PROV 17:26 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, red:negative.
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 Ζημιοῦν ἄνδρα δίκαιον οὐ καλὸν, οὐδὲ ὅσιον ἐπιβουλεύειν δυνάσταις δικαίοις.
(Zaʸmioun andra dikaion ou kalon, oude hosion epibouleuein dunastais dikaiois. )

BrTr It is not right to punish a righteous man, nor is it holy to plot against righteous princes.

ULT Actually to fine the righteous is not good;
⇔ to strike nobles is against uprightness.

UST Punishing innocent people is surely very bad,
⇔ and flogging noble people would be just as wrong.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Also to punish the righteous is not good,
⇔ nor to flog officials for their integrity.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET It is terrible to punish a righteous person,
⇔ and to flog honorable men is wrong.

LSV Also, [it] is not good to fine the righteous,
To strike nobles for uprightness.

FBV It's not right to impose a fine on someone who's innocent or to flog good leaders for their honesty.

T4T ⇔ It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine;
⇔ it is wrong to punish good/respected people.

LEB • Also, imposing a fine on the righteous is not good, nor to flog nobles for uprightness.

BBE To give punishment to the upright is not good, or to give blows to the noble for their righteousness.

Moff It is not fair to fine the innocent
⇔ and most unfair to scourge a noble soul.

JPS To punish also the righteous is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

ASV Also to punish the righteous is not good,
⇔ Nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

DRA It is no good thing to do hurt to the just: nor to strike the prince, who judgeth right.

YLT Also, to fine the righteous is not good, To smite nobles for uprightness.

Drby To punish a righteous [man] is not good, nor to strike nobles because of [their] uprightness.

RV Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to smite the noble for their uprightness.

SLT Also punishing to the just one is not good, to strike nobles for uprightness.

Wbstr Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.

KJB-1769 Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.

KJB-1611 Also to punish the iust is not good, nor to strike princes for equitie.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Certaynely to condempne the iust is not good: nor to strike the gouernours whiche iudge rightly.
(Certaynely to condemn the just is not good: nor to strike the governors which judge rightly.)

Gnva Surely it is not good to condemne the iust, nor that ye princes should smite such for equitie.
(Surely it is not good to condemn the just, nor that ye/you_all princes should smite such for equity. )

Cvdl To punysh ye innocent, and to smyte ye prynces yt geue true iudgmet, are both euell.
(To punish ye/you_all innocent, and to smite/strike ye/you_all princes it give true judgement, are both evil.)

Wycl It is not good to brynge in harm to a iust man; nether to smyte the prince that demeth riytfuli.
(It is not good to bring in harm to a just man; neither to smite/strike the prince that judgeth/judges rightfully.)

Luth Es ist nicht gut, daß man den Gerechten schindet, den Fürsten zu schlagen, der recht regieret.
(It is not good, that man the righteous_(ones) schindet, the prince(s)/ruler(s) to/for hit/beat, the/of_the right rules/reigns.)

ClVg Non est bonum damnum inferre justo, nec percutere principem qui recta judicat.[fn]
(Not/No it_is good loss/damage inferre just, but_not to_strike prince who/which straight judges. )

17.26 Non est bonum damnum inferre justo. Et de ipso judice ac principe sæculorum qui pro nostri salute percuti voluit, accipi potest, et de omnibus rectoribus Ecclesiæ, qui vel facultatibus nudati ab impiis, vel ipsa sunt morte consumpti.

17.26 Not/No it_is good loss/damage inferre just. And from/about himself judge and prince of_the_ages who/which for our salute percuti wanted, be_accepted can, and from/about to_all straightribus Assemblies/Churches, who/which or resources nakedti away wicked, or herself are death spent.

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

17:26

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^26aIt is surely not good to punish the innocent

^26bor to flog a noble for his honesty.

The context of this verse is probably a legal case. Both lines describe unjust punishments of innocent people. The second line probably describes a more severe or unjust situation than the first line.

17:26a

It is surely not good to punish the innocent

It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; (GNT)
To fine a person who has not committed a crime is wrong/unjust.

