PROV 16:19 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

16:19 OSHB variant note: עניים: (x-qere) ’עֲנָוִ֑ים’: lemma_6035 n_1 morph_HAampa id_20bfm עֲנָוִ֑ים

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 Κρείσσων πρᾳΰθυμος μετὰ ταπεινώσεως, ἢ ὃς διαιρεῖται σκῦλα μετὰ ὑβριστῶν.
(Kreissōn prauthumos meta tapeinōseōs, aʸ hos diaireitai skula meta hubristōn. )

BrTr Better is a meek-spirited man with [fn]lowliness, than one who divides spoils with the proud.

ULT Better to be lowly of spirit with afflicted ones
⇔ than to share a portion of spoil with proud ones.

UST It is better to live humbly among poor people
⇔ than to live proudly and receive some of what proud people have taken from others.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor,
⇔ than to divide the plunder with the proud.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET It is better to be lowly in spirit with the afflicted
⇔ than to share the spoils with the proud.

LSV Better is humility of spirit with the poor,
Than to apportion spoil with the proud.

FBV Better to have a humble spirit and live with the poor than to share plunder with the proud.

T4T ⇔ It is better to be humble and poor
⇔ than to associate with proud people and to become rich by dividing with them ◄plunder/goods captured in a battle►.

LEB • Better a lowly spirit with the poor than dividing the spoil with the proud.

BBE Better it is to have a gentle spirit with the poor, than to take part in the rewards of war with men of pride.

Moff Better be modest among poor folk
⇔ than divide plunder with the proud.

JPS Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the humble, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

ASV Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor,
⇔ Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

DRA It is better to be humbled with the meek, than to divide spoils with the proud.

YLT Better is humility of spirit with the poor, Than to apportion spoil with the proud.

Drby Better is it to be of a humble spirit with the meek, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

RV Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

SLT Good the cast down of spirit with the humble more than to divide the spoil with the proud.

Wbstr Better it is to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

KJB-1769 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.

KJB-1611 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, then to diuide the spoile with the proud.
(Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, then to divide the spoil with the proud.)

Bshps Better it is to be of humble mynde with the lowly, the to deuide the spoyles with the proude.
(Better it is to be of humble mind with the lowly, the to divide the spoils with the proud.)

Gnva Better it is to be of humble minde with the lowly, then to deuide the spoyles with the proude.
(Better it is to be of humble mind with the lowly, then to divide the spoils with the proud. )

Cvdl Better it is to be of humble mynde wt the lowly, then to deuyde ye spoyles wt ye proude.
(Better it is to be of humble mind with the lowly, then to divide ye/you_all spoils with ye/you_all proud.)

Wycl It is betere to be maad meke with mylde men, than to departe spuylis with proude men.
(It is better to be made meek with mild men, than to depart spoils with proud men.)

Luth Es ist besser niedriges Gemüts sein mit den Elenden, denn Raub austeilen mit den Hoffärtigen.
(It is better low/huimblees mind(n) be with the wretched/poor_(one), because/than plunder distribute with the Hoffärtigen.)

ClVg Melius est humiliari cum mitibus quam dividere spolia cum superbis.
(Better it_is humiliari when/with mitibus how dividere spoils when/with proud. )

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

16:19

This proverb compares the living situation of two people. The situation of the person in 16:19a is better than the situation of the person in 16:19b. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^19aIt s better to be lowly in spirit among the humble

^19bthan to divide the spoil with the proud.

See the note on 12:9 for more details on this kind of proverb. But notice that the parallel parts in this proverb occur in the opposite order. In 12:9 they do not. If a chiasm does not communicate the meaning effectively in your language, you may reorder the parallel parts in one line or the other. For example, you could reorder 16:19a to say:

^19aBetter to be among the oppressed and be lowly in spirit

With the chiastic word order, this proverb has the following pattern:

It is better to have B (very good/desirable situation) + A (bad/undesirable situation)

than to have C (good/desirable situation) + D (very bad/undesirable situation)

For 16:19, the four parts are:

B: to be humble/lowly (very desirable)

A: to be among poor/oppressed people (undesirable)

C: to share wealth (desirable)

D: to be among arrogant people (very undesirable)

The first line describes a humble person. Unfortunately, he is also poor and suffers hardship. This person’s situation in life is better than a wealthy person who is arrogant and gets his money dishonestly. The reason is that it is far more important to be humble than to be wealthy.

16:19a

It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble

It is better for a person to have a humble attitude and to suffer from poverty
The situation of a person who is poor but who is also humble is better

among the humble: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates here as humble refers to people who are poor. It emphasizes that they suffer some kind of distress or disability. Because such people have low status in society, their lives are difficult. Others often oppress them. Some other ways to translate this word here are:

the poor (ESV)

those who suffer (NCV)

See the note on 14:21b for more information on this word, including its textual variants.

16:19b

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

than to be counted/associated with people who are proud/arrogant who have stolen their wealth from others.
than the situation of arrogant people who have become wealthy through oppressing others.

than to divide the spoil with the proud: The phrase divide the spoil is often used literally in a military context. There it refers to victorious soldiers. They share with each other the valuable things that they took from their defeated enemies.

Here it has a figurative meaning. It may simply mean to be rich, to be counted among people who share in having wealth. But this expression probably implies that the wealth has been gained by oppressing others. Another way to translate this line is:

than to share stolen goods with arrogant people (GW)

This line means that someone, along with other arrogant people, owns stolen goods. It does not mean that someone generously shares with other arrogant people the things that he has stolen. The GNT avoids the wrong meaning by saying:

than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שְׁפַל־ר֭וּחַ

lowly spirit

Here Solomon refers to a person being humble as if humility were being lowly of spirit. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to be humble” or “is being humble”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מֵֽ⁠חַלֵּ֥ק שָׁ֝לָ֗ל אֶת־גֵּאִֽים

more,than_to_divide spoil DOM proud

Here Solomon uses share to imply that the one who is sharing a portion of spoil is also one of the proud ones. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “than to be one of the proud ones and share a portion of their spoil”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

שָׁ֝לָ֗ל

spoil

The word spoil refers to things that victorious soldiers take from the enemies they have defeated. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “goods taken in battle” or “loot”

Parallel PROV 16:19

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

16:19

16:19a

16:19b