PROV 17:18 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

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 Ἀνὴρ ἄφρων ἐπικροτεῖ καὶ ἐπιχαίρει ἑαυτῷ, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἐγγυώμενος ἐγγύῃ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ φίλων.
(Anaʸr afrōn epikrotei kai epiⱪairei heautōi, hōs kai ho enguōmenos enguaʸ tōn heautou filōn. )

BrTr A foolish man applauds and rejoices over himself, as he also that becomes surety would make himself responsible for his own friends.

ULT A man lacking of heart is one who clasps a palm,
⇔ pledging a pledge to the face of his neighbor.

UST People who do not think wisely agree to pay someone else’s loan
⇔ and even guarantee to pay that loan in front of people whom they know.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE A man void of understanding strikes hands,
⇔ and becomes collateral in the presence of his neighbour.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who lacks wisdom strikes hands in pledge,
⇔ and puts up financial security for his neighbor.

LSV A man lacking heart is striking hands,
He becomes a guarantor before his friend.

FBV It's not a wise idea to make a pledge and guarantee a neighbor's debt.

T4T ⇔ If someone borrows money from another person, it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back
⇔ if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.

LEB • A person who lacks sense[fn] pledges ;[fn] he becomes security before his neighbor.

17:? Literally “heart”

17:? Literally “pledges a hand”

BBE A man without sense gives his hand in an agreement, and makes himself responsible before his neighbour.

Moff He is devoid of sense who goes bail,
⇔ who becomes surety for another man.

JPS A man void of understanding is he that striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his neighbour.

ASV A man void of understanding striketh hands,
⇔ And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.

DRA A foolish man will clap hands, when he is surety for his friend.

YLT A man lacking heart is striking hands, A surety he becometh before his friend.

Drby A senseless man striketh hands, becoming surety for his neighbour.

RV A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his neighbour.
(A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh/becomes surety in the presence of his neighbour. )

SLT A man wanting heart will strike the hand, pledging a pledge before his friend.

Wbstr A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.

KJB-1769 A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh surety in the presence of his friend.[fn]
(A man void of understanding striketh hands, and becometh/becomes surety in the presence of his friend. )

17.18 understanding: Heb. heart

KJB-1611 [fn]A man void of vnderstanding striketh hands, and becommeth suretie in the presence of his friend.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

17:18 Heb. heart.

Bshps Who so promiseth by the hande and is suretie for his neighbour, he is a foole.
(Whoso/Whoever promiseth by the hand and is surety for his neighbour, he is a fool.)

Gnva A man destitute of vnderstanding, toucheth the hande, and becommeth suretie for his neighbour.
(A man destitute of understanding, toucheth/touches the hand, and becometh/becomes surety for his neighbour. )

Cvdl Who so promiseth by the hande, & is suertie for another, he is a foole.
(Whoso/Whoever promiseth by the hand, and is surety for another, he is a fool.)

Wycl A fonned man schal make ioie with hondis, whanne he hath bihiyt for his frend.
(A foolish man shall make joy with hands, when he hath/has promised for his friend.)

Luth Es ist ein Narr, der an die Hand gelobet und Bürge wird für seinen Nächsten.
(It is a fool(n), the/of_the at/to the hand praised and guarantor becomes for/in_favour_of his neighbour.)

ClVg Stultus homo plaudet manibus, cum spoponderit pro amico suo.[fn]
(Stupid_(person) human plaudet hands, when/with spoponderit for friend his_own. )

17.18 Homo stultus plaudet manibus. Stultus est, qui cum fratris sui animam suscipiat regendam, de suis gloriatur actibus, et non potius ei humili compassione quidquid potest auxilii salutaris impendit. Animus gaudens. Qui interna sancti Spiritus consolatione lætatur, etc., usque ad gloriam dilectionis amisit.

17.18 Man stupid/foolish plaudet hands. Stupid_(person) it_is, who/which when/with brother's self the_soul undertake kingndam, from/about to_his_own boasts acts, and not/no rather to_him humble compassione whatever can help saving/healing impendit. Animus gaudens. Who internal holy Spirit consolation joytur, etc., until to glory of_love lost.

