PROV 12:11 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.)

OET (OET-RV) The person who tills the ground will have enough food,
⇔ ^ but anyone chasing worthless things has the wrong values.

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 Ὁ ἐργαζόμενος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γῆν, ἐμπλησθήσεται ἄρτων, οἱ δὲ διώκοντες μάταια, ἐνδεεῖς φρενῶν·
(Ho ergazomenos taʸn heautou gaʸn, emplaʸsthaʸsetai artōn, hoi de diōkontes mataia, endeʼeis frenōn; )

BrTr He that tills his own land shall be satisfied with bread; but they that pursue vanities are void of understanding.

ULT Bread will satisfy one who works his ground,
⇔ but one who pursues empty things is lacking of heart.

UST People who work hard will have enough food to eat,
⇔ but people who waste time doing worthless things do not think wisely.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread,
⇔ but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who works his field will have plenty of food,
⇔ but whoever chases daydreams lacks wisdom.

LSV Whoever is tilling the ground is satisfied [with] bread,
And whoever is pursuing vanities is lacking heart,

FBV If you cultivate the land you'll have plenty of food, but if you chase after worthless things you're stupid.

T4T ⇔ Farmers who work hard in their fields will produce good crops that will give them plenty to eat,
⇔ but those who waste their time working on worthless projects are foolish.

LEB • He who works his land will have plenty of food, but he who follows worthless things lacks sense .[fn]

12:? Literally “heart”

BBE He who does work on his land will not be short of bread; but he who goes after foolish men is without sense.

Moff The man who works his farm has plenty of food;
⇔ a man of useless interests has no sense.

JPS He that tilleth his ground shall have plenty of bread; but he that followeth after vain things is void of understanding.

ASV He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;
⇔ But he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding.

DRA He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that pursueth idleness is very foolish. He that is delighted in passing his time over wine, leaveth a reproach in his strong holds.

YLT Whoso is tilling the ground is satisfied [with] bread, And whoso is pursuing vanities is lacking heart,

Drby He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread; but he that followeth the worthless is void of understanding.

RV He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons is void of understanding.
(He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth/follows after vain persons is void of understanding. )

SLT He working his earth shall be filled with bread: and he pursuing vain things wanted heart.

Wbstr He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

KJB-1769 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
(He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth/follows vain persons is void of understanding. )

KJB-1611 Hee that tilleth his land, shall bee satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vaine persons, is void of vnderstanding.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation))

Bshps He that tylleth his lande, shall haue plenteousnesse of bread: but he that foloweth idlenesse is a very foole.
(He that tylleth his land, shall have plenteous/plentifulness of bread: but he that followeth/follows idleness is a very fool.)

Gnva He that tilleth his lande, shalbe satisfied with bread: but he that followeth the idle, is destitute of vnderstanding.
(He that tilleth his land, shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth/follows the idle, is destitute of understanding. )

Cvdl He that tilleth his lode, shal haue plenteousnesse of bred: but he yt foloweth ydylnes, is a very foole.
(He that tilleth his lode, shall have plenteous/plentifulness of bread: but he it followeth/follows ydylnes, is a very fool.)

Wycl He that worchith his lond, schal be fillid with looues; but he that sueth idilnesse, is moost fool. He that is swete, lyueth in temperaunces; and in hise monestyngis he forsakith dispisyngis.
(He that worketh/works his land, shall be filled with loaves; but he that sueth idilness, is most fool. He that is sweet, liveth/lives in temperaunces; and in his monestyngis he forsaketh/forsakes despisingis.)

Luth Wer seinen Acker bauet, der wird Brots die Fülle haben; wer aber unnötigen Sachen nachgehet, der ist ein Narr.
(Who his field builds, the/of_the becomes bread the abundance have; who but unnecessary things investigated, the/of_the is a fool(n).)

ClVg Qui operatur terram suam satiabitur panibus; qui autem sectatur otium stultissimus est. Qui suavis est in vini demorationibus, in suis munitionibus relinquit contumeliam.
(Who works the_earth/land his_own satiabitur bread; who/which however is_followed leisure/rest for_foolssimus it_is. Who sweet it_is in/into/on wine demprayers, in/into/on to_his_own munitionibus leaves insult. )

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

12:11

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^11a He who works his land will have plenty of food,

^11b but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.

The main contrast is between a hard-working farmer and a person who spends his time doing worthless things. Having abundant food and lacking judgment do not directly contrast. To “have plenty of food” is a desirable result. “Lacks judgment” is an undesirable mental condition. This verse is identical to 28:19 except for the last half of the second line.

12:11a

The one who works his land will have plenty of food,

The farmer who works diligently will have plenty to eat,
The person who energetically farms his fields will have more than enough food,

The one who works his land will have plenty of food: The phrase works his land refers to any kind of work that a farmer does in his field or garden. It includes planting, cultivating, and harvesting. It implies that the farmer works diligently. The result is that he will have plenty to eat. Another way to translate this line is:

A hard-working farmer has plenty to eat (GNT)

12:11b

but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.

but the person who follows worthless plans/goals lacks common sense.
but someone who wastes time doing things that serve no useful purpose is foolish.

whoever chases fantasies: The phrase that the BSB translates as chases fantasies is literally “pursues worthless things.” The Hebrew text does not specify what is worthless. In this context, it is probably a worthless goal, plan, or project. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

those who follow worthless pursuits (NRSV)

the one who chases unrealistic dreams (GW)

lacks judgment: This phrase refers to a person who lacks common sense and makes foolish decisions. See lacks judgment in the Glossary.

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the parts in this line. For example:

but it is stupid to waste time on useless projects (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

לָ֑חֶם

food

See how you translated the same use of bread in [9:5](../09/05.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עֹבֵ֣ד אַ֭דְמָת⁠וֹ

tilling_of land_of,his

This phrase refers to a farmer who plants, cultivates, and harvests crops on his ground. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly or you could use a general expression for working hard. Alternate translation: “a farmer who cultivates his land” or “someone who works hard at his job”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

אַ֭דְמָת⁠וֹ

land_of,his

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 ground”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

רֵיקִ֣ים

worthless

Here Solomon refers to worthless things that people do as if they were empty containers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “worthless activities”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

חֲסַר־לֵֽב

lacks_of sense

See how you translated lacking of heart in [6:32](../06/32.md).

Parallel PROV 12:11

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

12:11

12:11a

12:11b