PROV 11:31 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=important (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) ⇔ Listen, anyone who does what’s right will be rewarded appropriately,
⇔ so how more so the wicked and disobedient person!

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 Εἰ ὁ μὲν δίκαιος μόλις σώζεται, ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται;
(Ei ho men dikaios molis sōzetai, ho asebaʸs kai hamartōlos pou faneitai; )

BrTr [fn]If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

ULT Behold, a righteous one in the land will be repaid,
⇔ how much more a wicked one and a sinner!

UST Pay attention! Righteous people on the earth will get what they deserve;
⇔ but even more so, wicked, sinful people will also get what they deserve!
⇔ 

11:31 LXX If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? Cited in 1 Peter 4:18

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Behold, the righteous shall be repaid in the earth,
⇔ how much more the wicked and the sinner!

WMBB (Same as above)

NET If the righteous are recompensed on earth,
⇔ how much more the wicked sinner!

LSV Behold, the righteous is repaid in the earth,
Surely also the wicked and the sinner!

FBV If the good are repaid here on earth, how much more will the wicked who sin be repaid!

T4T ⇔ Sometimes righteous people are rewarded here on the earth,
⇔ but it is much more certain that very wicked people [DOU] will be rewarded by being punished.

LEB • If the righteous on earth will be repaid, how much more[fn] the wicked and sinner.

11:? Literally “more for”

BBE If the upright man is rewarded on earth, how much more the evil-doer and the sinner!

Moff If good men are punished on the earth,
⇔ how much more the sinful and the evil!

JPS Behold, the righteous shall be requited in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner!

ASV Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth;
⇔ How much more the wicked and the sinner!

DRA If the just man receive in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner.

YLT Lo, the righteous in the earth is recompensed, Surely also the wicked and the sinner!

Drby Behold, the righteous shall be requited on the earth: how much more the wicked and the sinner.

RV Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: how much more the wicked and the sinner!

SLT Behold, the just shall be requited in the earth: much more the unjust one and the sinning.

Wbstr Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed upon the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

KJB-1769 Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.

KJB-1611 Behold, the righteous shalbe recompensed in the earth: much more the wicked and the sinner.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps If the ryghteous be recompensed vpon earth: howe much more then the vngodly and the sinner?
(If the righteous be recompensed upon earth: how much more then the ungodly and the sinner?)

Gnva Beholde, the righteous shalbe recompensed in the earth: howe much more the wicked and the sinner?
(Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth: how much more the wicked and the sinner? )

Cvdl Yf ye rightuous be recopesed vpo earth how moch more the the vngodly & ye synner?
(If ye/you_all righteous be recopesed upon earth how much more the the ungodly and ye/you_all sinner?)

Wycl If a iust man receyueth in erthe, how miche more an vnfeithful man, and synnere.
(If a just man receyueth in earth, how much more an unfaithful man, and sinner.)

Luth So der Gerechte auf Erden leiden muß, wie viel mehr der GOttlose und Sünder!
(So the/of_the righteous_(one) on/in/to earth/land/ground suffer must, as/like many more the/of_the godless_(ones) and sinners!)

ClVg Si justus in terra recipit, quanto magis impius et peccator !][fn]
(When/But_if just in/into/on earth/land receives, how_much more impious/ungodly and sinner !] )

11.31 Si justus. Si martyres tanta patiuntur injuste, etc., usque ad etsi enim impii non sumus, certe si peccatores nos esse negamus, nosipsos seducimus, et veritas in nobis non est.

11.31 When/But_if just. When/But_if martyrs such_a_great_deal they_suffer unjustly, etc., until to even_though because wicked not/no we_are, certainly when/but_if sinners us to_be negamus, nosipsos seducimus, and the_truth in/into/on us not/no it_is.

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

11:31

Notice the parallelism:

^31aIf the righteous receive their due on earth,

^31bhow much more the ungodly and the sinner!

There is an ellipsis in 11:31b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the verb phrase “receive their due” from 11:31a. For example:

^31bhow much more will the ungodly and the sinner receive their due!

This is the first example in Proverbs of logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. The reasoning goes like this: Since 11:31a is true, even more certainly 11:31b must be true. This kind of reasoning also occurs in 15:11, 17:7, 19:7, 19:10, and 21:27.

