PROV 20:28 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.)

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 Ἐλεημοσύνη καὶ ἀλήθεια φυλακὴ βασιλεῖ, καὶ περικυκλώσουσιν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ τὸν θρόνον αὐτοῦ.
(Eleaʸmosunaʸ kai alaʸtheia fulakaʸ basilei, kai perikuklōsousin en dikaiosunaʸ ton thronon autou. )

BrTr Mercy and truth are a guard to a king, and will surround his throne with righteousness.

ULT Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness guard a king,
⇔ and his throne is sustained by covenant faithfulness.

UST Being faithful and trustworthy makes kings safe.
⇔ Indeed, being faithful enables them to rule securely.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Love and faithfulness keep the king safe.
⇔ His throne is sustained by love.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Loyal love and truth preserve a king,
⇔ and his throne is upheld by loyal love.

LSV Kindness and truth keep a king,
And he has supported his throne by kindness.

FBV Trustworthy love and faithfulness keep a king safe; trustworthy love supports his rule.

T4T ⇔ Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them
⇔ and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.

LEB • Loyalty and faithfulness will preserve a king, and he is upheld with the righteousness of his throne.

BBE Mercy and good faith keep the king safe, and the seat of his power is based on upright acts.

Moff Kindness and duty are a king’s safeguard;
⇔ his throne rests upon justice.
¶ 

JPS Mercy and truth preserve the king; and his throne is upheld by mercy.

ASV Kindness and truth preserve the king;
⇔ And his throne is upholden by kindness.

DRA Mercy and truth preserve the king, and his throne is strengthened by clemency.

YLT Kindness and truth keep a king, And he hath supported by kindness his throne.

Drby Mercy and truth preserve the king; and he upholdeth his throne by mercy.

RV Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

SLT Mercy and truth shall guard the king: and his throne he upheld in mercy.

Wbstr Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upheld by mercy.

KJB-1769 Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

KJB-1611 Mercy and trueth preserue the king: and his throne is vpholden by mercy.
(Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.)

Bshps Mercy and trueth preserueth the king, and with louing kindnes his seate is holden vp.
(Mercy and truth preserveth the king, and with loving-kindness his seat is held up.)

Gnva Mercie and trueth preserue the King: for his throne shall be established with mercie.
(Mercy and truth preserve the King: for his throne shall be established with mercy. )

Cvdl Mercy & faithfulnes preserue the kynge, & with louynge kyndnes his seate is holden vp.
(Mercy and faithfulness preserve the king, and with loving kindness his seat is held up.)

Wycl Merci and treuthe kepen a kyng; and his trone is maad strong bi mekenesse.
(Merci and truth keep a king; and his throne is made strong by meekness.)

Luth Fromm und wahrhaftig sein behüten den König, und sein Thron bestehet durch Frömmigkeit.
(Fromm and truthfully be protect/guard the king, and be throne exists through piety/godliness.)

ClVg Misericordia et veritas custodiunt regem, et roboratur clementia thronus ejus.
(Mercy and the_truth they_keep the_king, and roboratur mercy/clemency thronus 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

20:28

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^28a Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;

^28b by these he maintains his throne.

Both lines describe the character qualities that make a king’s rule stable and secure.

20:28a

Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king;

Loyal love and trustworthiness are like guards that protect a king.
If a ruler shows consistent love and kindness to others and can be trusted to do what he says, he will be safe.

Loving devotion and faithfulness preserve a king: There are two ways to interpret the one who shows Loving devotion and faithfulness. Except for the CEV, the versions used in preparing these Notes are all ambiguous, so they will not be listed below:

The king is the one who shows love and faithfulness, primarily to his people, but also to God.
God is the one who shows love and faithfulness to the king. For example:
Rulers are protected by God’s mercy and loyalty (CEV)

It is recommended that you translate in a way that allows both interpretations. Both have good scholarly support.Scholars who support interpretation (1) include UBS, Waltke, Fox, Toy, Delitzsch, Garrett, and Longman. Scholars who support interpretation (2) include Ross, McKane, Murphy, and Hubbard. If you need to make one interpretation explicit, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In that case, it is also recommended that you put the other interpretation in a footnote. An example of such a footnote is:

In Hebrew, it does not say who shows love and faithfulness. It could be the king, as in the second part of the verse. It could also be God.

