PROV 21:18 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=unclear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) A wicked person becomes the payment to free someone who does what’s right,
⇔ ≈ and a treacherous person to free a godly person.

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 Περικάθαρμα δὲ δικαίου ἄνομος.
(Perikatharma de dikaiou anomos. )

21:18 Gr. `off-scouring;' perhaps `ransom,' q. d. that which cleans.

ULT A ransom for the righteous one is a wicked one,
⇔ and instead of the upright, one who acts treacherously.

UST Wicked people will suffer instead of righteous people,
⇔ and treacherous people will suffer in place of upright people.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The wicked is a ransom for the righteous,
⇔ the treacherous for the upright.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,
⇔ and the faithless are taken in the place of the upright.

LSV The wicked [is] an atonement for the righteous,
And the treacherous dealer for the upright.

FBV The wicked pay the price and not the good; those who are deceitful and not those who live right.[fn]

21:18 The exact intention of this verse is unclear, but seems to be similar to the thought in 11:8.

T4T ⇔ Wicked people bring on themselves the sufferings
⇔ that they were trying to cause righteous people to experience [DOU].

LEB • A ransom for the righteous is the wicked, and the faithless instead of the upright.

BBE The evil-doer will be given as a price for the life of the good man, and the worker of deceit in the place of the upright.

Moff The evil have to pay the penalty;
⇔ the faithless are punished, not the upright.

JPS The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; and the faithless cometh in the stead of the upright.

ASV The wicked is a ransom for the righteous;
⇔ And the treacherous cometh in the stead of the upright.

DRA The wicked is delivered up for the just: and the unjust for the righteous.

YLT The wicked [is] an atonement for the righteous, And for the upright the treacherous dealer.

Drby The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and a treacherous [man] in the stead of the upright.

RV The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; and the treacherous cometh in the stead of the upright.
(The wicked is a ransom for the righteous; and the treacherous cometh/comes in the stead of the upright. )

SLT The unjust one a ransom for the just one, and he transgressing, instead of the upright.

Wbstr The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

KJB-1769 The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.

KJB-1611 The wicked shalbe a ransome for the righteous; and the transgressour for the vpright.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The vngodly shalbe a raunsome for the righteous: and the wicked for the iust.
(The ungodly shall be a ransom for the righteous: and the wicked for the just.)

Gnva The wicked shalbe a ransome for the iust, and the transgressour for the righteous.
(The wicked shall be a ransom for the just, and the transgressor for the righteous. )

Cvdl The vngodly shalbe geuen for the rightuous, & the wicked for the iust.
(The ungodly shall be given for the righteous, and the wicked for the just.)

Wycl An vnpitouse man schal be youun for a iust man; and a wickid man schal be youun for a riytful man.
(An impious/wicked man shall be given for a just man; and a wicked man shall be given for a rightful man.)

Luth Der GOttlose muß für den Gerechten gegeben werden und der Verächter für die Frommen.
(The godless_(ones) must for/in_favour_of the righteous_(ones) given become and the/of_the despiser for/in_favour_of the pious/devout_(one).)

ClVg Pro justo datur impius, et pro rectis iniquus.[fn]
(For just given impious/ungodly, and for straight unjust. )

21.18 Pro justo datur. Justus et rectus idem, etc., usque ad cum multo facilius possent, sapientiæ curam non habuerunt.

21.18 For just given. Just and straight/righteous the_same, etc., until to when/with much easier they_could, of_wisdom care not/no they_had.

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

21:18

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^18a The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,

^18band the faithless for the upright.

There is an ellipsis in 21:18b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing phrase from 21:18a. For example:

^18band the faithless become a ransom for the upright.

The overall meaning is that wicked/faithless people suffer the punishment that they intended righteous/upright people to suffer.

21:18a–b

(combined/reordered)

Evil people who cannot be trusted undergo the punishment that they intended people who are righteous and good to suffer.

The wicked…the faithless: These parallel terms refer to the same group of people. The Hebrew word translated by the BSB as faithless describes someone who acts treacherously or breaks an agreement. See the note on 2:22a–b, where the same parallel terms occur.

the righteous…the upright: These parallel terms have almost the same meaning. Both refer to people who consistently obey the LORD and who do what is right. In this volume of Proverbs, the term upright first occurs in 11:3a. See the note there.

21:18a

The wicked become a ransom for the righteous,

Evil people are punished instead of those who do what is right.
The hardship/trouble that wicked people experience is the same hardship that they intended to cause righteous people.

become a ransom: A literal ransom is a payment that someone makes to free another person from a difficult situation.Fox (page 687), Ross (page 1055). The word was used in that sense in 13:8a. Scholars agree that the word is not used in the sense of a literal payment here.

The probable context of this proverb is that wicked people try to get righteous people into trouble. It may be a situation where the righteous person will be punished if he is wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit. But the LORD makes sure that the wicked person is punished instead. That person suffers in place of the righteous person.Cohen (page 141) suggests the context of a person who would have been unjustly convicted of a crime. The concept of the wicked person suffering as a figurative “ransom” or “substitute” to pay for his intended punishment of the righteous person is also supported by Waltke, Ross, Hubbard, and Scott. See Waltke (page 182) for more details. An alternate interpretation is that when the LORD punishes a community, he sees to it that the wicked are punished and the righteous are spared. Thus, the wicked serve as a “ransom” or “substitute” for the righteous. This view is held by Fox and Murphy, but Toy finds it to be overly crude (page 405). He concludes that the idea of ransom may be a poetic way of saying that the wicked suffer and not the righteous. Another way to translate 21:18a is:

Wicked people will suffer instead of good people (NCV)

The wicked are punished in place of the godly (NLT)

Be careful not to imply that righteous people have done something to deserve punishment.

General Comment on 21:18a–b

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

The wicked bring on themselves the suffering they try to cause good people. (GNT)

21:18b

and the faithless for the upright.

People who are not trustworthy suffer in place of those who are good and honest.
Yes, people who obey Yahweh are spared from punishment when treacherous people are correctly/justly punished instead.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

כֹּ֣פֶר לַ⁠צַּדִּ֣יק רָשָׁ֑ע

ransom for,[person] wicked

Here Solomon refers to a wicked one who is punished instead of the righteous one as if a wicked one were a ransom that is paid on behalf of the righteous one. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “A wicked one is punished instead of a righteous one”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

לַ⁠צַּדִּ֣יק רָשָׁ֑ע

for,[person] wicked

See how you translated the righteous one in [10:3](../10/03.md) and a wicked one in [9:7](../09/07.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וְ⁠תַ֖חַת יְשָׁרִ֣ים בּוֹגֵֽד

and,in_place_of upright faithless

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence 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: “and instead of upright ones, one who acts treacherously is a ransom” or “and instead of upright ones, one who acts treacherously is punished”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

בּוֹגֵֽד

faithless