PROV 16:20 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, green:YHWH.
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 Συνετὸς ἐν πράγμασιν εὑρετὴς ἀγαθῶν, πεποιθὼς δὲ ἐπὶ Θεῷ μακαριστός.
(Sunetos en pragmasin heuretaʸs agathōn, pepoithōs de epi Theōi makaristos. )

BrTr He who is skilful in business finds good: but he that trusts in God is most blessed.

ULT One who comprehends concerning a matter will find good,
⇔ and one who trusts in Yahweh, he is happy.

UST People who act prudently in a matter will succeed,
⇔ and people who trust in Yahweh are happy.

16:20 Or Whoever speaks prudently will find what is good

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who heeds the Word finds prosperity.
⇔ Whoever trusts in the LORD is blessed.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who deals wisely in a matter will find success,
⇔ and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.

LSV The wise in any matter finds good,
And whoever is trusting in YHWH, O his blessedness.

FBV If you pay attention to wise instruction you will do well; you'll be happy if you trust in the Lord.

T4T ⇔ Those who heed good teaching/instruction will prosper;
⇔ happy are those who trust in Yahweh.

LEB • He who is attentive to a matter will find goodness, and he who trusts in Yahweh, his own happiness.

BBE He who gives attention to the law of right will get good; and whoever puts his faith in the Lord is happy.

Moff He shall prosper who heeds God’s command;
⇔ he who relies on the Eternal, happy is he.

JPS He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good; and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

ASV He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good;
⇔ And whoso trusteth in Jehovah, happy is he.

DRA The learned in word shall find good things: and he that trusteth in the Lord is blessed.

YLT The wise in any matter findeth good, And whoso is trusting in Jehovah, O his happiness.

Drby He that giveth heed to the word shall find good; and whoso confideth in Jehovah, happy is he.

RV He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.
(He that giveth/gives heed unto the word shall find good: and whoso/whoever trusteth/trusts in the LORD, happy is he. )

SLT He understanding in the word shall find good: and he trusting in Jehovah, he being happy.

Wbstr He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.

KJB-1769 He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he.[fn]
(He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso/whoever trusteth/trusts in the LORD, happy is he. )

16.20 handleth…: or, understandeth a matter

KJB-1611 [fn]He that handleth a matter wisely, shall finde good: and who so trusteth in the LORD, happy is hee.
(He that handleth a matter wisely, shall find good: and whoso/whoever trusteth/trusts in the LORD, happy is hee.)

16:20 Or, he that vnderstandeth a matter.

Bshps He that handleth a matter wisely obteyneth good: and blessed is he that putteth his trust in the Lorde.
(He that handleth a matter wisely obteyneth good: and blessed is he that putteth/puts his trust in the Lord.)

Gnva He that is wise in his busines, shall finde good: and he that trusteth in the Lord, he is blessed.
(He that is wise in his business, shall find good: and he that trusteth/trusts in the Lord, he is blessed. )

Cvdl He yt handleth a matter wysely, opteyneth good: & blessed is he, yt putteth his trust in ye LORDE.
(He it handleth a matter wisely, obtaineth/obtains good: and blessed is he, it putteth/puts his trust in ye/you_all LORD.)

Wycl A lerned man in word schal fynde goodis; and he that hopith in the Lord is blessid.
(A learned/learnt man in word shall find goods; and he that hopeth/hopes in the Lord is blessed.)

Luth Wer eine Sache klüglich führet, der findet Glück; und wohl dem, der sich auf den HErr’s verläßt.
(Who a/one matter wise/clever leads, the/of_the finds luck/fortune; and probably/well to_him, the/of_the itself/yourself/themselves on/in/to the LORD’s leaves.)

ClVg Eruditus in verbo reperiet bona, et qui sperat in Domino beatus est.
(Eruditus in/into/on word findet good(s), and who/which hopes in/into/on Master happy/blessed it_is. )

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

16:20

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^20a Whoever heeds instruction will find success,

^20band blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

The BSB has arranged the parallel parts in 16:20b in the opposite order, so the two lines form a chiasm. In Hebrew, there is no chiasm. The order of 16:20b in Hebrew is:

^20band he who trusts in the LORD is blessed.

You may use whatever order is natural in your language.

This proverb describes a person who pays attention to wise teaching and trusts in the LORD. Such a person benefits in two ways:

He will succeed in what he does.
He will also be happy.

16:20a

Whoever heeds instruction will find success,

The person who pays attention to what he has been taught will be successful.
If you^(sing) follow good advice/words, the outcome of your life will be good.

Whoever heeds: The Hebrew word maśkil, which the BSB translates as Whoever heeds, probably refers here to a person who has the ability to carefully evaluate wise advice.Most English versions understand 16:20a in the same way as the BSB. However, the ambiguity of the word dabar (“word,” “thing,” or “matter”) as well as the more frequent meaning “sensible” or “competent” for maśkil has resulted in other interpretations. For example: “those who are attentive to a matter” (NRSV) and “he who is shrewd in business” (REB). See Waltke (pages 28–29), Fox (page 619), or Longman (page 335) for more discussion. It is implied that such a person will heed this advice. See wise dealing in the Glossary.

instruction: The word that the BSB translates as instruction can mean “word,” “thing,” or “matter.” Here the most likely meaning is a “word” of wisdom or advice. This refers to advice or teaching that comes from the LORD or from the wise teacher. It is recommended that you leave the source of the instruction ambiguous, as most English versions have done.

will find success: The phrase that the BSB translates as will find success is literally “finds good.” Here it probably means to prosper or to be successful.

Some ways to translate this line are:

Whoever listens to what is taught will succeed (NCV)

Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful (GNT)

16:20a–b

(combined/reordered)

If you^(sing) heed good advice and trust in Yahweh, you will prosper and be happy.

16:20b

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

Yes indeed! Anyone who relies/trusts in Yahweh will be truly happy.
In fact, you^(sing) will be very happy if you trust in Yahweh.

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD: For the word translated here as blessed, see the note on 14:21b. The meaning here is probably “happy,” as in RSV and GNT.

General Comment on 16:20a–b

The two lines of this verse are similar in meaning. No contrast is intended between someone who “heeds instruction” and someone who “trusts in the LORD.” Both phrases refer to the same person. In some languages, it may be clearer to reorder the parallel parts in order to express this meaning. For example:

A person who heeds good advice trusts the LORD. This kind of person will be happy and successful.

See 16:20a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַשְׂכִּ֣יל & וּ⁠בוֹטֵ֖חַ & אַשְׁרָֽי⁠ו

attentive & and,[one_who]_trusts & how_of,blessed_[is]_he

One who comprehends, one who trusts, and he here represent types of people in general, not particular people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person who comprehends … and any person who trusts … that person is happy”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַשְׂכִּ֣יל עַל־דָּ֭בָר

attentive on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in matter

This phrase could refer to: (1) someone who acts wisely in various matters. Alternate translation: “One who acts sensibly” (2) someone who heeds instruction, in which case the word translated matter would refer to instruction. Alternate translation: “One who heeds instruction”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִמְצָא־ט֑וֹב

find good