Reasons for recommending interpretation (1) are:

Elsewhere in Proverbs, the word pair “loving devotion and faithfulness” refers to qualities that people show rather than qualities that God shows.
Most of the verses in Proverbs about a king describe the king’s interaction with his subjects or the way that he rules. They do not describe God’s interactions with the king. See the note on “love and faithfulness” at 3:3a.

In this clause, Loving devotion and faithfulness are personified. They are described as guards who protect a king. When a king shows these qualities in the way that he rules the people of his country, he will remain in power.

Loving devotion: The word that the BSB translates as Loving devotion refers here to the consistent love and kindness that a king shows to his subjects. For ways to translate this word, see the note on “loving devotion” at 3:3a.

faithfulness: The word that the BSB translates as faithfulness refers here to the king’s trustworthiness and reliability.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Keep the personification. For example:
Unfailing love and faithfulness protect the king (NLT)
Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king (NRSV)
Change the personification to a simile. For example:
The kindness and trustworthiness that a king shows to others are like two guards that protect him.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
A king is safe/protected as long as he is loving and kind and can be trusted to fulfill his obligations.

20:28b

by these he maintains his throne.

If he is loving and merciful to others, his rule/government will be secure/stable.
He will continue to rule/govern his country as long as he is loving and kind.

by these he maintains his throne: There is a textual issue here:

The Masoretic Text has: “through love.” For example:
and his throne is upheld by loyal love (NET) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NCV, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT)
The LXX has: “through justice/righteousness.” For example:
and his throne is upheld by righteousness (NRSV) (NAB, NASB, NJB, NRSV, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most scholars.The HOTTP also recommends the Hebrew text with a B rating. However, many versions prefer option (2). So you may want to add a footnote that indicates what it says in the Greek translation (LXX). For example:

What is written in the Hebrew (Masoretic Text) is “love.” What is written in The Greek translation (LXX) is “justice/righteousness.”

his throne: This phrase is a figure of speech here. A king’s throne represents his authority, position, or rule as king.

Some other ways to translate 20:28b are:

they must be merciful for their kingdoms to last (CEV)

He will maintain his rule by being kind and loving.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

חֶ֣סֶד וֶ֭⁠אֱמֶת יִצְּרוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ וְ⁠סָעַ֖ד בַּ⁠חֶ֣סֶד כִּסְאֽ⁠וֹ

loyalty and,faithfulness preserve king and,he_supports by,loyalty throne_of,his

These two phrases mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. Hebrew poetry was based on this kind of repetition, and it would be good to show this to your readers by including both phrases in your translation rather than combining them. However, if it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness guard a king; yes, his throne is sustained by covenant faithfulness”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

חֶ֣סֶד וֶ֭⁠אֱמֶת & בַּ⁠חֶ֣סֶד

loyalty and,faithfulness & by,loyalty

See how you translated the abstract nouns Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness in [3:3](../03/03.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִצְּרוּ־מֶ֑לֶךְ

preserve king

Here Solomon refers to a king protecting himself by acting with Covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness as if those two things were people who guard him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “enables a king to be protected”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מֶ֑לֶךְ

king

This verse describes the traits of an ideal, righteous king, not any king in general. See how you translated the same use of king in [16:10](../16/10.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מֶ֑לֶךְ & כִּסְאֽ⁠וֹ

king & throne_of,his

Here, a king and his throne refer to righteous kings and their thrones, not a specific king or throne. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any good king … that king’s throne”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠סָעַ֖ד בַּ⁠חֶ֣סֶד כִּסְאֽ⁠וֹ

and,he_supports by,loyalty throne_of,his

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: “and covenant faithfulness sustains his throne”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וְ⁠סָעַ֖ד בַּ⁠חֶ֣סֶד כִּסְאֽ⁠וֹ

and,he_supports by,loyalty throne_of,his

Here, throne refers to a king’s authority, which is represented by the throne that a king sits on. See how you translated the same use of throne in [16:12](../16/12.md).

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

וְ⁠סָעַ֖ד בַּ⁠חֶ֣סֶד כִּסְאֽ⁠וֹ

and,he_supports by,loyalty throne_of,his

Here Solomon refers to a king maintaining his authority by acting with covenant faithfulness as if covenant faithfulness were a person who could sustain him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and acting with covenant faithfulness enables him to maintain his authority”

Parallel PROV 20:28

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

20:28

20:28a

20:28b