PROV 16:22 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 Πηγὴ ζωῆς ἔννοια τοῖς κεκτημένοις, παιδεία δὲ ἀφρόνων κακή.
(Paʸgaʸ zōaʸs ennoia tois kektaʸmenois, paideia de afronōn kakaʸ. )

BrTr Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessors; but the instruction of fools is evil.

ULT A fountain of life is the insight of its owner,
⇔ but the instruction of fools is folly.

UST Being insightful allows a person to live well continually,
⇔ but foolish people can only teach others to be foolish.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it,
⇔ but the punishment of fools is their folly.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Insight is like a life-giving fountain to the one who possesses it,
⇔ but folly leads to the discipline of fools.

LSV Understanding [is] a fountain of life to its possessors,
The instruction of fools is folly.

FBV If you have good sense it will be a fountain of life to you, but stupid people are punished by their stupidity.

T4T ⇔ Being wise is like having a fountain that gives life [MET],
⇔ but foolish people are punished as a result of their acting foolishly.

LEB • A fountain of life is wisdom for its owner,[fn] but the instruction[fn] of fools is folly.

16:? Or “master”

16:? Or “punishment”

BBE Wisdom is a fountain of life to him who has it; but the punishment of the foolish is their foolish behaviour.

Moff The thoughtful find their wisdom adds to life,
⇔ but the fool suffers for his folly.
¶ 

JPS Understanding is a fountain of life unto him that hath it; but folly is the chastisement of fools.

ASV Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it;
⇔ But the correction of fools is their folly.

DRA Knowledge is a fountain of life to him that possesseth it: the instruction of fools is foolishness.

YLT A fountain of life [is] understanding to its possessors, The instruction of fools is folly.

Drby Wisdom is a fountain of life for him that hath it; but the instruction of fools is folly.

RV Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the correction of fools is their folly.
(Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath/has it: but the correction of fools is their folly. )

SLT The understanding of him possessing it is a fountain of life: and the instruction of the foolish is folly.

Wbstr Understanding is a well-spring of life to him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.

KJB-1769 Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly.
(Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath/has it: but the instruction of fools is folly. )

KJB-1611 Understanding is a well-spring of life vnto him that hath it: but the instruction of fooles is folly.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Vnderstandyng is a well of lyfe vnto hym that hath it: as for the chastenyng of fooles it is but foolishnesse.
(Understanding is a well of life unto him that hath/has it: as for the chastening/rebuking of fools it is but foolishness.)

Gnva Vnderstading is welspring of life vnto them that haue it: and the instruction of fooles is folly.
(Understading is welspring of life unto them that have it: and the instruction of fools is folly. )

Cvdl Vnderstondinge is a well of life vnto him yt hath it, as for ye chastenynge of fooles, it is but foolishnesse.
(Understanding is a well of life unto him it hath/has it, as for ye/you_all chastening/rebuking of fools, it is but foolishness.)

Wycl The welle of lijf is the lernyng of him that weldith; the techyng of foolis is foli.
(The well of life is the learning of him that weldith; the teaching of fools is folly.)

Luth Klugheit ist ein lebendiger Brunn dem, der sie hat; aber die Zucht der Narren ist Narrheit.
(wisdom is a more_lively well(n) to_him, the/of_the they/she/them has; but the culture/discipline the/of_the fool(n) is folly.)

ClVg Fons vitæ eruditio possidentis; doctrina stultorum fatuitas.][fn]
(Fons of_life education get_itntis; teaching/instruction of_fools fatuitas.] )

16.22 Fons vitæ. Quia ille prædicator vere suis auditoribus vias vitæ aperit, etc., usque ad quæ dicunt bona, fatuo corde contemnunt.

16.22 Fons of_life. Because he/that_one preachor really/truly to_his_own to_the_listeners ways/roads of_life opens, etc., until to which they_say good(s), fatuo heart they_despise.

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

16:22

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^22a Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor,

^22bbut the discipline of fools is folly.

This proverb contrasts the life-giving benefits of being sensible with the bad consequences of acting foolishly.

16:22a

Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor,

A person’s good sense is like a spring/well that gives him life,
If a person is sensible/prudent, his wisdom will give life to him like a spring/well gives water,

Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor: The clause Understanding is a fountain of life is a metaphor. It compares good sense or shrewdness to a spring or other source of flowing water. The similarity is that both are necessary for life. For more information on how to translate this metaphor, see the note on 13:14a. Some other ways to express the meaning of this line are:

Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it (NLT)

Understanding is like a fountain which gives life to those who use it (NCV)

Understanding: The word śekel, which the BSB translates as Understanding, refers to people who are sensible or prudent. They are people who act wisely. See wise dealing in the Glossary.

16:22b

but the discipline of fools is folly.

but the foolishness of a stubborn fool will result in his punishment.
but if he is stubborn and foolish, he will be punished.

but the discipline of fools is folly: The words folly and fools both refer to moral foolishness. See folly and fool 1 in the Glossary. For the word discipline, see discipline in the Glossary.

There are three main interpretations of this clause:Waltke, Whybray, and Toy support interpretation (1). UBS, Delitzsch, and Cook support (2). Longman and McKane support (3).

The foolishness of a fool results in his punishment. For example:
but folly leads to the discipline of fools (NET) (NAB, NCV, NET, NIV)
A fool’s own foolishness is his punishment. In other words, a fool is punished by his own foolishness.It is possible that versions with wording similar to “a fool is punished by his folly” (CEV, GW, REB) imply “punished by the results of his folly.” These versions have been listed here rather than with interpretation (1), because it is unclear what their wording implies. For example:
the folly of fools is their own punishment (NJB) (CEV, GW, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB)
It is foolish to instruct or discipline a fool. For example:
but the discipline of fools is folly (NASB) (BSB, ESV, NASB, NLT, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Many verses in Proverbs refer to the painful or disastrous consequences of foolish behavior. These consequences include beatings, retaliation by angry people, and death. No other verses in Proverbs refer to a fool’s own foolishness as his punishment.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מְק֣וֹר חַ֭יִּים

fountain_of life(pl)

See how you translated this phrase in [10:11](../10/11.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

שֵׂ֣כֶל & וּ⁠מוּסַ֖ר & אִוֶּֽלֶת

wisdom_of & and_[the],discipline_of & folly

See how you translated the abstract nouns insight in [1:3](../01/03.md), instruction in [1:2](../01/02.md), and folly in [5:23](../05/23.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וּ⁠מוּסַ֖ר אֱוִלִ֣ים אִוֶּֽלֶת

and_[the],discipline_of fools folly

This clause could mean: (1) folly causes punishment for fools, in which case the word translated instruction refers to discipline or punishment. Alternate translation: “but folly causes punishment for fools” (2) it is foolish to try to instruct fools. Alternate translation: “but instructing fools is folly”

Parallel PROV 16:22

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

16:22

16:22a

16:22b