PROV 11:9 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 Ἐν στόματι ἀσεβῶν παγὶς πολίταις, αἴσθησις δὲ δικαίων εὔοδος.
(En stomati asebōn pagis politais, aisthaʸsis de dikaiōn euodos. )

BrTr In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare to citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous.

ULT With a mouth a godless one destroys his neighbor,
⇔ but with knowledge, the righteous will be delivered.

UST People who reject God ruin other people by what they say,
⇔ but what righteous people know will cause them to escape.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbour,
⇔ but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET With his speech the godless person destroys his neighbor,
⇔ but by knowledge the righteous will be delivered.

LSV A hypocrite corrupts his friend with the mouth,
And the righteous are drawn out by knowledge.

FBV Godless people mouth off and destroy their neighbors, but the good are saved by wisdom.

T4T ⇔ Godless people can ruin others by what they say [MTY],
⇔ but righteous people will be saved by their ◄own good sense/being wise►.

LEB • With a mouth, the godless shall destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

BBE With his mouth the evil man sends destruction on his neighbour; but through knowledge the upright are taken out of trouble.

Moff A godless man would ruin his neighbour with slander,
⇔ but the good man is cautious and escapes.
¶ 

JPS With his mouth the impious man destroyeth his neighbour; but through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

ASV With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;
⇔ But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

DRA The dissembler with his mouth deceiveth his friend: but the just shall be delivered by knowledge.

YLT With the mouth a hypocrite corrupteth his friend, And by knowledge the righteous are drawn out.

Drby With his mouth a hypocrite destroyeth his neighbour; but through knowledge are the righteous delivered.

RV With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.

SLT With the mouth the profane will destroy his neighbor: and by knowledge, shall the just one be delivered.

Wbstr A hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

KJB-1769 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.

KJB-1611 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the iust be deliuered.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps The dissembler with his mouth hurteth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the iust be deliuered.
(The dissembler with his mouth hurteth his neighbour: but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.)

Gnva An hypocrite with his mouth hurteth his neighbour: but the righteous shall be deliuered by knowledge.
(An hypocrite with his mouth hurteth his neighbour: but the righteous shall be delivered by knowledge. )

Cvdl Thorow ye mouth of ye dyssembler is his neghboure destroyed, but thorow knowlege shal the iust be delyuered.
(Through ye/you_all mouth of ye/you_all dyssembler is his neighbour destroyed, but through knowledge shall the just be delivered.)

Wycl A feynere bi mouth disseyueth his freend; but iust men schulen be deliuered bi kunnyng.
(A feynere by mouth deceiveth/deceives his friend; but just men should be delivered by cunning.)

Luth Durch den Mund des Heuchlers wird sein Nächster verderbet; aber die Gerechten merken‘s und werden erlöset.
(Durch the mouth the Heuchlers becomes be Nächster corrupted; but the righteous_(ones) notice(v) and become redeemed.)

ClVg [Simulator ore decipit amicum suum; justi autem liberabuntur scientia.[fn]
([Simulator vocally deceives friend his_own; just however they_will_be_freed knowledge/skill. )

11.9 Simulator. Hæreticus simulans catholicam doctrinam, decipit auditorem suum. Qui veritatem sequuntur Evangelii liberabuntur sapientia catholica, ne decipula decipiantur hæretica.

11.9 Simulator. Thesereticus at_the_same_timeans Catholic/universalm teaching, deceives listener his_own. Who the_truth they_follow of_the_Gospels they_will_be_freed wisdom Catholic/universal, not decipula decipiantur heretic.

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

11:9

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^9a With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,

^9bbut through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

This verse contrasts the way that the godless destroy the reputations of others and the way that the righteous escape from this kind of destruction.

11:9a

With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor,

The person who rejects Yahweh destroys the reputation of his fellow man by what he says.
The person who turns his back on Yahweh uses his words to ruin his fellow man.

With his mouth: The word mouth is a figure of speech (metonymy). It represents the words that the godless person speaks that ruin his neighbor’s reputation. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

By their words the godless try to ruin others (REB)

You can be ruined by the talk of godless people (GNT)

Most versions do not specify the kind of words that the godless person uses. He probably uses slander or gossip. But it is also possible that he uses flattering words in order to trick his neighbor.In Proverbs, the idea of ruining another person through one’s words usually refers to malicious gossip unless the context specifies otherwise. If possible, use a term that can be understood either way.

the ungodly man: This word refers to a person who ignores God or has turned his back on God.Ross (p. 960) understands this word to refer to a hypocrite or flatterer. Delitzsch (p. 170), Whybray (p. 179), and Waltke (p. 489) say that in later Hebrew this word came to mean “hypocrite” or “deceiver.” However, they do not state whether the word has this meaning here. Cohen (p. 67), Longman (p. 254), Fox (p. 534), McKane (p. 431), Kidner (p. 91), and Toy (p. 224) follow the meaning “godless,” along with most versions. The CEV follows the later Hebrew meaning. It has: “Dishonest people…” Some other ways to translate this word are:

the one who has no god

the one who has rejected the LORD

neighbor: In Hebrew, this word can refer to anyone with whom a person interacts, including a close friend or an acquaintance. It does not refer only to a person who lives nearby. See the note on 3:28a–b.

11:9b

but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.

But righteous people will be protected from destruction by their knowledge/wisdom.
But those who obey Yahweh know how to avoid being destroyed.

but through knowledge the righteous are rescued: There are two ways to interpret this statement:

Through his knowledge/wisdom, a righteous person escapes. He is not destroyed by the words of the godless. For example:
but a good person will escape by being smart (NCV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)
Through his knowledge/wisdom, a righteous person helps others to escape. The others are not destroyed by the words of the godless. For example:
but the wisdom of the righteous can save you (GNT) (REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.

knowledge: The word knowledge refers here to the righteous person’s wisdom in knowing how to deal effectively with slander. Some other ways to translate this word are:

wise discernment (NLT96)

wisdom (GNT)

their own good sense (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

בְּ⁠פֶ֗ה

by_[the],mouth

See how you translated the same use of mouth in [10:11](../10/11.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

חָ֭נֵף

godless

The phrase a godless one represents godless people in general, not one particular godless one. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: “any godless person”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חָ֭נֵף

godless

Here, a godless one refers to any person who rebels against God or behaves as if God did not exist. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “a person who rebels against God”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

רֵעֵ֑⁠הוּ

his/its=neighbour

Although the term his is masculine, Solomon is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: “that person’s neighbor”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וּ֝⁠בְ⁠דַ֗עַת

and,by,knowledge

See how you translated the abstract noun knowledge in [1:4](../01/04.md).

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וּ֝⁠בְ⁠דַ֗עַת צַדִּיקִ֥ים יֵחָלֵֽצוּ

and,by,knowledge righteous delivered

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. Alternate translation: “but knowledge will deliver the righteous”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

צַדִּיקִ֥ים

righteous

Solomon is using the adjective righteous as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [righteous people]

Parallel PROV 11:9

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

11:9

11:9a

11:9b