PROV 19:12 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) The king’s rage is like a lion’s roar,
⇔ ^ but his favour is like dew on the grass.

Key: .
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 Βασιλέως ἀπειλὴ ὁμοία βρυγμῷ λέοντος· ὥσπερ δὲ δρόσος ἐπὶ χόρτῳ, οὕτως τὸ ἱλαρὸν αὐτοῦ.
(Basileōs apeilaʸ homoia brugmōi leontos; hōsper de drosos epi ⱪortōi, houtōs to hilaron autou. )

BrTr The threatening of a king is like the roaring of a lion; but as dew on the grass, so is his favour.

ULT The rage of a king is a growling like the young lion,
⇔ but his favor is like dew on vegetation.

UST When kings are furious, they frighten people like the roaring of young lions frightens people,
⇔ but when they approve of people, it is as refreshing for the people as dew is on plants.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
⇔ but his favour is like dew on the grass.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET A king’s wrath is like the roar of a lion,
⇔ but his favor is like dew on the grass.

LSV The wrath of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion,
And his goodwill as dew on the herb.

FBV When a king gets angry, he sounds like a roaring lion; but his kindness is as soft as dew on the grass.

T4T ⇔ When a king is angry, that causes people to be afraid of him, like the roar of a lion causes people to be afraid [SIM],
⇔ but if he acts kindly toward people, they like it just like they like dew on the grass in the morning.

LEB • The rage of a king growls like a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

BBE The king's wrath is like the loud cry of a lion, but his approval is like dew on the grass.

Moff The anger of a king is like a lion’s roar;
⇔ his favour is like dew on grass.
¶ 

JPS The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

ASV The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion;
⇔ But his favor is as dew upon the grass.

DRA As the roaring of a lion, so also is the anger of a king: and his cheerfulness as the dew upon the grass.

YLT The wrath of a king [is] a growl as of a young lion, And as dew on the herb his good-will.

Drby The king's displeasure is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

RV The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

SLT The king’s wrath growling as the young lion, and his acceptance as dew upon the grass.

Wbstr The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favor is as dew upon the grass.

KJB-1769 The king’s wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass.

KJB-1611 The kings wrath is as the roaring of a lyon: but his fauour is as dewe vpon the grasse.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The kynges displeasure is lyke the roaryng of a Lion: but his fauour is lyke the deawe vpon the grasse.
(The kings displeasure is like the roaring of a Lion: but his favour is like the dew upon the grass.)

Gnva The Kings wrath is like the roaring of a lyon: but his fauour is like the dewe vpon ye grasse.
(The Kings wrath is like the roaring of a lion: but his favour is like the dew upon ye/you_all grass. )

Cvdl The kynges disfauor is like ye roaringe of a Lyo, but his fredshpe is like the dewe vpo ye grasse.
(The kings disfauor is like ye/you_all roaring of a Lyo, but his fredshpe is like the dew upon ye/you_all grass.)

Wycl As the gnasting of a lioun, so and the ire of the king; and as deewe on eerbe, so and the gladnesse of the kyng.
(As the gnasting of a lion, so and the ire of the king; and as deewe on herb, so and the gladness of the king.)

Luth Die Ungnade des Königs ist wie das Brüllen eines jungen Löwen; aber seine Gnade ist wie Tau auf dem Grase.
(The disgrace the kings is as/like the Brüllen one/a young/youthful lions; but his grace is as/like dew on/in/to to_him grasse.)

ClVg Sicut fremitus leonis, ita et regis ira, et sicut ros super herbam, ita et hilaritas ejus.
(Like fremitus lion's, so/thus and king anger/rage, and like dew over grass, so/thus and hilaritas his. )

SOTN SIL Open Translation 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

19:12

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^12a A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,

^12bbut his favor is like dew on the grass.

This verse uses two contrasting similes to describe the contrast between a king’s rage and his favor.

19:12a

A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion,

The fierce anger of a king/ruler is like the frightening roar of a lion.
When a king gets angry, he is as dangerous as a snarling/growling lion,

A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion: This clause is a simile. It compares the fierce anger of a king to the roaring or growling of a lion. Some ways that they are similar are:

Both are threatening and terrifying.
Both imply danger and possible destruction or death.

Some other ways to translate this simile are:

Make explicit one or more of the similarities. For example:
The anger of a king is as frightening as a growling/roaring lion.
If a term for “lion” is not well known in your area, use a more general phrase. For example:
When a king gets angry, you are in danger. It’s like you are facing a fierce, wild animal.

roar: The word that the BSB translates as roar may be described as a roar, growl, or snarl.According to NIDOTTE (H5638), this is the sound that a lion makes when it seizes its prey or charges. Fox (page 654) says that this word refers to a quieter “growl” rather than a loud “roar.” However, this form of the word is used elsewhere only in Proverbs 20:2, where the context is identical. Other forms of the word can refer to the loud noise of an army or a raging sea or to the groaning of a sick person. For example:

the growling of a lion (ESV)

The point here is that the sound is threatening and produces fear. You should use a term that has this connotation in your language.

19:12b

but his favor is like dew on the grass.

In contrast, his approval/goodwill is like the dew that enables the plants to grow/live.
but when he shows his kindness, it is very helpful, like dew that waters the grass/plants.

but his favor is like dew on the grass: In this simile, the king’s favor, kindness, or goodwill is compared to dew on the grass. In Israel, during the dry season, the dew was essential for plants to survive. Some ways that they are similar are:

Both are greatly appreciated.
Both are beneficial and life-giving.

grass: The word that the BSB translates here as grass refers to all kinds of vegetation, including grass, herbs, and vegetables.

Some other ways to translate 19:12b are:

but his kindness is like the dew on the grass (NCV)

but when a king is pleased, it’s like dew on the crops (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

זַ֣עַף & רְצוֹנֽ⁠וֹ

rage_of & favor_of,his

See how you translated the abstract nouns rage in [11:23](../11/23.md) and favor in [3:4](../03/04.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

כַּ֭⁠כְּפִיר & מֶ֑לֶךְ & רְצוֹנֽ⁠וֹ

like_(the),lion & king & favor_of,his

Here, a king, the young lion, and his refer to kings and young lions in general, not to a specific king or young lion. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any king … like any young lion … that king’s favor”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

נַ֣הַם כַּ֭⁠כְּפִיר

roaring like_(the),lion

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 earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “is a growling like the growling of the young lion”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

נַ֣הַם כַּ֭⁠כְּפִיר

roaring like_(the),lion

Solomon is saying that The rage of a king is like the growling of the young lion because both frighten people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “is frightening like the growling of the young lion”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠כְ⁠טַ֖ל עַל־עֵ֣שֶׂב רְצוֹנֽ⁠וֹ

and_[is],like,dew on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in plant favor_of,his

Solomon is saying that a king’s favor is like dew on vegetation because both are refreshing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “but his favor is refreshing like dew on vegetation”

Parallel PROV 19:12

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

19:12

19:12a

19:12b