PROV 26:20 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.)

OET (OET-RV) When there’s no more firewood, the fire goes out,
⇔ and when there’s no gossiper, a conflict dies down.

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 Ἐν πολλοῖς ξύλοις θάλλει πῦρ, ὅπου δὲ οὐκ ἔστι δίθυμος, ἡσυχάζει μάχη.
(En pollois xulois thallei pur, hopou de ouk esti dithumos, haʸsuⱪazei maⱪaʸ. )

BrTr With much wood fire increases; but where there is not a double-minded man, strife ceases.

ULT With the end of wood pieces a fire goes out,
⇔ and when there is no murmurer, a quarrel becomes silent.

UST Fires stop burning when they have nothing to burn.
⇔ In the same way, people stop arguing when no one is gossiping.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE For lack of wood a fire goes out.
⇔ Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Where there is no wood, a fire goes out,
⇔ and where there is no gossip, contention ceases.

LSV Fire is going out without wood,
And contention ceases without a tale-bearer,

FBV Without wood, the fire goes out; and without gossips, arguments stop.

T4T ⇔ If there is no more firewood to put on the fire, the fire will go out;
⇔ similarly [SIM], if there are no people who ◄gossip/tell people things that are not true►, quarreling will end.

LEB • For lack of wood, a fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling will cease.

BBE Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.

Moff The fire goes out when the wood fails,
⇔ and quarrels cease when slanderers are away.

JPS Where no wood is, the fire goeth out; and where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.

ASV For lack of wood the fire goeth out;
⇔ And where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.

DRA When the wood faileth, the fire shall go out: and when the talebearer is taken away, contentions shall cease.

YLT Without wood is fire going out, And without a tale-bearer, contention ceaseth,

Drby Where no wood is, the fire goeth out; and where there is no talebearer, the contention ceaseth.

RV For lack of wood the fire goeth out: and where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth.
(For lack of wood the fire goeth/goes out: and where there is no whisperer, contention ceaseth/ceases. )

SLT In the ceasing of wood, fire will go out: and in not being a tale-bearer, strife will subside.

Wbstr Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no tale-bearer, the strife ceaseth.

KJB-1769 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.[fn][fn][fn]
(Where no wood is, there the fire goeth/goes out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth/ceases. )

26.20 Where no…: Heb. Without wood

26.20 talebearer: or, whisperer

26.20 ceaseth: Heb. is silent

KJB-1611 [fn][fn][fn]Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no tale-bearer, the strife ceaseth.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

26:20 Heb. without wood.

26:20 Or, whisperer.

26:20 Heb. is silent.

Bshps Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: euen so where the talebearer is taken away, there the strife ceasseth.
(Where no wood is, there the fire goeth/goes out: even so where the talebearer is taken away, there the strife ceaseth/ceases.)

Gnva Without wood the fire is quenched, and without a talebearer strife ceaseth.
(Without wood the fire is quenched, and without a talebearer strife ceaseth/ceases. )

Cvdl Where no wodd is, there the fyre goeth out: and where the bacbyter is taken awaye, there the strife ceaseth.
(Where no wood is, there the fire goeth/goes out: and where the bacbyter is taken away, there the strife ceaseth/ceases.)

Wycl Whanne trees failen, the fier schal be quenchid; and whanne a priuy bacbitere is withdrawun, stryues resten.
(When trees fail, the fire shall be quenched; and when a priuy bacbitere is withdrawun, strives resten.)

Luth Wenn nimmer Holz da ist, so verlöscht das Feuer, und wenn der Verleumder weg ist, so höret der Hader auf.
(When never wood there is, so extinguished the fire(n), and when the/of_the Verleumder away/gone is, so hear the/of_the Hader on/in/to.)

ClVg Cum defecerint ligna extinguetur ignis, et susurrone subtracto, jurgia conquiescent.
(Since defecerint wood will_be_extinguished fire, and susurrone subtracto, quarrel conquiescent. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 25:1–29:27: This is Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the second collection of Solomon’s proverbs. These proverbs were organized and copied by men who served King Hezekiah. Most scholars divide this section into two groups. These groups differ in several ways.

