PROV 14:1 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 Σοφαὶ γυναῖκες ᾠκοδόμησαν οἴκους, ἡ δὲ ἄφρων κατέσκαψε ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῆς.
(Sofai gunaikes ōkodomaʸsan oikous, haʸ de afrōn kateskapse tais ⱪersin autaʸs. )

BrTr Wise women build houses: but a foolish one digs hers down with her hands.

ULT The wisest of women builds her house,
⇔ but a foolish woman tears it down with her hands.

UST The wisest women help their families to thrive,
⇔ but foolish women ruin their families by the foolish things that they do.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Every wise woman builds her house,
⇔ but the foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Every wise woman builds her household,
⇔ but a foolish woman tears it down with her own hands.

LSV Every wise woman has built her house,
And the foolish breaks it down with her hands.

FBV Every wise woman builds her house, but the stupid woman tears it down with her own hands.

T4T Wise women [PRS] hold their families together by the wise things that they do,
⇔ but foolish women ruin their families by the foolish things that they do.

LEB No LEB PROV 14:1 verse available

BBE Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.

Moff Wisdom builds the house of life:
⇔ frivolity pulls it down.

JPS Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

ASV Every wise woman buildeth her house;
⇔ But the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.

DRA A wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish will pull down with her hands that also which is built.

YLT Every wise woman hath builded her house, And the foolish with her hands breaketh it down.

Drby The wisdom of women buildeth their house; but folly plucketh it down with her hands.

RV Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.
(Every wise woman buildeth/builds her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands. )

SLT The wise woman built her house but the foolish will pull it down with her hands.

Wbstr Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.

KJB-1769 Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.
(Every wise woman buildeth/builds her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands. )

KJB-1611 ¶ Euery wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it downe with her hands.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Wyse women vpholde their house: but a foolishe wyfe plucketh it downe.
(Wyse women uphold/support their house: but a foolish wife plucketh it down.)

Gnva A wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish destroyeth it with her owne handes.
(A wise woman buildeth/builds her house: but the foolish destroyeth it with her own hands. )

Cvdl A wyse woma vpholdeth hir house, but a foolish wife plucketh it downe.
(A wise woma upholdeth her house, but a foolish wife plucketh it down.)

Wycl A wijs womman bildith hir hous; and an unwijs womman schal distrie with hondis an hous bildid.
(A wise woman buildeth/builds her house; and an unwijs woman shall destroy with hands an house built.)

Luth Durch weise Weiber wird das Haus erbauet; eine Närrin aber zerbricht es mit ihrem Tun.
(Durch wise women becomes the house built; a/one Närrin but breaks/shatters it with their Tun.)

ClVg [Sapiens mulier ædificat domum suam; insipiens exstructam quoque manibus destruet.[fn]
([Wise woman builds house/home his_own; stupid structured too hands will_destroy. )

14.1 Sapiens, etc. Destruet male vivendo, et aliquando aperte regnando, etc., usque ad de quibus aperte subdit:

14.1 Wise, etc. Destruet male living, and sometimes openly kingdomsndo, etc., until to from/about to_whom openly I_submit:

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

14:1

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^1a Every wise woman builds her house,

^1bbut a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

14:1a

Every wise woman builds her house,

A woman who is wise improves the situation of her household,
If a woman is wise, she strengthens the stability/harmony of her family,

14:1b

but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

but a woman who is foolish causes the situation of her family to become worse by her own foolishness.
but if she is foolish, she herself destroys her family.

14:1a–b

builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands: Compare 9:1, where the action of building a house is described in literal terms. Here in 14:1, the two women probably do not build or tear down a literal house. Instead, they strengthen or destroy the well-being of their families.

The wise woman in 14:1a strengthens or adds to the well-being, harmony, or stability of her household/family. By contrast, the foolish woman in 14:1b destroys the well-being of her family by her own efforts or her own foolishness. Here is one way to express the figurative meaning of this verse:

^1aA wise woman strengthens her family,

^1bbut a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does. (NCV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

חַכְמ֣וֹת נָ֭שִׁים בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑⁠הּ

wise_of women/wives builds house_of,her

The wisest of women and her here do not refer to a specific person, but refer to a type of person in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Those women who are most wise build their houses”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בָּנְתָ֣ה בֵיתָ֑⁠הּ

builds house_of,her

Here Solomon refers to a woman making her family prosper as if she were building a house. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “causes her family to prosper”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

וְ֝⁠אִוֶּ֗לֶת בְּ⁠יָדֶ֥י⁠הָ תֶהֶרְסֶֽ⁠נּוּ

and,folly with,her_own_of,hands she,tears_it_down

Here, a foolish woman and her do not refer to a specific person, but refer to a type of person in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “but those women who are foolish tear it down with their hands”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

תֶהֶרְסֶֽ⁠נּוּ

she,tears_it_down

Here Solomon refers to a woman ruining her family as if she were tearing down a house. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “harms it” or “destroys it”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

בְּ⁠יָדֶ֥י⁠הָ

with,her_own_of,hands

Here, hands refers to what a person does, which often involves using hands. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “by her deeds” or “by what she does”

Parallel PROV 14:1

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

14:1

14:1a

14:1b

14:1a–b