PROV 17:15 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 Ὃς δίκαιον κρίνει τὸν ἄδικον, ἄδικον δὲ τὸν δίκαιον, ἀκάθαρτος καὶ βδελυκτὸς παρὰ Θεῷ.
(Hos dikaion krinei ton adikon, adikon de ton dikaion, akathartos kai bdeluktos para Theōi. )

BrTr He that pronounces the unjust just, and the just unjust, is unclean and abominable with God.

ULT One who declares a wicked one righteous
⇔ and one who declares a righteous one wicked,
⇔ even the two of them are an abomination to Yahweh.

UST There are people who acquit guilty people,
⇔ and there are people who condemn innocent people;
⇔ Yahweh detests both types of people.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous,
⇔ both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent –
⇔ both of them are an abomination to the Lord.

LSV Whoever is justifying the wicked,
And condemning the righteous,
Even both of these [are] an abomination to YHWH.

FBV The Lord hates it when the wicked are acquitted and the innocent condemned.

T4T ⇔ There are two things that Yahweh hates:
⇔ ◄Condemning innocent people/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished►,
⇔ and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.

LEB • He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous, the two of them are both abominations of Yahweh.

BBE He who gives a decision for the evil-doer and he who gives a decision against the upright, are equally disgusting to the Lord.

Moff He who acquits the guilty and he who condemns the innocent,
⇔ the Eternal loathes the pair of them.

JPS He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, even they both are an abomination to the LORD.

ASV He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
⇔ Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.

DRA He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, both are abominable before God.

YLT Whoso is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these [are] an abomination to Jehovah.

Drby He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, even they both are abomination to Jehovah.

RV He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.
(He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination/disgusting_thing to the LORD. )

SLT He justifying the unjust one and he condemning the just one, is an abomination to Jehovah, also they two.

Wbstr He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

KJB-1769 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
(He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination/disgusting_thing to the LORD. )

KJB-1611 He that iustifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the iust: euen they both are abomination to the LORD.
(He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just: even they both are abomination/disgusting_thing to the LORD.)

Bshps The Lorde hateth as well hym that iustifieth the vngodly, as him that condempneth the innocent.
(The Lord hateth/hates as well him that justifieth the ungodly, as him that condempneth the innocent.)

Gnva He that iustifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the iust, euen they both are abomination to the Lord.
(He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination/disgusting_thing to the Lord. )

Cvdl The LORDE hateth as well him yt iustifieth ye vngodly, as him yt condempneth the innocet.
(The LORD hateth/hates as well him it justifieth ye/you_all ungodly, as him it condempneth the innocent.)

Wycl Bothe he that iustifieth a wickid man, and he that condempneth a iust man, euer ethir is abhomynable at God.
(Bothe he that justifieth a wicked man, and he that condempneth a just man, ever either is abominable/revolting at God.)

Luth Wer den GOttlosen recht spricht und den Gerechten verdammet, die sind beide dem HErr’s ein Greuel.
(Who the godless_one(s) right speaks/says and the righteous_(ones) verdammet, the are both to_him LORD’s a abomination/disgusting_thing.)

ClVg [Qui justificat impium, et qui condemnat justum, abominabilis est uterque apud Deum.
([Who justificat impious/ungodly, and who/which condemns just, abominabilis it_is both at God. )

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

17:15

The first line of this verse refers to two kinds of unjust judges. The second line describes the LORD’s attitude toward them. The NET has been used as the source line for 17:15a, because it follows the recommended interpretation.

^15aAcquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—

^15bboth are detestable to the Lord .

He detests a judge who acquits a person who is guilty of a crime. He has the same attitude toward a judge who convicts an innocent person.

17:15a

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—

There are judges who acquit guilty people. There are also judges who convict/condemn innocent people.
A judge who declares that a criminal is not guilty is just as bad as a judge who declares that a righteous person has committed a crime.

(NET) The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent: There are two ways to interpret this line:

It refers to two kinds of unjust judges. For example:
One who justifies the wicked and one who condemns the righteous (CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NET, NLT96, NRSV)
It refers to the actions of two kinds of unjust judges. For example:
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent— (NIV) (BSB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with a slight majority of versions and most scholars.Scholars who support interpretation (1) include Hubbard, Whybray, Waltke, Fox, Delitzsch, and Murphy. Scholars who support interpretation (2) include Ross and Longman.

(NET) The one who acquits the guilty: This phrase refers here to a judge who gives a legal verdict in a court case. He declares that a guilty person is innocent of the charge against him.

(NET) the guilty: In Hebrew, this word is literally “the wicked,” as in the RSV. In this context, it refers to a person who has committed a crime.

(NET) and the one who condemns the innocent: This phrase refers here to a judge who convicts an innocent person of a crime that he did not commit. The judge declares that this person is guilty. By doing so, the judge condemns him to be punished.

(NET) the innocent: In Hebrew, this word is literally “the righteous,” as in the BSB. In this context, it refers to a person who did not commit the crime with which he was charged.

Another way to translate 17:15a is:

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous (ESV)

17:15a–b

(combined/reordered)

A judge who frees a guilty person or punishes someone who has not done anything wrong is disgusting/nauseating to Yahweh.

17:15b

both are detestable to the LORD.

Yahweh utterly hates both of them.
Both kinds of judges cause Yahweh to be nauseated/disgusted.

both are detestable to the LORD: In the context of interpretation (1) in 17:15a, the word both refers to both kinds of unjust judges. However, this interpretation also implies that the LORD detests their unjust actions. So you may want to add a footnote with this implied information. A suggested footnote is:

This verse implies that the LORD detests the actions of unjust judges as well as the judges themselves.

For the phrase that BSB translates as are detestable to the LORD, see the note on 11:1a. The same phrase last occurred in 16:5a.

General Comment on 17:15a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the two lines. For example:

The Lord despises those who acquit the guilty and condemn the innocent. (NLT96)

See also 17:15a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַצְדִּ֣יק רָ֭שָׁע וּ⁠מַרְשִׁ֣יעַ צַדִּ֑יק & גַּם־שְׁנֵי⁠הֶֽם

justifies wicked and,[one_who]_condemns_as_guilty law-abiding/just & also/yet both_of,of_them

One who declares, a wicked one, a righteous one, and the two of them represent types of people in general, not specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person who declares any wicked person righteous and any person who declares any righteous person wicked, even both types of people”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

מַצְדִּ֣יק רָ֭שָׁע וּ⁠מַרְשִׁ֣יעַ צַדִּ֑יק

justifies wicked and,[one_who]_condemns_as_guilty law-abiding/just

In this verse wicked refers to being guilty of doing something wicked, and righteous refers to being innocent of doing something wicked. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meanings plainly. Alternate translation: “One who declares a guilty one innocent and one who declares an innocent one guilty”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְ֝הוָ֗ה

abomination_of YHWH