PROV 16:15 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: .
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 φωτὶ ζωῆς υἱὸς βασιλέως, οἱ δὲ προσδεκτοὶ αὐτῷ ὥσπερ νέφος ὄψιμον.
(En fōti zōaʸs huios basileōs, hoi de prosdektoi autōi hōsper nefos opsimon. )

BrTr The son of a king is in the light of life; and they that are in favour with him are as a cloud of latter rain.

ULT In the light of the face of the king is life,
⇔ and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.

UST When kings are happy, they let people live;
⇔ when they approve of people, it is as refreshing as rain in springtime.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE In the light of the king’s face is life.
⇔ His favour is like a cloud of the spring rain.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET In the light of the king’s face there is life,
⇔ and his favor is like the clouds of the spring rain.

LSV In the light of a king’s face [is] life,
And his goodwill [is] as a cloud of the spring rain.

FBV If the king is smiling, you'll live; his blessing is like the clouds that bring spring rain.

T4T ⇔ If a king has a smile [MTY] on his face, he will enable people to have a long life (OR, he will not order people to be executed);
⇔ his being pleased with people is as delightful as rain in the springtime when seeds are planted.

LEB • In the light of the face of the king there is life, and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.

BBE In the light of the king's face there is life; and his approval is like a cloud of spring rain.

Moff When the king’s face is friendly, all goes well;
⇔ his favour is like rain-clouds in the spring.
¶ 

JPS In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

ASV In the light of the king’s countenance is life;
⇔ And his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

DRA In the cheerfulness of the king’s countenance is life: and his clemency is like the latter rain.

YLT In the light of a king's face [is] life, And his good-will [is] as a cloud of the latter rain.

Drby In the light of the king's countenance is life, and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

RV In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

SLT In the light of the king’s face is life, and his acceptance as the cloud of the latter rain.

Wbstr In the light of a king's countenance is life; and his favor is as a cloud of the latter rain.

KJB-1769 In the light of the king’s countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.

KJB-1611 In the light of the kings countenance is life, and his fauour is as a cloude of the latter raine.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The chearfull countenaunce of the kyng is life: and his louyng fauour is as a cloude of the latter rayne.
(The chearfull countenance of the king is life: and his loving favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.)

Gnva In the light of the Kings coutenance is life: and his fauour is as a cloude of the latter raine.
(In the light of the Kings coutenance is life: and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain. )

Cvdl The cherefull countenauce of ye kynge is life, and his louynge fauor is as the euenynge dewe.
(The cherefull countenance of ye/you_all king is life, and his loving favour is as the evening dew.)

Wycl Lijf is in the gladnesse of the `cheer of the king; and his merci is as a reyn comynge late.
(Lijf is in the gladness of the face of the king; and his mercy is as a rain coming late.)

Luth Wenn des Königs Angesicht freundlich ist, das ist Leben; und seine Gnade ist wie ein Abendregen.
(When the kings face friendly is, the is life; and his grace is as/like a evening/nightregen.)

ClVg In hilaritate vultus regis vita, et clementia ejus quasi imber serotinus.][fn]
(In hilaritate face king life, and mercy/clemency his as_if the_rain latetinus.] )

16.15 In hilaritate vultus regis vita. Quicunque hilarem Christi vultum videre merentur, his in æternum cum illo vivere dabitur. Aliter etiam videbit omnis caro salutare Dei: sed tunc justi placatum, reprobi videbunt iratum. Et clementia ejus quasi imber serotinus. Serotinus imber in Judæa usque hodie jam maturis messibus venire consuevit, etc., usque ad sed superni facit irrigatio Domini.

16.15 In hilaritate face king life. Whoever hilarem of_Christ face to_see they_deserve, his in/into/on eternal when/with that/there to_live will_be_given. Aliter also will_see everyone flesh/meat to_greet of_God: but then just placatum, reprobate they_will_see anger/ragetum. And mercy/clemency his as_if the_rain latetinus. Serotinus the_rain in/into/on Yudea until today/at_this_time already maturis messibus to_come accustomed, etc., until to but superni he_does irrigatio Master.

