes lives’ means “persuades people” or “saves lives.”

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

פְּֽרִי־צַ֭דִּיק

fruit(sg) law-abiding/just

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe fruit that is produced by the righteous one. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “The fruit produced by the righteous one”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

פְּֽרִי

fruit(sg)

Here Solomon refers to what righteous people do as if it were fruit that they produced. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The deeds of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

צַ֭דִּיק & וְ⁠לֹקֵ֖חַ נְפָשׂ֣וֹת

law-abiding/just & and,[one_who]_takes souls

In this verse, the righteous and the one taking souls 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. See how you translated the righteous in [10:3](../10/03.md). Alternate translation: “any righteous person … and any person who takes souls”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים

tree/message life(pl)

See how you translated this phrase in [3:18](../03/18.md). Here Solomon speaks of what righteous people say and do as if it were a tree that gives life to those who eat its fruit. He means that the actions and teaching of righteous people help others to live a long and happy life. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “offers a good life to people” or “is like a fruit tree that sustains the lives of people”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

וְ⁠לֹקֵ֖חַ נְפָשׂ֣וֹת

and,[one_who]_takes souls

Here, one taking souls refers to someone who influences other people. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use a comparable expression from your language that does have that meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [and the one who wins hearts] or [and the one who influences others]

Parallel PROV 11:30

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

11:30

11:30a

11:30b