PROV 18:17 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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) The first person to state their case sounds right,
⇔ → until their opponent cross-examines them.

18:17 OSHB variant note: יבא: (x-qere) ’וּ/בָֽא’: lemma_c/935 morph_HC/Vqq3ms id_20jvq וּ/בָֽא

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 Δίκαιος ἑαυτοῦ κατήγορος ἐν πρωτολογίᾳ, ὡς δʼ ἂν ἐπιβάλῃ ὁ ἀντίδικος ἐλέγχεται.
(Dikaios heautou kataʸgoros en prōtologia, hōs dʼ an epibalaʸ ho antidikos elegⱪetai. )

BrTr A righteous man accuses himself at the beginning of his speech, but [fn]when he has entered upon the attack, the adversary is reproved.

18:17 Comp. Mark 14. ult. and margin, with 2 Tim. 4. 14-17.

ULT The first one with his case is right;
⇔ then his neighbor comes and examines him.

UST People who state their cases first seem to be right
⇔ until people whom they know arrive and question them.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who pleads his cause first seems right—
⇔ until another comes and questions him.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The first to state his case seems right,
⇔ until his opponent begins to cross-examine him.

LSV The first in his own cause [seems] righteous,
[But] his neighbor comes and has searched him.

FBV The first person to plead a case sounds right until someone comes to cross-examine them.

T4T ⇔ The first person to present his case in court seems right,
⇔ but when ◄someone else/his opponent► begins to ask him questions, it may become clear that what he said was not true.

LEB • The first in his dispute is deemed righteous, but his neighbor will come and examine him.

BBE The man who first puts his cause before the judge seems to be in the right; but then his neighbour comes and puts his cause in its true light.

Moff The man who pleads first seems to be in the right
⇔ then comes the other man and sifts his case.

JPS He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out.

ASV He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just;
⇔ But his neighbor cometh and searcheth him out.

DRA The just is first accuser of himself: his friend cometh, and shall search him.

YLT Righteous [is] the first in his own cause, His neighbour cometh and hath searched him.

Drby He that is first in his own cause [seemeth] just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.

RV He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out.
(He that pleadeth/leads his cause first seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh/comes and searcheth him out. )

SLT The first one just in his cause; his neighbor will come and search him.

Wbstr He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbor cometh and searcheth him.

KJB-1769 He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh and searcheth him.
(He that is first in his own cause seemeth just; but his neighbour cometh/comes and searcheth him. )

KJB-1611 He that is first in his owne cause, seemeth iust; but his neighbour commeth and searcheth him.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The righteous declareth his owne cause first him selfe, and his neighbour commeth and tryeth hym.
(The righteous declareth his own cause first himself, and his neighbour cometh/comes and trieth/tries him.)

Gnva He that is first in his owne cause, is iust: then commeth his neighbour, and maketh inquirie of him.
(He that is first in his own cause, is just: then cometh/comes his neighbour, and maketh/makes enquirie of him. )

Cvdl The righteous accuseth hi self first of all, yf his neghbor come, he shal fynde him.
(The righteous accuseth hi self first of all, if his neghbor come, he shall find him.)

Wycl A iust man is the first accusere of hym silf; his frend cometh, and schal serche hym.
(A just man is the first accusere of himself; his friend cometh/comes, and shall serche him.)

Luth Der Gerechte ist seiner Sache zuvor gewiß; kommt sein Nächster, so findet er ihn also.
(The righteous_(one) is his matter before certainly; comes be Nächster, so finds he him/it also.)

ClVg Justus prior est accusator sui: venit amicus ejus, et investigabit eum.[fn]
(Just prior it_is accusator self: he_came a_friend his, and investigabit him. )

18.17 Justus prior. Omnis qui vere justus est, etc., usque ad ejus humilitatem digna mercede remunerat.

18.17 Just prior. Everyone who/which really/truly just it_is, etc., until to his humility worthy reward remunerat.

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

18:17

In this verse, the second line completes the thought of the first line.

^17aThe first to state his case seems right

^17buntil another comes and cross-examines him.

The setting of this proverb is a dispute in which the opponents both present their cases. It could be a legal dispute that is brought before a judge in court or before the elders of a town.Hubbard (page 274) says that the setting is the town gate, where the elders used to gather to settle arguments between residents. Most scholars do not identify the setting specifically. It could also be an argument between members of a family.

The proverb implies that people need to hear both sides of a dispute before they make a decision. It also implies the need to question the first speaker to make sure that he described the situation accurately.

18:17a

The first to state his case seems right

The words of a person who speaks first in a court case seem to show that he is right
When there is a disagreement and one of the opponents explains the situation, what he says sounds true/correct.

The first to state his case seems right: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “The first in his dispute is righteous.” It means that the first person to state his side of an argument appears to be right in what he has said. This is probably the accuser.Whybray (page 271) and UBS (page 391) think that the first speaker is the defendant. Other scholars, including Garrett, McKane, Cohen, and Waltke, understand him to be the accuser or plaintiff. Normally, in a court case, the accuser must first state the evidence against the defendant before the defendant can respond. Waltke points out that the phrase “first in his dispute/case” refers to the person who is the “possessor of a case against someone” (2005, page 82).

It is implied that he presents his evidence in a way that makes his own case look stronger than it actually is. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

The first person to speak in court always seems right (GNT)

The person who tells one side of a story seems right (NCV)

18:17b

until another comes and cross-examines him.

until the next person comes to the front and asks him questions.
But then his fellow opponent will question him and show that the situation is actually different.

until another comes and cross-examines him: The word that the BSB translates as another is literally “his neighbor.” It refers to the next person who speaks, probably the defendant. When the second person cross-examines or questions his accuser, the accuser’s arguments may no longer seem to be right. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

until his opponent begins to cross-examine him (NET)

until the next person comes forward to ask him questions

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

צַדִּ֣יק הָ⁠רִאשׁ֣וֹן בְּ⁠רִיב֑⁠וֹ וּבָֽא־רֵ֝עֵ֗⁠הוּ וַ⁠חֲקָרֽ⁠וֹ

law-abiding/just the,first in,his_of,case (Some words not found in UHB: law-abiding/just the,first in,his_of,case יבא his/its=neighbour and,he,will_examine_him )

This verse refers to a dispute in which one person states his case that seems to be right until that person’s neighbor examines him by asking him questions. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “When people dispute, the first one states his case and seems to be right. Then his neighbor comes and questions what he said”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

הָ⁠רִאשׁ֣וֹן בְּ⁠רִיב֑⁠וֹ & רֵ֝עֵ֗⁠הוּ וַ⁠חֲקָרֽ⁠וֹ

the,first in,his_of,case & his/its=neighbour and,he,will_examine_him

The first one, his, and him refer to a type of person, not a particular first one. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any first person with that person’s case … that person’s neighbor … and examines that person”

Note 3 topic: translate-ordinal

הָ⁠רִאשׁ֣וֹן

the,first

If your language does not use ordinal numbers, you could use a cardinal number here or an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “Person one”

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

וּבָֽא־רֵ֝עֵ֗⁠הוּ

(Some words not found in UHB: law-abiding/just the,first in,his_of,case יבא his/its=neighbour and,he,will_examine_him )

Solomon uses the word then here to indicate a contrast between the idea of the previous clause and this clause. Solomon implies that the results of examining the first one will be that his case is not right. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate a contrast. Alternate translation: “but then his neighbor comes”

Parallel PROV 18:17

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

18:17

18:17a

18:17b