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

17:18

Notice the parallel parts:

^18aA man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge

^18band puts up security for his neighbor.

The underlined part in 17:18a refers to making an agreement. The part in 17:18b gives specific information about the agreement. It is a guarantee to pay a neighbor’s debt if he is unable to pay.

See the notes on 6:1, 11:15, and 22:26, where the same parallel terms occur. In those verses, they occur in the opposite order.

There are also other differences in these verses. Proverbs 6:1 describes the situation that is faced by a son who has guaranteed someone’s loan. Proverbs 11:15 describes the consequences of guaranteeing another person’s loan. This verse focuses on the foolishness of a person who guarantees a loan for his neighbor.

See the General Comment on 17:18a–b at the end of 17:18b for ways to combine the parallel parts.

17:18a

A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge

A person without good sense shakes hands to guarantee
It is stupid/senseless to promise

A man lacking judgment: This phrase refers to someone who lacks common sense and makes foolish decisions. This phrase last occurred in 15:21a. See lacks judgment in the Glossary.

strikes hands in pledge: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “striking/clapping a palm.” The function of this gesture was to conclude a legal or financial agreement. See the note on 6:1b for ways to translate this gesture.

17:18a–b

(combined/reordered)

People who promise to pay the debts of a friend/companion lack good judgment.

17:18b

and puts up security for his neighbor.

that he will be responsible for his neighbor’s debts.
to pay the loan/debt of your^(sing) neighbor/companion if he cannot pay.

puts up security: This phrase refers here to anything that the loan guarantor gives to the lender to guarantee future payment of the debt. The security could be the person’s oath. It could also be a piece of clothing or something else that belonged to him.See Waltke (page 58).

for his neighbor: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “before” or “in the presence of” his neighbor. There are two main ways to interpret this phrase:

It means that a person guarantees a loan for his neighbor. For example:
puts up financial security for his neighbor (NET) (BSB, CEV, NAB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, GNT)
It means that a person guarantees a loan in the presence of his neighbor. For example:
puts up security in the presence of his neighbor (ESV) (ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, RSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions.In 6:1 and 11:15, the preposition lǝ “for” is used. Here the preposition is lipne “before.” According to Waltke (page 58) and Delitzsch (page 263), this preposition never means “on behalf of.” According to McKane (page 503), the preposition suggests that the neighbor was present when the agreement was finalized, but he also says that the agreement is made for the benefit of the neighbor. The Targum has: “A man who lacks sense gives his hand and goes surety for his neighbor.” Scholars who support a translation such as “for” or “on behalf of” include UBS, Hubbard, Longman, Ross, Garrett, and Cook. Scholars who support “before” or “in the presence of” include Waltke, Delitzsch, Fox, Toy, and Cohen. Murphy (page 131) says that “in the presence of” is unclear, but concludes that the phrase may point to “the neighbor as a third party and witness to the transaction.” Another way to translate this line is:

become responsible for a neighbor’s debts (NLT96)

neighbor: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates here as neighbor is the same word that it translated as “friend” in 17:17a. It can refer to anyone with whom a person interacts, including a close friend or an acquaintance. See the note on 16:29a.

General Comment on 17:18a–b

In some languages, it may be clearer to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts to indicate that both lines refer to the same agreement. For example:

Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else’s debts. (GNT)

It’s stupid to guarantee someone else’s loan. (CEV)

See also 17:18a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

אָדָ֣ם & תּוֹקֵ֣עַ כָּ֑ף & עֲ֝רֻבָּ֗ה & רֵעֵֽ⁠הוּ

humankind & pledges hands & security & his/its=neighbour

A man, one who clasps, a palm, a pledge, and his refer to types of people and things in general, not specific people or things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person … is a person who clasps palms … any pledge … that person’s neighbor”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

חֲסַר־לֵ֭ב

lacks_of sense

See how you translated the same use of this phrase in [7:7](../07/07.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

תּוֹקֵ֣עַ כָּ֑ף

pledges hands

See how you translated the same idiom in [6:1](../06/01.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לִ⁠פְנֵ֥י

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before