It is surely not good: In this context, the phrase not good means “not right” (REB).

to punish: The verb that the BSB translates as punish refers specifically to imposing a fine on someone.NIDOTTE (H6740) glosses this verb as: “impose a fine, penalty, levy.” Waltke (page 63) also cites HALOT (2:859) in support of this “more precise” meaning. Many English versions translate this word with the more general meaning punish, like the BSB. It is very acceptable to translate it this way. However, the specific term better emphasizes the progression from a relatively minor fine/payment to a more severe flogging or beating.

the innocent: The word that the BSB translates here as innocent is often translated as “righteous.” In this context, it refers to someone who is not guilty of a crime, so innocent accurately expresses the meaning.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

It is wrong to fine a person who has not committed a crime.

It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine (GNT)

It isn’t fair to punish the innocent (CEV)

17:26a–b

(combined/reordered)

It is not fair/right to punish good and honest people who have not broken any law.

17:26b

or to flog a noble for his honesty.

it is very wrong/unjust to beat/whip a person with good character.
To give a beating to an honorable person is a perversion/corruption of justice.

or to flog a noble for his honesty: There are different interpretations for both phrases in this line. Some ways to translate the whole line will be given after the interpretations for each phrase have been discussed.

to flog a noble: The phrase that the BSB translates as to flog a noble is literally “to flog nobles.” There are two ways to interpret the word “nobles.”

It refers to people of high moral character. For example:
those of noble mind (REB)
honorable men (NET) (CEV, ESV, GW, NASB, NET, NJB, NRSV, REB, GNT)
It refers to people of high rank or status. For example:
leaders (NCV)
the great (NJPS) (BSB, KJV, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. This meaning forms a better parallel with “the innocent” in 17:26a.It is true that forming a better parallel is not a strong reason. It is also true that in nineteen of the twenty-six instances where this word occurs, it probably refers to people of high rank. The other verses in Proverbs are: 8:16, 17:7, 19:6, and 25:7. However, no other verses in Proverbs refer to a judge or high official flogging another official. The other verses in this chapter that are concerned with injustice (17:15, 23) have nothing to do with a person’s rank.

for his honesty: In Hebrew, the phrase that the BSB translates as for his honesty is literally “against/according to uprightness.” There are two ways to interpret this phrase:

The phrase means “against uprightness.” It refers to a punishment that is “unjust” or “not right.” For example:
…is an injustice (NJB) (GW, NET, NJB, REB, RSV, GNT)
The phrase means “according to their uprightness.” It refers to a punishment that is given to people of noble status or character because of their integrity or honesty. For example:
for being honest (NCV) (BSB, ESV, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It provides a better parallel for the phrase “not good” in 17:26a.

Some ways to translate this whole line are:

It is wrong to inflict blows on those of noble mind (REB)

justice is perverted when good people are punished (GNT)

and to flog honorable men is wrong (NET)

General Comment on 17:26a–b

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

It isn’t fair to punish the innocent and those who do right. (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

עֲנ֣וֹשׁ לַ⁠צַּדִּ֣יק

fine to_(the),[person]

Here, fine refers to requiring a the righteous to pay money as a penalty for a crime that the righteous did not do. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “to wrongly require the righteous to pay a penalty”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

לַ⁠צַּדִּ֣יק

to_(the),[person]

Solomon is using the adjective righteous as a noun to mean righteous people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the righteous ones” or “people who act righteously”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

לֹא־ט֑וֹב

not good

Solomon is using a figure of speech here that expresses a strongly positive meaning by using a negative word, not, together with an expression that is the opposite of the intended meaning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the positive meaning. Alternate translation: “is evil”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לְ⁠הַכּ֖וֹת נְדִיבִ֣ים

to,strike noble

The parallelism with the previous clause indicates that Solomon is referring to striking nobles who did not do anything wrong. Here, nobles refers to people who have a position of ruling and also have noble character. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “to wrongly strike noble people”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

יֹֽשֶׁר

uprightness