Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
ParallelVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Prov Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31
Prov 17 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28
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.
Part a: Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=unclear Importance to us=normal
Part b: Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) Doing a favour can act like a bribe for the donor.
⇔ → It causes everything they do to prosper.![]()
OET-LV is_a_stone_of favour the_bribe in/on_both_eyes_of its_owners_of_of to all_of that he_turns he_prospers.
![]()
UHB אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן הַ֭שֹּׁחַד בְּעֵינֵ֣י בְעָלָ֑יו אֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִפְנֶ֣ה יַשְׂכִּֽיל׃ ‡
(ʼeⱱen-ḩēn hashshoḩad bəˊēynēy ⱱəˊālāyv ʼel-kāl-ʼₐsher yifneh yaskil.)
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 Μισθὸς χαρίτων παιδεία τοῖς χρωμένοις, οὗ δʼ ἂν ἐπιστρέψῃ εὐοδωθήσεται.
(Misthos ⱪaritōn paideia tois ⱪrōmenois, hou dʼ an epistrepsaʸ euodōthaʸsetai. )
BrTr Instruction is to them that use it a gracious reward: and whithersoever it may turn, it shall prosper.
ULT A stone of favor is a bribe in the eyes of its owner;
⇔ he succeeds to all that he turns.
UST People who pay bribes think that bribes are magical;
⇔ by paying bribes, they think that everything that they do will be successful.
BSB A bribe is a charm to its giver;
⇔ wherever he turns, he succeeds.
MSB (Same as BSB above)
OEB No OEB PROV book available
WEBBE A bribe is a precious stone in the eyes of him who gives it;
⇔ wherever he turns, he prospers.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET A bribe works like a charm for the one who offers it;
⇔ in whatever he does he succeeds.
LSV A stone of grace [is] the bribe in the eyes of its possessors,
Wherever it turns, it prospers.
FBV Whoever gives a bribe thinks it's a magical stone—that wherever they turn they'll have success!
T4T ⇔ People think that a bribe is like a magic stone to persuade someone to do what they want him to do;
⇔ they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
LEB • The bribe is a stone of magic in the eyes of its owner;[fn] everywhere[fn] he will turn, he will prosper.
BBE An offering of money is like a stone of great price in the eyes of him who has it: wherever he goes, he does well.
Moff A bribe is a lucky stone, its owner thinks;
⇔ it brings him luck at every turn.
JPS A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; whithersoever he turneth, he prospereth.
ASV A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;
⇔ Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
DRA The expectation of him that expecteth, is a most acceptable jewel: whithersoever he turneth himself, he understandeth wisely.
YLT A stone of grace [is] the bribe in the eyes of its possessors, Whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
Drby A gift is a precious stone in the eyes of the possessor: whithersoever it turneth it prospereth.
RV A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
(A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath/has it: whithersoever/wherever it turneth, it prospereth. )
SLT The gift a stone of grace in the, eyes of him possessing it: to all which it shall turn it shall prosper.
Wbstr A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.
KJB-1769 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth.[fn]
(A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath/has it: whithersoever/wherever it turneth, it prospereth. )
17.8 a precious…: Heb. a stone of grace
KJB-1611 [fn]A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoeuer it turneth, it prospereth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)
17:8 Hebr. a stone of grace.
Bshps A gyft is as a precious stone vnto hym that hath it: but vnto whom soeuer it turneth, it maketh hym vnwise.
(A gift is as a precious stone unto him that hath/has it: but unto whomsoever it turneth, it maketh/makes him unwise.)
Gnva A rewarde is as a stone pleasant in the eyes of them that haue it: it prospereth, whithersoeuer it turneth.
(A reward is as a stone pleasant in the eyes of them that have it: it prospereth, whithersoever/wherever it turneth. )
Cvdl Liberalite is a precious stone vnto him that hath it, for where so euer he becometh, he prospereth.
(Liberalite is a precious stone unto him that hath/has it, for where so ever he becometh/becomes, he prospereth.)
Wycl A preciouse stoon moost acceptable is the abiding of hym that sekith; whidur euere he turneth hym silf, he vndurstondith prudentli.
(A precious stone most acceptable is the abiding of him that seeketh/seeks; whither/where ever he turneth himself, he understandeth/understands prudentli.)
Luth Wer zu schenken hat, dem ist‘s wie ein Edelstein; wo er sich hinkehret, ist er klug geachtet.
(Who to/for give/donate has, to_him it_is as/like a Edelstein; where he itself/yourself/themselves hinkehret, is he wise/clever respected.)
ClVg Gemma gratissima exspectatio præstolantis; quocumque se vertit, prudenter intelligit.[fn]
(Gemma for_freesima is_waitingio beforestolantis; wherever himself turns, prudently understands. )
17.8 Gemma gratissima. Qui præmia futura fideliter exspectat, etc., usque ad prudenter intelligens, Quoniam diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum Rom. 8..
17.8 Gemma for_freesima. Who prizes the_future faithfully is_waiting, etc., until to prudently intelligent, Since loving God everything cothey_work in/into/on good Rom. 8..
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
In this proverb, the second line further explains the first line.
8aA bribe is a charm to its giver;
8bwherever he turns, he succeeds.
The overall meaning is that a person who gives a bribe expects it to work like a magic charm and make him successful. The proverb does not express approval or disapproval concerning the giving of bribes. It simply states the facts about the attitude of the person who offers them.
A bribe is a charm to its giver;
People who give bribes think that they work like an amulet/charm.
A bribe seems to accomplish amazing things for the one who gives it.
A bribe is a charm: The phrase that the BSB translates as charm is literally “stone of favor.” It means “stone that brings favor.”Toy (page 341), Ross (page 1016). This line is a metaphor. The metaphor compares a bribe to a magic stone, amulet or good luck charm. The similarity is that both have magical or miraculous results.
to its giver: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “in the eyes of its owner.” In other words, in the opinion of the person who gives the bribe, it works like a charm.
If a literal translation of this metaphor is not clear in your language, some other ways to translate it are:
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
A bribe seems to work like magic for those who give it (NLT96)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Some people think they can pay others to do anything they ask. (NCV)
wherever he turns, he succeeds.
Whenever they use bribes, they get what they want.
He is able to accomplish whatever he tries to do.
wherever he turns, he succeeds: This line means that whenever the person offers a bribe, he is successful. The bribe accomplishes what he wants. It is probably implied from 17:8a that this is the opinion of the one who gives the bribes. A number of versions make this explicit. For example:
They think it will work every time. (NCV)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
אֶֽבֶן־חֵ֣ן
stone_of graciousness/kindness/favour/beauty
A stone of favor refers to an object that someone thinks is magical and will make its owner successful. If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could use an idiom from your language that does have this meaning or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “A lucky rabbit’s foot” or “A charm”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
בְּעֵינֵ֣י
in/on=both_eyes_of
See how you translated this phrase in [3:4](../03/04.md).
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
יַשְׂכִּֽיל
prosper
Here, he succeeds refers to what the owner of a bribe thinks would happen as a result of giving people bribes. It does not refer to something that is true. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “he thinks that he succeeds”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
אֶֽל־כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֖ר יִפְנֶ֣ה
to/near all/each/any/every which/who turns
Here Solomon refers to everything that the a person does as if it were all the places that he turns toward. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in whatever he does”