11:31a–b

If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!: The verb receive their due means to be repaid or to receive what they deserve for their actions. There are two ways to interpret the verb in this context:

The verb is used in a bad sense to mean “be punished.” Since even the righteous are punished for their sins, it is even more certain that the ungodly are punished for their sins. For example:
If the just man is punished on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner! (NAB) (NAB, REB)
The verb is used in a good sense to mean “be rewarded.” Since the righteous are rewarded for the good that they do, it is even more certain that the ungodly are punished for the evil that they do. For example:
Those who are good are rewarded here on earth, so you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished. (GNT) (CEV, NCV, GNT)

Many versions are ambiguous. For example:

is requited (RSV)

are repaid (NRSV)

gets due reward (NJB)

Phrases such as these, as well as receive their due in the BSB, can have either a bad or a good meaning in English.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars.These scholars: Cohen, Kidner, Ross, Whybray, Waltke, Fox, Longman, Toy, Murphy, McKane, and Delitzsch. Hubbard prefers the other interpretation. There are at least two reasons:

The general theme of Proverbs is that the righteous are rewarded. However, many examples in the Old Testament show that God judges or disciplines those whom he loves.
The reasoning from the lesser to the greater makes more sense in interpretation (1), because it is much easier to understand that God will judge the wicked.

Verbs such as “is recompensed/repaid” and “is punished” are passive. In some languages, it may be more natural to use active verbs and supply the LORD as the subject. For example:

We know that the LORD repays righteous people here on this earth for the sins they have committed. If that is true, it is even more certain that he will punish those who are sinful and wicked.

11:31a

If the righteous receive their due on earth,

If/Since Yahweh repays/recompenses righteous people on this earth for the bad things they have done,
We^(incl) know that here on this earth Yahweh gives those who do right what they deserve when they have sinned.

If the righteous: The Hebrew word that the BSB and most versions translate as If calls attention to what follows. It should not imply doubt. Some other ways to express this meaning are:

Since the righteous…

We know that the righteous…

receive their due on earth: Some scholars think that the words on earth emphasize the location where the righteous now receive their due. This location is in contrast to hell, where the wicked receive their due in the future. But no version makes this contrast explicit.

Most scholars think that both the righteous and the wicked will be repaid on earth according to their deeds.Waltke (p. 514) supports the implication of “present remedial punishment of the righteous ‘in the earth’ and the future penal punishment of the wicked.” Whybray, Toy, Delitzsch, Longman, Fox, and Murphy all argue that “on earth” does not imply a future eternal punishment of the wicked. So in your translation, you should be careful not to imply a different location for the judgment of the wicked.

11:31b

how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

it is all the more certain that he will punish wicked sinners.
So we^(incl) can be sure that he will certainly punish people who are consistently sinful and wicked.

the ungodly and the sinner: The word that the BSB translates here as ungodly is the same word that it translates as “wicked” in many other verses. Most other versions translate it here as “wicked.” The “wicked” and the sinner both describe the same person. Some ways of making this clear are:

you can be sure that wicked and sinful people will be punished (GNT)

how much more the wicked sinner (NET)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

הֵ֣ן

See how you translated the same use of Behold in [1:23](../01/23.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

צַ֭דִּיק & רָשָׁ֥ע וְ⁠חוֹטֵֽא

law-abiding/just & wicked and,a_sinner

In this verse, a righteous one, a wicked one, and a sinner 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 expressions that would be more natural in your language. See how you translated “a righteous one” in [9:9](../09/09.md) and “a wicked one” in [9:7](../09/07.md). Alternate translation: “any righteous person … any wicked person and any sinner”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בָּ⁠אָ֣רֶץ

on_the=earth

Here, the land refers to the earth in general. It does not refer to the land of Israel, as it does in [2:21–22](../02/21.md) and [10:30](../10/30.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “in the earth”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

יְשֻׁלָּ֑ם

repaid

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The context implies that Yahweh will do the action. Alternate translation: “Yahweh will repay”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יְשֻׁלָּ֑ם

repaid

Here Solomon refers to people receiving what they deserve for their actions as if they were being repaid for what they have done. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will receive what is due to them”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

אַ֝֗ף כִּֽי־רָשָׁ֥ע וְ⁠חוֹטֵֽא

also/though that/for/because/then/when wicked and,a_sinner

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “how much more will a wicked one and a sinner be repaid”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

רָשָׁ֥ע וְ⁠חוֹטֵֽא

wicked and,a_sinner

The terms a wicked one and a sinner mean similar things and refer to the same person, who represents this kind of people. Solomon is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: [a very wicked person]

Parallel PROV 11:31

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

11:31

11:31a–b

11:31a

11:31b