PROV 17:17 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.)

OET (OET-RV) A true friend loves at all times,
⇔ ≈ and relatives are born to help during periods of difficulty.

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 Εἰς πάντα καιρὸν φίλος ὑπαρχέτω σοι, ἀδελφοὶ δὲ ἐν ἀνάγκαις χρήσιμοι ἔστωσαν, τούτου γὰρ χάριν γεννῶνται.
(Eis panta kairon filos huparⱪetō soi, adelfoi de en anagkais ⱪraʸsimoi estōsan, toutou gar ⱪarin gennōntai. )

BrTr Have thou a friend for every time, and let brethren be useful in distress; for on this account are they born.

UST A friend loves you all the time,
⇔ and relatives exist in order to help other relatives when disastrous things happen.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE A friend loves at all times;
⇔ and a brother is born for adversity.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET A friend loves at all times,
⇔ and a relative is born to help in adversity.

LSV The friend is loving at all times,
And a brother is born for adversity.

FBV A true friend is always there to love you, and family[fn] provides help when troubles come.

17:17 “Family”: literally, “a brother.”

T4T ⇔ Friends love others all the time,
⇔ and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.

LEB • The friend loves at all times[fn], but a brother is born for adversity.

17:? Hebrew “time”

BBE A friend is loving at all times, and becomes a brother in times of trouble.

Moff A friend is always a friend,
⇔ he is a born brother for adversity.

JPS A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

ASV A friend loveth at all times;
⇔ And a brother is born for adversity.

DRA He that is a friend loveth at all times: and a brother is proved in distress.

YLT At all times is the friend loving, And a brother for adversity is born.

Drby The friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

RV A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
(A friend loveth/loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. )

SLT A friend loves in all time, and a brother shall be born for straits.

Wbstr A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

KJB-1769 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
(A friend loveth/loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. )

KJB-1611 A friend loueth at all times, and a brother is borne for aduersitie.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps He is a frende that alway loueth, and in aduersitie a man shall knowe who is his brother.
(He is a friend that always loveth/loves, and in adversity a man shall know who is his brother.)

Gnva A friende loueth at all times: and a brother is borne for aduersitie.
(A friend loveth/loves at all times: and a brother is born for adversity. )

Cvdl He is a frende that allwaye loueth, and in aduersite a man shal knowe who is his brother.
(He is a friend that always loveth/loves, and in adversity a man shall know who is his brother.)

Wycl He that is a frend, loueth in al tyme; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.
(He that is a friend, loveth/loves in all time; and a brother is preuyd in angwischis.)

Luth Ein Freund liebet allezeit, und ein Bruder wird in der Not erfunden.
(A friend loves at_all_times, and a brother becomes in the/of_the emergency invented.)

ClVg Omni tempore diligit qui amicus est, et frater in angustiis comprobatur.[fn]
(All at_the_time he_loves who/which a_friend it_is, and brother in/into/on narrow comprobatur. )

17.17 Omni tempore. Qui Deum vere amat, omni tempore ejus custodit amorem; neque in angustia passionis deserit, quem in pacis tranquillitate confessus est.

17.17 All at_the_time. Who God really/truly loves, all at_the_time his keeps/guards love; nor in/into/on distress passion abandons, which in/into/on of_peace tranquillitate confessus 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

17:17

The parallel lines are similar in meaning. The phrase “for adversity” in the second line gives a specific example of “at all times” in the first line.

^17a A friend loves at all times,

^17band a brother is born for adversity.

The parallelism implies that both a true friend and a brother will show love to a person and help him. They will do this even when he is in trouble.

The proverb may imply a minor contrast between a friend and a brother. The friend chooses to show love. The brother shows love because he was born into the family.See Waltke (page 56) and Whybray (pages 259–260). The proverb does not imply that a brother will help only in times of trouble.Fox (page 633), Longman (page 348), Hubbard (page 264), and Cohen (page 115) are among the scholars who agree that this proverb is not intended to compare brothers unfavorably with friends.

17:17a

A friend loves at all times,

A true friend will show you^(sing) love/friendship no matter what happens,
Good friends are always/consistently loyal to one another.

A friend loves at all times: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as loves can refer to the LORD’s love for people or a person’s love for the LORD. It can also refer to the love between a man and a woman. Here it refers to love between friends. In this context, a friend shows love by doing things that will benefit or help someone else. He shows this kind of love consistently,NIDOTTE (H170) says that the characteristic of a true friend mentioned in this verse is “consistent assistance.” both in good times and in times of difficulty. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

A friend shows his friendship at all times (REB)

Friends always show their love. (GNT)

A friend is always loyal (NLT)

17:17b

and a brother is born for adversity.

and you^(sing) can always/also depend on a brother to help you in times of trouble.
There is also a good reason for relatives. They help one another when there is hardship/trouble.

and a brother: The word that the BSB translates as brother can refer to someone from the same tribe or country.NIDOTTE (H278) glosses this word as “brother, kinsman, relative, countryman.” Here it probably refers to a sibling or close relative.

is born for adversity: This phrase indicates that one of the purposes for a brother’s life is to help family members when they experience hardship or trouble.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

and a brother is born to help in time of need (NLT)

What are relatives for if not to share trouble? (GNT)

In some languages, it may not be natural to make explicit that a brother is born for a particular purpose. In the GNT (quoted above), the birth of the relative is only implied.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

בְּ⁠כָל־עֵ֭ת

in=all times

Alternate translation: “At all times” or “All the time”

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

הָ⁠רֵ֑עַ

the,friend

Here, the friend refers to friends in general, not a specific friend. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: “any friend”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

אֹהֵ֣ב

loves

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “loves his friends”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

וְ⁠אָ֥ח

and,a_brother

Although the term brother is masculine, Solomon is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: “and a relative”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לְ֝⁠צָרָ֗ה

for,adversity

Here Solomon indicates that one purposes for which a brother is born is to help his siblings when they are in distress. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “for the purpose of helping during a time of distress”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns