PROV 21:8 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: .
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 Πρὸς τοὺς σκολιοὺς σκολιὰς ὁδοὺς ἀποστέλλει ὁ Θεὸς, ἁγνὰ γὰρ καὶ ὀρθὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ.
(Pros tous skolious skolias hodous apostellei ho Theos, hagna gar kai ortha ta erga autou. )

ULT Perverse is the way of a guilty man,
⇔ but the pure one, upright is his behavior.

UST Guilty people continually do what is wrong,
⇔ but innocent people do what is right.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The way of the guilty is devious,
⇔ but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The way of the guilty person is devious,
⇔ but as for the pure, his way is upright.

LSV The way of a man who is vile [is] contrary,
And the pure—his work [is] upright.

FBV Guilty people live crooked lives, but the innocent follow straight paths.

T4T ⇔ Guilty people continually do what is evil; it is as though [MET] they are walking on a crooked road;
⇔ but righteous/innocent people always do what is right.

LEB • Crooked is the way of a man and a foreigner, but the pure is upright in his conduct.

BBE Twisted is the way of him who is full of crime; but as for him whose heart is clean, his work is upright.

Moff The insolent follow a crooked course:
⇔ the good man’s life is straight.
¶ 

JPS The way of man is froward and strange; but as for the pure, his work is right.

ASV The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked;
⇔ But as for the pure, his work is right.

DRA The perverse way of a man is strange: but as for him that is pure, his work is right.

YLT Froward [is] the way of a man who is vile, And the pure — upright [is] his work.

Drby Very crooked is the way of a guilty man; but as for the pure, his work is upright.

RV The way of him that is laden with guilt is exceeding crooked: but as for the pure, his work is right.

SLT The way of man is crooked and strange: and the pure his work is right.

Wbstr The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.

KJB-1769 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right.
(The way of man is froward/ornery_or_disobedient and strange: but as for the pure, his work is right. )

KJB-1611 The way of man is froward and strange: but as for the pure; his worke is right.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps The way of the vngodly is frowarde and straunge: but of the pure man his worke is right.
(The way of the ungodly is froward/ornery_or_disobedient and straunge: but of the pure man his work is right.)

Gnva The way of some is peruerted and strange: but of the pure man, his worke is right.
(The way of some is perverted and strange: but of the pure man, his work is right. )

Cvdl The wayes of the frowarde are straunge, but ye workes of him yt is cleane, are right.
(The ways of the froward/ornery_or_disobedient are straunge, but ye/you_all works of him it is clean, are right.)

Wycl The weiward weie of a man is alien fro God; but the werk of hym that is cleene, is riytful.
(The wayward way of a man is alien/foreign(er) from God; but the work of him that is cleene, is rightful.)

Luth Wer einen andern Weg gehet, der ist verkehrt; wer aber in seinem Befehl gehet, des Werk ist recht.
(Who a change way/path/road goes, the/of_the is wrong; who but in his command(n) goes, the work is right.)

ClVg Perversa via viri aliena est; qui autem mundus est, rectum opus ejus.[fn]
(Perverse way/road men foreign it_is; who/which however world it_is, rightness/accuracy work/need his. )

21.8 Perversa via. Juste coram Domino, etc., usque ad recte quod per naturam originaliter sumpsit, exsequitur.

21.8 Perverse way/road. Yuste before Master, etc., until to correctly/straight that through nature originaliter took, exsequitur.

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

21:8

This proverb contrasts the devious conduct of guilty people with the upright conduct of innocent people.

^8a The way of a guilty man is crooked,

^8bbut the conduct of the innocent is upright.

21:8a–b

The way…the conduct: These parallel terms both refer to conduct, behavior, or way of life. No contrast is intended between them in this context.

a guilty man…the innocent: These two terms identify two types of people who have contrasting character.

is crooked…is upright: These two terms describe the contrasting behavior or conduct of people who are “guilty” and “innocent,” respectively. The first term refers to a way of life that is “devious” (NIV) or “dishonest” (NCV). The second term describes behavior that is “straight” (NJB), “honest” (NCV) or “right” (NAB).Fox (page 682), UBS (page 444), Garrett (page 180).

Some ways to translate the contrasts in this verse are:

Use the metaphor of a way or path in one or both lines. For example:
The guilty walk a crooked path; the innocent travel a straight road. (NLT)
Translate the meaning without using this metaphor. For example:
Guilty people live dishonest lives, but honest people do right. (NCV)

21:8a

The way of a guilty man is crooked,

Criminals/Sinners follow a crooked path.
The behavior/conduct of guilty people is dishonest/deceptive,

a guilty man: This term occurs only here in the Old Testament. It refers to a person who is burdened with sin or crime.See NIDOTTE (H2261), which derives this word from the Arabic root wzr. Most English versions translate it as the BSB does. Here are some other ways to translate this:

criminal (REB)

culprit (NAB)

felon (NJB)

21:8b

but the conduct of the innocent is upright.

People whose lives are pure/clean choose a straight path.
but people who are innocent consistently do what is right/honest.

the innocent: In Hebrew, this term refers to a person whose character is “pure” (NRSV) in the sense of being “unmixed with evil.” In English, the word innocent provides a good contrast with words such as “guilty” or “criminal.” (See the notes on the same word at 16:2a and 20:11b.)

Parallel PROV 21:8

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

21:8

21:8a–b

21:8a

21:8b