PROV 20:26 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) A wise king winnows out the wicked to separate them.
⇔ ≈ He uses the thresher to break them off.

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 Λικμήτωρ ἀσεβῶν βασιλεὺς σοφὸς, καὶ ἐπιβαλεῖ αὐτοῖς τροχόν.
(Likmaʸtōr asebōn basileus sofos, kai epibalei autois troⱪon. )

ULT A wise king is one who winnows the wicked,
⇔ and he brings back a wheel over them.

UST Wise kings separate the wicked people from the good people
⇔ and then punish the wicked people severely.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE A wise king winnows out the wicked,
⇔ and drives the threshing wheel over them.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET A wise king separates out the wicked;
⇔ he turns the threshing wheel over them.

LSV A wise king is scattering the wicked,
And turns the wheel back on them.

FBV A wise king separates out the wicked by winnowing and punishes them by threshing.[fn]

20:26 This verse refers to activities associated with processing grain after harvest: winnowing and threshing, little known in the modern world.

T4T ⇔ Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong,
⇔ and they punish them very severely [IDM].

LEB • A wise king winnows the wicked, and he will drive a wheel over them.

BBE A wise king puts evil-doers to flight, and makes their evil-doing come back on them.

Moff A wise king scatters wicked men;
⇔ he drives hard over them.

JPS A wise king sifteth the wicked, and turneth the wheel over them.

ASV A wise king winnoweth the wicked,
⇔ And bringeth the threshing-wheel over them.

DRA A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth over them the wheel.

YLT A wise king is scattering the wicked, And turneth back on them the wheel.

Drby A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

RV A wise king winnoweth the wicked, and bringeth the threshing wheel over them.
(A wise king winnoweth the wicked, and bringeth/brings the threshing wheel over them. )

SLT A wise king scatters the unjust, and he will turn back a wheel over them.

Wbstr A wise king scatterreth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.

KJB-1769 A wise king scattereth the wicked, and bringeth the wheel over them.
(A wise king scattereth/scatters the wicked, and bringeth/brings the wheel over them. )

KJB-1611 A wise king scattereth the wicked, & bringeth the wheele ouer them.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps A wyse kyng disperseth the vngodly, and bringeth the wheele ouer them.
(A wise king disperseth the ungodly, and bringeth/brings the wheel over them.)

Gnva A wise King scattereth the wicked, and causeth the wheele to turne ouer them.
(A wise King scattereth/scatters the wicked, and causeth the wheel to turn over them. )

Cvdl A wyse kynge destroyeth ye vngodly, & bryngeth the whele ouer them.
(A wise king destroyeth ye/you_all ungodly, and bringeth/brings the wheel over them.)

Wycl A wijs kyng scaterith wickid men; and bowith a bouwe of victorie ouer hem.
(A wise king scaterith wicked men; and boweth/bows a bow of victory over hem.)

Luth Ein weiser König zerstreuet die GOttlosen und bringet das Rad über sie.
(A wiser king scattered the godless_one(s) and brings/gets the wheel above they/she/them.)

ClVg [Dissipat impios rex sapiens, et incurvat super eos fornicem.[fn]
([Dissipat wicked king wise, and incurvat over them fornicem. )

20.26 Dissipat impios rex sapiens, et incurvat super eos fornicem. Mos fuit antiquis, etc., usque ad cui rotæ est contraria corona vitæ quam repromittit Deus diligentibus se.

20.26 Dissipat wicked king wise, and incurvat over them fornicem. Mos it_was ancient, etc., until to to_whom wheels it_is opposites corona of_life how repromittit God loving himself.

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

20:26

This proverb uses the related metaphors of winnowing and threshing. These metaphors describe the way in which a wise king removes wicked people from his kingdom.

^26aA wise king separates out the wicked

^26band drives the threshing wheel over them.