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

16:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^15a When a king’s face brightens, there is life;

^15b his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

In contrast to the king’s wrath in 16:14, this verse describes the beneficial effects of the king’s approval.

16:15a

When a king’s face brightens, there is life;

When a king smiles at you^(sing), it means that your life will improve.

When a king’s face brightens, there is life: The phrase that the BSB translates as When a king’s face brightens is literally “in the light of a king’s face” (NRSV). This means that the king smiles, showing approval, delight, or good favor toward someone. The smile is a sign that the person concerned will enjoy a good and prosperous life. The NLT expresses this meaning as follows:

When the king smiles, there is life (NLT)

16:15a–b

(combined/reordered)

When a king smiles and shows that he is pleased with someone, it is like rain that arrives during growing season. That person can expect a better life.

16:15b

his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.

His good opinion of you^(sing) is like a cloud that brings with it the rain that the crops need to grow.

his favor is like a rain cloud in spring: This line is a simile. In this simile, the king’s favor is compared to a cloud that brings rain. The similarity between the two is that both result in life. A king’s smile is a sign that his subjects will have a good life. A cloud that brings rain is a sign that the crops will live and there will be a good harvest.

It is important to remember that a rain cloud in spring may indicate different things in different parts of the world. Some languages may have a term that refers specifically to rain that comes during the growing season or before the harvest. If there is no specific term, it may be better to use a term that refers to rain in general. The point of this simile is the beneficial effects of the rain, not the timing of the rain.

The NLT96 omits the reference to the cloud and the season of the year. But it makes explicit the beneficial nature of the rain. It has:

his favor refreshes like a gentle rain

You will need to decide which parts of the simile can be left implied and which parts need to be made explicit.

his favor: The word that the BSB translates here as his favor refers to the king’s kindness or goodwill. (See the note on 11:27a.) It describes the inner attitude that corresponds to the outward facial expression in 16:15a.

rain cloud in spring: In Israel, the spring rain comes in March or April, and provides the moisture necessary to ripen the grain harvest.Most scholars agree that the spring rains in March-April, the end of the rainy season, were necessary to ripen the barley harvest. These rains differ from the autumn rains in October-November, which softened the soil in preparation for planting. See Waltke (page 22) or UBS (page 354).

General Comment on 16:15a–b

A king’s smile and rain both result in life. So some versions have reordered the phrase about life so that it comes at the end of the verse. For example:

When a ruler is happy and pleased with you, it’s like refreshing rain, and you will live. (CEV)

The king’s favor is like the clouds that bring rain in the springtime—life is there. (GNT)

Both of these versions have omitted a specific reference to the king’s face/smile. They also differ in what they make explicit in 16:15b. You will need to decide what expresses the meaning most effectively in your language.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠אוֹר־פְּנֵי־מֶ֥לֶךְ חַיִּ֑ים

[is]_in_[the],light_of face/surface_of king life(pl)

Here Solomon refers to people staying alive as if life were an object that is located In the light of the face of the king. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The light of the face of the king causes people to stay alive”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠אוֹר־פְּנֵי

[is]_in_[the],light_of face/surface_of

Here Solomon refers to the king smiling because he is happy as if it were the light of the face. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “In the smile of” or “In the happiness of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מֶ֥לֶךְ & וּ֝⁠רְצוֹנ֗⁠וֹ

king & and,his_of,favor

The words the king and his represent kings in general, not one particular king. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any king … and that king’s favor”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וּ֝⁠רְצוֹנ֗⁠וֹ

and,his_of,favor

See how you translated favor in [3:4](../03/04.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כְּ⁠עָ֣ב מַלְקֽוֹשׁ

[is]_like,a_cloud_of spring_rain