PROV 20:21 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.)

20:21 OSHB variant note: מבחלת: (x-qere) ’מְבֹהֶ֣לֶת’: lemma_926 morph_HVPsfsa id_20JoU מְבֹהֶ֣לֶת

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).

ULT An inheritance gained quickly in the beginning,
⇔ its end will not be blessed.

UST If people inherit property hastily before the proper time,
⇔ they will ultimately not receive any blessing from it.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
⇔ won’t be blessed in the end.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET An inheritance gained easily in the beginning
⇔ will not be blessed in the end.

LSV An inheritance gotten wrongly at first,
Even its latter end is not blessed.

FBV Wealth gained too soon[fn] won't do you any good in the end.

20:21 “Gained too soon”: some manuscripts have “gained by greed”

T4T ⇔ If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die,
⇔ you will not receive any good/blessing from it.

LEB • An inheritance acquired hastily at the beginning[fn] will not be blessed at its end.

20:? Literally “at the first”

BBE A heritage may be got quickly at first, but the end of it will not be a blessing.

Moff Money made hurriedly at the start
⇔ turns out unblessed at the end.

JPS An estate may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

ASV An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning;
⇔ But the end thereof shall not be blessed.

DRA The inheritance gotten hastily in the beginning, in the end shall be without a blessing.

YLT An inheritance gotten wrongly at first, Even its latter end is not blessed.

Drby An inheritance obtained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed in the end.

RV An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

SLT An inheritance greedily gotten in the beginning; and its latter state shall not be.

Wbstr An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end of it shall not be blessed.

KJB-1769 An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning; but the end thereof shall not be blessed.

KJB-1611 An inheritance may be gotten hastily at the beginning: but the ende thereof shall not be blessed.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The heritage that commeth hastylye at the first, shall not be blessed at the ende.
(The heritage that cometh/comes hastilye at the first, shall not be blessed at the end.)

Gnva An heritage is hastely gotten at the beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed.
(An heritage is hastily gotten at the beginning, but the end thereof shall not be blessed. )

Cvdl The heretage that commeth to haistely at the first, shal not be praysed at the ende.
(The heritage that cometh/comes to hastily at the first, shall not be praised at the end.)

Wycl Eritage to which me haastith in the bigynnyng, schal wante blessing in the laste tyme.
(Eritage to which me haastith in the beginning, shall want blessing in the last time.)

Luth Das Erbe, danach man zuerst sehr eilet, wird zuletzt nicht gesegnet sein.
(The heritage, after/thereafter/then man first very hurry, becomes last/in_the_end not blessed be.)

ClVg hæreditas ad quam festinatur in principio, in novissimo benedictione carebit.[fn]
(inheritance to how is_in_a_hurryur in/into/on at_the_beginning, in/into/on the_last blessing carebit. )

20.21 Hæreditas. Qui per avaritiæ nequitiam in hac vita multiplicari appetunt, etc., usque ad abominatio est apud Deum.

20.21 Inheritance. Who through of_greed iniquity in/into/on this_way life multiplicari appetunt, etc., until to abomination it_is at God.

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

20:21

This proverb is a single sentence in Hebrew. The first line describes an inheritance that a person obtains before the proper time. The second line tells what will eventually happen to that inheritance.

^21aAn inheritance gained quickly

^21bwill not be blessed at the end.

20:21a

An inheritance gained quickly

A person may quickly obtain the wealth of his parents through trickery/dishonesty,
If a person takes his inheritance before the proper time,

An inheritance gained quickly: There are two ways to interpret the word that the BSB translates as inheritance:

It refers to land or other family property or wealth that is inherited from one’s parents. For example:
Wealth inherited quickly in the beginning (NCV) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV)
It refers to any wealth or property that a person obtains. For example:
Getting rich quick (CEV) (CEV, NAB, NJB, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Most commentaries and lexicons support this interpretation. The Hebrew word that is used here usually refers to family property that is passed on from parents to children.This statement excludes the verses that speak about Israel being the LORD’s inheritance or the LORD being Israel’s inheritance. NIDOTTE (H5709) mentions that the word “inheritance” is sometimes used figuratively (for example, Proverbs 11:29a “inherit only wind” and Proverbs 3:35a “inherit honor”). But this kind of figurative usage is not in view here. TWOT (#1342a) defines the word as “inheritance, heritage, possession.” It goes on to clarify that possession has the connotation of permanence. Verse 13:11a has a similar theme. But there, a different Hebrew word that refers to money or wealth in general is used.

gained quickly: This phrase probably indicates that the son takes his inheritance before the proper time. It may also imply that he obtains it wrongfully.McKane (page 539), Ross (page 1046), Murphy (page 152), Whybray (page 300). In some languages, it may be more natural to leave this phrase implied.

Another way to translate 20:21a is:

When a person quickly takes his inheritance before the right time

20:21b

will not be blessed in the end.

but in the end, the result of such gain/wealth will not be a blessing/benefit.
it will give him no good/benefit in the end.

will not be blessed in the end: This phrase probably indicates that the inheritance will not prosper. In the end, it will not benefit the one who inherited it.Hubbard (page 312), Ross (page 1046). The verb will not be blessed is a passive verb. If it is necessary to make the source of the blessing explicit, you may supply “the LORD.” For example:

The LORD will not bless it in the end

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

is not a blessing in the end (NET)

will do you no good in the end (NCV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

נַ֭חֲלָה

inheritance

See how you translated the abstract noun inheritance in [17:2](../17/02.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בָּ⁠רִאשֹׁנָ֑ה

at,first

The phrase in the beginning refers to a person receiving his inheritance before he is supposed to receive it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “before the right time”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ֝⁠אַחֲרִיתָ֗⁠הּ

and,its_of,end

See how you translated the same use of its end in [14:12](../14/12.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

לֹ֣א תְבֹרָֽךְ

not blessed

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Yahweh will not bless”

Parallel PROV 20:21

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

20:21

20:21a

20:21b