PROV 16:12 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 Βδέλυγμα βασιλεῖ ὁ ποιῶν κακὰ, μετὰ γὰρ δικαιοσύνης ἑτοιμάζεται θρόνος ἀρχῆς.
(Bdelugma basilei ho poiōn kaka, meta gar dikaiosunaʸs hetoimazetai thronos arⱪaʸs. )

BrTr An evil-doer is an abomination to a king; for the throne of rule is established by righteousness.

ULT An abomination of kings is doing wickedness,
⇔ for by righteousness is a throne established.

UST Kings should detest any wicked thing that people do
⇔ because acting righteously causes kings to rule securely.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE It is an abomination for kings to do wrong,
⇔ for the throne is established by righteousness.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Doing wickedness is an abomination to kings,
⇔ because a throne is established in righteousness.

LSV Doing wickedness [is] an abomination to kings,
For a throne is established by righteousness.

FBV It's a terrible thing for a king to do evil, for his throne is based on doing right.

T4T ⇔ Kings detest those who do evil,
⇔ because it is people doing what is fair/right that causes their governments to be [MTY] strong.

LEB • An abomination to kings is doing evil, for by righteousness the throne will be established.

BBE Evil-doing is disgusting to kings: for the seat of the ruler is based on righteousness.

Moff Kings have a horror of wrongdoing,
⇔ for the throne is maintained by justice.

JPS It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness; for the throne is established by righteousness.

ASV It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness;
⇔ For the throne is established by righteousness.

DRA They that act wickedly are abominable to the king: for the throne is established by justice.

YLT An abomination to kings [is] doing wickedness, For by righteousness is a throne established.

Drby It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness; for the throne is established by righteousness.

RV It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
(It is an abomination/disgusting_thing to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. )

SLT An abomination of kings to do injustice: for in justice shall the throne be prepared.

Wbstr It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.

KJB-1769 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
(It is an abomination/disgusting_thing to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness. )

KJB-1611 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickednesse: for the throne is established by righteousnesse.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Wicked doers are an abhomination to the kyng, for a kynges seate shoulde be holden vp with ryghteousnesse.
(Wicked doers are an abomination/disgusting_thing to the king, for a kings seat should be held up with righteousness.)

Gnva It is an abomination to Kings to commit wickednes: for the throne is stablished by iustice.
(It is an abomination/disgusting_thing to Kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by justice. )

Cvdl It is a greate abhominacio when kynges are wycked, for a kynges seate shulde be holden vp wt righteousnesse.
(It is a great abhominacio when kings are wycked, for a kings seat should be held up with righteousness.)

Wycl Thei that don wickidli ben abhomynable to the king; for the trone of the rewme is maad stidfast bi riytfulnesse.
(They that done wickedly been abominable/revolting to the king; for the throne of the realm is made steadfast by rightfulness/righteousness.)

Luth Vor den Königen unrecht tun, ist ein Greuel; denn durch Gerechtigkeit wird der Thron bestätiget.
(Before/In_front_of the kings wrong do/put, is a abomination/disgusting_thing; because/than through justice becomes the/of_the throne confirmed.)

ClVg Abominabiles regi qui agunt impie, quoniam justitia firmatur solium.
(Abominabiles to_rule who/which they_act impie, since/because justice firmatur only. )

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

16:12

The second line gives the reason or motive for the first line.

^12a Wicked behavior is detestable to kings,

^12bfor a throne is established through righteousness.

The underlined parallel parts have similar meanings. The parts in bold print contrast in meaning.

16:12a

Wicked behavior is detestable to kings,

A king cannot tolerate evil/wrongdoing,
Wicked deeds are repulsive/detestable to kings/rulers,

Wicked behavior is detestable to kings: For detestable, see the note on 11:1a. Scholars interpret the subject of Wicked behavior in different ways:

Wicked behavior refers to evil deeds in general. These include any wrong deeds done by the king himself, others in the government, or the people in his kingdom. For example:
Evil-doing is abhorrent to kings (NJB) (BSB, CEV, GW, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB, GNT)
Wicked behavior refers to evil deeds done by the king. For example:
It is an abomination to kings to do evil. (RSV) (ESV, KJV, NASB, RSV)
Wicked behavior refers to evil deeds done by others. For example:
Kings hate those who do wrong. (NCV) (NCV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars. Any wicked deeds interfere with the stability of government in a country, regardless of who does them.

16:12b

for a throne is established through righteousness.

for the strength/stability of his rule depends on righteous/right conduct.
because a government can only keep ruling if people do what is right.

for a throne is established: The word that the BSB translates as a throne is a figure of speech (metonymy). It represents a king’s rule or authority. The word translated as is established means to be secure, stable or enduring.

through righteousness: The stability of a king’s rule depends on righteousness, that is, people doing what is right.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת & רֶ֑שַׁע & בִ֝⁠צְדָקָ֗ה

abomination_of & evil & by,righteousness

See how you translated the abstract noun abomination in [3:32](../03/32.md), wickedness in [4:17](../04/17.md), and righteousness in [1:3](../01/03.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מְ֭לָכִים

kings

This verse describes the traits of ideal, righteous kings, not kings in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “ideal kings”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

בִ֝⁠צְדָקָ֗ה יִכּ֥וֹן כִּסֵּֽא

by,righteousness established throne

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: “righteousness establishes a throne”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יִכּ֥וֹן כִּסֵּֽא

established throne

Here, established refers to a king having stable and enduring authority over his people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “is a throne made secure” or “is a throne made to endure”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

כִּסֵּֽא

throne

Here, throne refers to a king’s authority, which is represented by the throne or royal chair upon which a king sits. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a king’s authority”

Parallel PROV 16:12

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

16:12

16:12a

16:12b