PROV 27:10 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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Don’t abandon your friends or your father’s friends,
⇔ and don’t go to your brother’s house when calamity hits you.
⇔ A friend nearby is better than a brother living a long way away.

27:10 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently from BHQ.

27:10 OSHB note: We read one or more accents in L differently than BHS. Often this notation indicates a typographical error in BHS.

27:10 OSHB variant note: ו/רעה: (x-qere) ’וְ/רֵ֪עַ’: lemma_c/7453 morph_HC/Ncmsc id_2044e וְ/רֵ֪עַ

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 Φίλον σὸν ἢ φίλον πατρῷον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς, εἰς δὲ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου μὴ εἰσέλθῃς ἀτυχῶν· κρείσσων φίλος ἐγγὺς, ἢ ἀδελφὸς μακρὰν οἰκῶν.
(Filon son aʸ filon patrōion maʸ egkatalipaʸs, eis de ton oikon tou adelfou sou maʸ eiselthaʸs atuⱪōn; kreissōn filos engus, aʸ adelfos makran oikōn. )

BrTr Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and when thou art in distress go not into thy brother's house: better is a friend that is near than a brother living far off.

ULT Do not forsake your friend and the friend of your father,
⇔ and do not enter the house of your brother in the day of your calamity.
⇔ Better is a nearby inhabitant than a distant brother.

UST Do not ignore your friends or your father’s friends.
⇔ Do not think that you must go to the house of a relative when something disastrous happens to you.
⇔ Rather, it is better to go to a nearby neighbor than to relatives who live far away.

BSB Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend,
⇔ and do not go to your brother’s house
⇔ in the day of your calamity;
⇔ better a neighbor nearby
⇔ than a brother far away.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Don’t forsake your friend and your father’s friend.
⇔ Don’t go to your brother’s house in the day of your disaster.
⇔ A neighbour who is near is better than a distant brother.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,
⇔ and do not enter your brother’s house in the day of your disaster;
⇔ a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away.

LSV Do not forsake your own friend and the friend of your father,
And do not enter the house of your brother in a day of your calamity,
A near neighbor [is] better than a brother far off.

FBV Don't give up on your friends or your family's friends. Don't go to a relative's house when you've got trouble. A friend nearby is more useful than a relative far away.

T4T ⇔ Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends;
⇔ and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative who lives far away to request his help;
⇔ someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.

LEB • As for your friend and a friend of your father, do not forsake them, and the house of your brother, do not enter on the day of your calamity.
• Better is a close neighbor than a distant brother.

BBE Do not give up your friend and your father's friend; and do not go into your brother's house in the day of your trouble: better is a neighbour who is near than a brother far off.

Moff Drop not a friend who was your father’s friend,
⇔ go to his house when you are in trouble;
⇔ for a neighbour near is better than a brother far away.

JPS Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity; better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

ASV Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not;
⇔ And go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity:
⇔ Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

DRA Thy own friend, and thy father’s friend forsake not: and go not into thy brother’s house in the day of thy affliction. Better is a neighbour that is near, than a brother afar off.

YLT Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better [is] a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

Drby Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.

RV Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; and go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
(Thine own friend, and thy/your father’s friend, forsake not; and go not to thy/your brother’s house in the day of thy/your calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. )

SLT Thy friend and thy father’s friend thou shalt not forsake; and thou shalt not go to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: good he dwelling near, more than a brother far off.

Wbstr Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off.

KJB-1769 Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
(Thine own friend, and thy/your father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy/your brother’s house in the day of thy/your calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. )

KJB-1611 Thine owne friend and thy fathers friend forsake not; neither goe in to thy brothers house in the day of thy calamitie: for better is a neighbour that is neere, then a brother farre off.
(Thine own friend and thy/your fathers friend forsake not; neither go in to thy/your brothers house in the day of thy/your calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near, then a brother far off.)

Bshps Thyne owne frende and thy fathers frende see thou forsake not, and go not into thy brothers house in tyme of thy trouble: for better is a frende at hand, then a brother farre of.
(Thine/Your own friend and thy/your fathers friend see thou/you forsake not, and go not into thy/your brothers house in time of thy/your trouble: for better is a friend at hand, then a brother far of.)

Gnva Thine owne friend and thy fathers friend forsake thou not: neither enter into thy brothers house in the day of thy calamitie: for better is a neighbour that is neere, then a brother farre off.
(Thine own friend and thy/your fathers friend forsake thou/you not: neither enter into thy/your brothers house in the day of thy/your calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near, then a brother far off. )

Cvdl Thyne owne frende and thy fathers frende se thou forsake not, but go not in to thy brothers house in tyme of thy trouble. Better is a frende at hode, then a brother farre of.
(Thine/Your own friend and thy/your fathers friend see thou/you forsake not, but go not in to thy/your brothers house in time of thy/your trouble. Better is a friend at hand, then a brother far of.)

Wycl Forsake thou not thi frend, and the frend of thi fadir; and entre thou not in to the hous of thi brothir, in the dai of thi turment. Betere is a neiybore nyy, than a brothir afer.
(Forsake thou/you not thy/your friend, and the friend of thy/your father; and enter thou/you not in to the house of thy/your brother, in the day of thy/your torment. Better is a neighbour nigh/near, than a brother afar.)

