PROV 21:28 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 Μάρτυς ψευδὴς ἀπολεῖται, ἀνὴρ δὲ ὑπήκοος φυλασσόμενος λαλήσει.
(Martus pseudaʸs apoleitai, anaʸr de hupaʸkoos fulassomenos lalaʸsei. )

ULT A witness of lies will perish,
⇔ but a listening man will speak to perpetuity.

UST Witnesses who lie will die,
⇔ but when someone who listens carefully speaks, what he says will finish the matter.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE A false witness will perish.
⇔ A man who listens speaks to eternity.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET A lying witness will perish,
⇔ but the one who reports accurately speaks forever.

LSV A false witness perishes,
And an attentive man speaks forever.

FBV The lies of a false witness vanish away, but the words of a reliable witness will stand.

T4T ⇔ Those who tell lies in court will be punished;
⇔ no one stops/silences witnesses who say what is truthful/reliable.

LEB • A false witness will perish, but a man who listens will testify with[fn] success.

21:? Hebrew “to the”

BBE A false witness will be cut off, ...

Moff A dishonest witness shall perish,
⇔ but a truthful man will never be forgotten.

JPS A false witness shall perish; but the man that obeyeth shall speak unchallenged.

ASV A false witness shall perish;
⇔ But the man that heareth shall speak so as to endure.

DRA A lying witness shall perish: an obedient man shall speak of victory.

YLT A false witness doth perish, And an attentive man for ever speaketh.

Drby A lying witness shall perish; and a man that heareth shall speak constantly.

RV A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth shall speak unchallenged.
(A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth/hears shall speak unchallenged. )

SLT A witness of lies shall perish: and a man hearing, shall speak clearly.

Wbstr A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.

KJB-1769 A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth speaketh constantly.[fn]
(A false witness shall perish: but the man that heareth/hears speaketh/speaks constantly. )

21.28 A…: Heb. A witness of lies

KJB-1611 [fn]A false witnesse shall perish: but the man that heareth, speaketh constantly.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

21:28 Heb. a witnesse of lyes.

Bshps A false witnesse shall perishe: but a good man speaketh constantly what he hath hearde.
(A false witness shall perish: but a good man speaketh/speaks constantly what he hath/has heard.)

Gnva A false witnes shall perish: but hee that heareth, speaketh continually.
(A false witness shall perish: but he that heareth/hears, speaketh/speaks continually. )

Cvdl A false wytnesse shal perishe, but he yt wilbe content to heare, shal allwaye haue power to speake himself.
(A false witness shall perish, but he it will be content to hear, shall always have power to speak himself.)

Wycl A fals witnesse schal perische; a man obedient schal speke victorie.
(A false witness shall perish; a man obedient shall speak victorie.)

Luth Ein lügenhaftiger Zeuge wird umkommen; aber wer gehorchet, den läßt man auch allezeit wiederum reden.
(A lie(v)haftiger witness(n) becomes perish/die; but who obeys, the lets man also at_all_times again/in_turn talk.)

ClVg Testis mendax peribit; vir obediens loquetur victoriam.[fn]
(Testis liar will_perish; man obedient will_speak victory. )

21.28 Testis mendax. Qui se Deo servire testatur, etc., usque ad per justitiam judicis post victoriam palmam percipit.

21.28 Testis liar. Who himself to_God to_serve testifies, etc., until to through justice judgements after victory palm_tree percipit.

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

21:28

This proverb contrasts a false witness with a reliable witness who is a careful listener. The false witness will perish. The testimony of the reliable witness will be accepted as true.

^28a A lying witness will perish,

^28bbut the man who listens to truth will speak forever.

21:28a

A lying witness will perish,

A person who tells lies when he testifies in court will die.
A witness whose testimony is not true will be condemned.