Both metaphors describe the way that the chaff and husks are separated from the kernels of grain. In agricultural practice, threshing precedes winnowing. Here the order is reversed, perhaps to emphasize that the king is very thorough in removing wicked people.This suggestion comes from Waltke (page 156). UBS (page 432) and Whybray (page 302) also draw attention to the fact that winnowing and threshing are presented out of normal chronological order.

The idea of removing the wicked from the kingdom probably implies that they are punished or destroyed.UBS (page 432), Waltke (page 157), Fox (page 676), and Delitzsch (page 304) all mention the idea of punishment, but they understand that the use of the threshing wheel is figurative. Waltke and Fox specifically say that literal “torture” is not involved. Some versions make this explicit. See the General Comment on 20:26a–b at the end of 20:26b for ways to translate these metaphors.

20:26a

A wise king separates out the wicked

A wise king gets rid of wicked people in his country.

A wise king separates out the wicked: This metaphor is similar to the metaphor used in 20:8b. See the note there for a description of the winnowing process. Some differences between the two metaphors are:

Verse 20:26a refers to wicked people, whereas 20:8b refers mainly to evil or wickedness in general.
Verse 20:8b focuses on the king’s ability to distinguish evil from good. Verse 20:26a focuses on his action in getting rid of people who are evil.

20:26a–b

(combined/reordered)

Think^(sing) about a farmer who threshes and winnows the grain to scatter/remove the chaff and husks. A wise king is like that. He separates the people who are wicked and removes them from his land.
A wise king finds out who is doing wicked things and severely punishes them.

20:26b

and drives the threshing wheel over them.

He does this by finding out who they are and destroying/punishing them.

drives the threshing wheel over them: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “he causes the wheel to return over them.” This is a metaphor. The king’s action in separating and removing wicked people is compared to the farmer’s use of a threshing wheel.

The farmer used an animal to pull a frame or sledge. The sledge moved on heavy iron wheels or rollers with metal spikes or cutters. The sledge was driven repeatedly over bundles of grain that were spread on a stone threshing floor. This process separated the chaff and husks from the kernels of grain.This method of threshing was used when there were large quantities of grain. The description in the Notes is based on Waltke (pages 156–157), Fox (page 676), and Hubbard (page 247). They were then winnowed so the wind could blow away the useless material.

General Comment on 20:26a–b

In some languages, a literal translation of the metaphors in these two lines will not be understood correctly. In other situations, the details of the winnowing or threshing process will distract the reader from the main point of the proverb. Some ways to translate these two metaphors are:

Change the metaphors to similes. Put threshing before winnowing. For example:
A wise king is like a farmer who threshes and winnows the grain to scatter/remove the chaff and husks. He separates the people who are wicked and removes them.
If threshing and winnowing are not known, use a brief general description. For example:
A wise king finds out who is wicked and removes them. He is like a farmer who removes the chaff and husks from the grain and throws it away.
Translate the meaning without using figures of speech. For example:
A wise king sorts out the evil people, and he punishes them as they deserve. (NCV)
A wise king will find out who is doing wrong, and will punish him without pity. (GNT)

Consider adding a footnote that explains how people threshed grain in the country of Israel. Use information from the above note on 20:26b. You may also want to add a cross-reference to your footnote on winnowing in 20:8b.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מְזָרֶ֣ה & מֶ֣לֶךְ חָכָ֑ם וַ⁠יָּ֖שֶׁב

winnows & king wise and,he_brought_back

A wise king, one who scatters, and he refer to a type of kings in general, not a specific king. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any wise king is one who scatters … and that king brings back”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מְזָרֶ֣ה

winnows

See how you translated the same use of winnows in [20:8](../20/08.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וַ⁠יָּ֖שֶׁב עֲלֵי⁠הֶ֣ם אוֹפָֽן

and,he_brought_back over,them threshing_wheel

Here Solomon speaks of a king punishing wicked ones as if he were crushing them under a wheel normally used to crush grain. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “and he severely punishes them” or “and he severely punishes them as one would crush grain under a wheel”

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

אוֹפָֽן

threshing_wheel