PROV 21:17 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) The lover of pleasure will become poor.
⇔ ≈ Anyone who loves wine and rich food won’t become wealthy.

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).

BrLXX Ἀνὴρ ἐνδεὴς ἀγαπᾷ εὐφροσύνην, φιλῶν οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον εἰς πλοῦτον·
(Anaʸr endeaʸs agapa eufrosunaʸn, filōn oinon kai elaion eis plouton; )

ULT A man of lack loves joy;
⇔ a lover of wine and oil will not become rich.

UST People who love what is pleasurable will be poor.
⇔ Indeed, people who indulge themselves in wine and rich food will never be wealthy.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who loves pleasure will be a poor man.
⇔ He who loves wine and oil won’t be rich.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who loves pleasure will be a poor person;
⇔ whoever loves wine and anointing oil will not be rich.

LSV Whoever [is] loving mirth [is] a poor man,
Whoever is loving wine and oil makes no wealth.

FBV If you love pleasure you'll become poor; if you love wine and olive oil[fn] you won't ever be rich.

21:17 The extensive use of wine and olive oil was associated with luxury.

T4T ⇔ Those who spend their money to buy ◄things that give them pleasure/things that cause them to feel happy► will become poor;
⇔ those who love to spend money to buy wine and nice/fancy food [MTY] will never become rich.

LEB • A man of want is he who loves pleasure; he who loves wine and oil[fn] will not become rich.

21:? Or “fat”

BBE The lover of pleasure will be a poor man: the lover of wine and oil will not get wealth.

Moff He who is fond of pleasure will grow poor;
⇔ he who is fond of wine and oil never grows rich.

JPS He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man; he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

ASV He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man:
⇔ He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

DRA He that loveth good cheer, shall be in want: he that loveth wine, and fat things, shall not be rich.

YLT Whoso [is] loving mirth [is] a poor man, Whoso is loving wine and oil maketh no wealth.

Drby He that loveth mirth shall be a poor man; he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

RV He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
(He that loveth/loves pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth/loves wine and oil shall not be rich. )

SLT A man of poverty loving joy: he loving wine and oil shall not be rich.

Wbstr He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

KJB-1769 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.[fn]
(He that loveth/loves pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth/loves wine and oil shall not be rich. )

21.17 pleasure: or, sport

KJB-1611 [fn]He that loueth pleasure, shall be a poore man: hee that loueth wine and oyle, shall not be rich.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

21:17 Or, sport.

Bshps He that hath pleasure in bankettes shalbe a poore man: and whoso delighteth in wyne and delicates, shall not be riche.
(He that hath/has pleasure in banquettes shall be a poor man: and whoso/whoever delighteth/delights in wine and delicates, shall not be riche.)

Gnva Hee that loueth pastime, shalbe a poore man: and he that loueth wine and oyle, shall not be riche.
(He that loveth/loves pastime, shall be a poor man: and he that loveth/loves wine and oil, shall not be riche. )

Cvdl He yt hath pleasure in banckettes, shal be a poore man: Who so delyteth in wyne and delicates, shal not be riche.
(He it hath/has pleasure in banckettes, shall be a poor man: Whoso/Whoever delighteth/delights in wine and delicates, shall not be riche.)

Wycl He that loueth metis, schal be in nedynesse; he that loueth wiyn and fatte thingis, schal not be maad riche.
(He that loveth/loves meats, shall be in neediness; he that loveth/loves wine and fat things, shall not be made riche.)

Luth Wer gern in Wollust lebt, wird mangeln; und wer Wein und Öl liebet, wird nicht reich.
(Who gladly/willingly in lust(n) lives, becomes lack; and who wine and oil loves, becomes not rich/wealthy.)

ClVg Qui diligit epulas in egestate erit; qui amat vinum et pinguia non ditabitur.
(Who he_loves epulas in/into/on poverty will_be; who/which loves wine and pinguia not/no ditabitur. )

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

21:17

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^17a He who loves pleasure will become poor;

^17b the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.

The overall meaning is that a person who loves to go to parties and live luxuriously will not become rich. The second line gives a specific example of the general term “pleasure” in the first line.

21:17a

He who loves pleasure will become poor;

A person who pursues/loves pleasure/enjoyment will become poor.
If you^(sing) enjoy attending parties all the time, your money will soon be gone.

He who loves pleasure will become poor: The word that the BSB translates here as pleasure refers to feasts or parties. The BSB translated the same word as “joy” in 21:15a. A person who loves pleasure loves to attend feasts where he can have fun and enjoy expensive food and wine.Ross (page 1055), Whybray (page 312) Some other ways to translate this line are:

Pleasure-lovers stay poor (NJB)

A person who always wants to attend parties will use up his money

21:17a–b

(combined/reordered)

If you^(sing) greatly enjoy attending parties and buying expensive things, you will not become rich.

21:17b

the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.

It is not possible to be rich if you^(sing) love to drink wine and use expensive perfume.
A person who has a strong desire for expensive things will never become wealthy.

the one who loves wine and oil: Both wine and oil were associated with feasts. The olive oil was used to anoint the head or skin of the guests. It may have been perfumed.Whybray (page 311) says that the oil was used for anointing the head. Longman (page 395) says that it was used “to refresh the skin of the guests.” Fox (page 687) describes the oil as “fragrant.” Waltke (page 181) says that it was used in cosmetics and perfumes. The phrase wine and oil probably also has a symbolic meaning here. It represents an extravagant lifestyle in which a person pursues his own pleasure.Murphy (page 160).

If people in your culture associate wine and olive oil with parties and luxury, consider using similar terms in your translation. In some languages, the word oil may not be understood correctly. If that is true in your language, consider using a different term that has the right meaning. The meaning can be literal or symbolic. For example:

wine and perfume (NAB)

wine and good living (NJB)

will never be rich: This phrase expresses the same meaning as the parallel phrase “will become poor” in 21:17a.

General Comment on 21:17a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine the parallel parts. For example:

Heavy drinkers and others who live only for pleasure will lose all they have. (CEV)

Indulging in luxuries, wine, and rich food will never make you wealthy. (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

אִ֣ישׁ מַ֭חְסוֹר אֹהֵ֣ב שִׂמְחָ֑ה אֹהֵ֥ב יַֽיִן־וָ֝⁠שֶׁ֗מֶן לֹ֣א יַעֲשִֽׁיר

(a)_man poor loves pleasure loves wine and,oil not rich

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second clause emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word that shows that the second clause is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “A man of lack loves joy; yes, a lover of wine and oil will not become rich”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

אִ֣ישׁ & אֹהֵ֥ב

(a)_man & loves

A man and a lover refer to types of people in general, not to a specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person of … any lover of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

אִ֣ישׁ מַ֭חְסוֹר

(a)_man poor

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe a man who is characterized by lacking wealth. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “A man who lacks” or “A man characterized by poverty”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

שִׂמְחָ֑ה

pleasure

Here, joy refers to things and activities that cause people to feel joy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what pleases them”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יַֽיִן־וָ֝⁠שֶׁ֗מֶן

wine and,oil