A lying witness will perish: There are two ways to interpret the subject of the verb will perish:

The lying witness himself will perish. He will be punished either by the court or by God.Cohen (page 143) mentions that a human court could impose the death penalty on a false witness. See also Deuteronomy 19:16–21. For example:
A lying witness will die (GW)
A false witness is doomed (NJPS) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJPS, NRSV, NAB, NJB)
The testimony of the lying witness will perish. Either he will not be allowed to finish testifying or his testimony will not be accepted as true.UBS (page 457) gives both interpretations. These are the most likely ways to understand the second interpretation. TN has listed the NLT (“A false witness will be cut off”) and the REB (“A lying witness will be cut short”) under this interpretation, because in the context, the verbs they have chosen would not normally refer to a person being put to death. For example:
The testimony of a liar is not believed (GNT) (NLT, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The idea that a false witness will be punished is repeated twice in Proverbs (see 19:5 and 19:9). There are no examples elsewhere in the OT where the phrase “lying/false witness” refers to the words that the false witness speaks. Nor are there examples elsewhere where the words of a false witness “will perish.”The NET suggests in footnote (b) for this verse that “false witness” may be a “metonymy of cause” for what the witness says, but it prefers the first interpretation. It translates Proverbs 21:28 as “A lying witness will perish.” Whybray (page 316) and Murphy (page 161) prefer the second interpretation on the grounds that it is implied by the parallel statement in 21:28b. However, the words “witness” and “perish” are not used in this way elsewhere in the OT. Cohen (page 143) and Waltke (page 189) support the first interpretation. Waltke acknowledges that the parallel contrast is not exact. Imprecise parallelism is frequent in Proverbs.

21:28b

but the man who listens to truth will speak forever.

But as for a witness who knows how to listen, his testimony will have a good/successful result.
In contrast, if a person listens carefully to what he hears, people will believe what he says when he testifies.

but the man who listens to truth will speak forever: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “but/and a person who listens will speak forever.”BART has “…will speak to perpetuity.” The NASB and NET use the more common English word “forever.” There are two main ways to interpret this clause:

This clause refers to a reliable witness who listens carefully before he gives his own evidence in a legal case. It implies that what he says will not agree with the testimony of the false witness. This person’s evidence will be accepted as true and permanent. For example:
but a good listener will testify successfully (NRSV)
but the word of a man who hears will endure (ESV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV11, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB, GNT)
This clause refers to someone who listens to the false witness. It implies that what he says agrees with the testimony of the false witness. This person, like the false witness, will be permanently destroyed. For example:
and whoever listens to him will be destroyed forever (NIV) (NIV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). None of the scholars or other versions used in preparing these Notes supported interpretation (2).According to Waltke (page 190), Dahood proposed that the text be changed to “will be pursued” based on a cognate in Akkadian. That may be the basis for the BSB translation “will be destroyed.” See also footnote (c) for this verse in the NET.

the man who listens to truth: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “a person who listens.” In this context, it implies that a witness carefully listens and thinks about what he has heard. It may also imply that the witness truly heard what he reports.

The verse does not make explicit what the witness listens to. It may refer to statements that he has heard in court. It may also refer to things that he heard or observed that are related to the case.

will speak forever: In this context, the word that the BSB translates as forever probably implies that the testimony of a reliable witness will be permanently accepted as the truth. He will speak forever in the sense that what he says will win the case.According to Waltke (page 163), the Hebrew word laneṣaḥ is used 26 out of 31 times in the sense of “forever.” But he points out that in four of the other occurrences, it implies “victoriously,” “successfully,” or “prevailingly.” He himself translates this word as “successfully” and argues convincingly that the context supports this meaning. See also Fox (pages 691–692). Both Waltke and Fox mention that several of the ancient versions use similar translations for this word. Whybray (page 316) also understands that the words of the careful observer “will endure” in the sense of having a “binding force for the future.” Murphy (page 161) comments that his words “will stand permanently and convincingly because they have been well thought out, and they are honest.” The phrase may also imply that he will be allowed to give his full testimony. He will not be silenced or kept from testifying.

Some versions make one or more of these implications explicit. For example:

but no one who knows how to listen will ever be silenced (NJB)

but a credible witness will be allowed to speak (NLT)

Parallel PROV 21:28

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

21:28

21:28a

21:28b