The first group (chapters 25–27) has many more comparisons and admonitions. In Hebrew, most of these comparisons are metaphors in which one or more illustrations precede the topic. Some English versions change the order so that the topic precedes the illustration(s). You should follow the order that expresses the meaning naturally and effectively in your language.

In the first group, many proverbs are one verse long. As with the individual proverbs in the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs (Section 10:1–22:16), they are not related to the proverbs around them. Other proverbs in this group are two or more verses long. Still others are one-verse proverbs that are closely related in theme. Proverbs in all three categories will be marked as separate paragraphs.

The second group (chapters 28–29) has more contrastive proverbs. The proverbs in this group are each one verse long. They will not be marked as separate paragraphs.

Some other headings for this section are:

More Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah (NET)

These are also wise things that Solomon said

Paragraph 26:20–21

Both these proverbs are warnings about people who cause quarrels with their words. The first verse is about people who gossip. The second verse is about people who quarrel.

Both proverbs use illustrations that describe the effect of wood on a fire. The first verse speaks about a lack of wood. The second verse speaks about the effect of adding wood.

26:20

The topic of this implied comparison is that quarrels stop if there is no one who gossips (26:20b). The illustration (26:20a) is that fires stop burning if there is no more wood. The three parts of the illustration are exactly parallel to the three parts of the topic.

^20a Without wood, a fire goes out;

^20b without gossip, a conflict ceases.

26:20a

Without wood, a fire goes out;

¶ A fire goes out when there is no fuel/wood.
¶ If no one adds more fuel/wood to the fire, it dies/stops.

Without wood, a fire goes out: Some other ways to translate this line are:

No wood, and the fire goes out (NJB)

For lack of wood, a fire dies down (REB)

In areas where wood is not used for fires, you may use a local material. You may also use a general word or phrase. For example:

Where there is no fuel, a fire goes out (CEV)

If there is nothing to add to the fire, it is extinguished.

If no one feeds a fire, it will stop burning.

26:20b

without gossip, a conflict ceases.

Similarly, a quarrel stops when there is no one to gossip.
If no one slanders/gossips, people will no longer argue.

without gossip: The word that the BSB translates here as gossip occurs four times in Proverbs. In three of those verses (16:28, 18:8, and 26:22), the BSB translates it as “a gossip,” referring to a person. A gossip does not want the person he criticizes to know who spread the false information. So some versions use the word “whisperer.” Here, the BSB translation refers to the words that the person speaks.

Your translation may refer to either the person or his words. For example:

where there is no whisperer (NRSV)

when there is no talebearer (NAB)

when gossip stops (NLT)

if no one spreads slander

See the note on “a gossip” in 18:8a for more information about this word.

a conflict ceases: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates here as ceases refers elsewhere to the sea becoming calm.NIDOTTE (H9284), Waltke (page 360). Some other ways to translate this clause are:

quarreling ceases (NRSV)

quarrels disappear (NLT)

arguments come to an end (CEV)

people will stop arguing

Use a word or phrase that is natural in your language.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בְּ⁠אֶ֣פֶס

with,not_of

Here, end refers to a lack of wood pieces. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. See how you translated the similar use of With the end of in [14:28](../14/28.md). Alternate translation: “With the lack of”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠בְ⁠אֵ֥ין

and,when,there_[is]_not

Here, and indicates that Solomon is comparing what follows to what he said in the previous clause. In the same way that a fire goes out when there are no more wood pieces, a quarrel stops when there is no murmerer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “and similarly, when there is no”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

יִשְׁתֹּ֥ק מָדֽוֹן

dies_down quarrelling

Here Solomon speaks of a quarrel ceasing as if it were a person who becomes silent. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a quarrel ceases”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מָדֽוֹן

quarrelling

See how you translated the abstract noun quarrel in [15:18](../15/18.md).

Parallel PROV 26:20

Section 25:1–29:27: This is Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s proverbs

Paragraph 26:20–21

26:20

26:20a

26:20b