Luth Deinen Freund und deines Vaters Freund verlaß nicht. Und gehe nicht ins Haus deines Bruders, wenn dir‘s übel gehet; denn ein Nachbar ist besser in der Nähe weder ein Bruder in der Ferne.
(Your friend and your(s) father friend leave not. And go not into_the house your(s) brothers, when it's_yours(sg) bad/evil goes; because/than a Afterbar is better in the/of_the vicinity neither a brother in the/of_the distance.)

ClVg [Amicum tuum et amicum patris tui ne dimiseris, et domum fratris tui ne ingrediaris in die afflictionis tuæ. Melior est vicinus juxta quam frater procul.[fn]
([Amicum your(sg) and friend of_the_father yours(sg) not dimiseris, and house/home brother's yours(sg) not you_enter in/into/on day of_affliction yours. Better it_is vicinus next_to how brother far_away. )

27.10 Melior est vicinus. Melior est tibi, etc., usque ad, in Jericho, et incidit, etc

27.10 Better it_is vicinus. Better it_is to_you, etc., until to, in/into/on Yericho, and incidit, etc

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 27:9–10

Both of these verses are related by the theme of friendship. Verse 27:9 describes the value of a friend’s advice. Verse 27:10 describes a situation in which it is better to seek the advice of a neighbor than the advice of a relative who lives far away.

27:10

The context of this verse is a “calamity” (27:10b) in which help is urgently needed. In this kind of emergency, the son should request help from an old friend of the family who lives nearby. He should not go to the house of a close relative who lives far away. The first two lines give the father’s advice. The last line gives the reason for that advice.

^10aDo not forsake your friend or your father’s friend,

^10band do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;

^10cbetter a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

All three lines contribute to the overall meaning of the verse. The lines should not be interpreted as unrelated, individual proverbs.UBS, Whybray, Toy, and Murphy all agree that the three lines of this verse appear to be independent units. Whybray (p. 382) even concludes that there is no point in trying to find a connection between the separate statements about friends, brothers, and neighbors. However, other scholars conclude that these three lines, while they may have originally been separate proverbs, have been put together here for a purpose. Waltke (p. 379) argues persuasively that the first two admonitions are two sides of the same coin with the third line as a concluding rationale. Other scholars who agree that the three lines all describe different aspects of the same situation include Ross, Cohen, Delitzsch, and Hubbard.

27:10a

Do not forsake your friend or your father’s friend,

Do not ignore/overlook a friend of both you^(sing) and your father.
Do not forget an old friend of your family as a source of help.

Do not forsake: This command refers to the time of “calamity” mentioned in 27:10b. When the son faces a major crisis, he should not forsake a loyal friend as a source of help. Some other ways to translate this command are:

Do not abandon (GW)

Do not neglect (REB)

Do not ignore/overlookThese translations are suggested by Fox (p. 808) because they preserve the connection to the next line.

Do not forget (GNT)

your friend or your father’s friend: These two phrases probably refer to someone who has been a friend of the family for a long time. He is a friend of both the son and the son’s father.According to Waltke (p. 379), the second phrase further defines the meaning of the first phrase. Cohen and Delitzsch agree. Cohen (p. 181) says that the two phrases mean “your friend who is your father’s friend.”

If your readers understand these phrases to refer to two different people, you may need to express the meaning in a different way. For example:

an old friend of your family (CEV)

a person who has been the friend of both you and your father

someone who is your friend as well as your father’s friend

27:10a–b

(combined/reordered)

In a time of disaster, do not forget to ask a long-time friend of your family for help. You do not need to travel to your brother’s house.

27:10b

and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity;

When you^(sing) experience disaster and you need help, you should not go to the distant house of your brother.
When something terrible happens to you, it is not necessary/wise to travel to the place of your relative.

and do not go to your brother’s house: In this command, the word brother’s may refer specifically to a male sibling or more generally to a close relative.

in the day of your calamity: In Hebrew, this phrase refers to a time when something terrible has happened to the son. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

when you are in trouble (REB)

in a crisis/emergency

General Comment on 27:10a–b

In some languages, it may be helpful to make explicit some of the information in the implied situation and/or to reorder parts of the two lines. For example:

Do not ignore someone who is your friend and also your father’s friend. Ask him to help you when you are in severe trouble. Do not go to the place of a close relative.

27:10c

better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

It is better to request help from a neighbor than from a brother who lives far away.
Your^(sing) friend who lives close to your house is able to help you. Your relative in a distant town may not be able to help.

better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away: This line concludes the verse by giving the reason for the preceding commands. The conclusion is that it is better to request help from a neighbor who lives close to your house than to travel a long distance to ask your brother. It is implied that the neighbor (the same person as the friend in 27:10a) will be able to help you immediately. The brother far away may not be available to help. Some other ways to translate this line are:

a nearby neighbor can help you more than relatives who are far away (GNT)

It is better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away. (NLT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

רֵֽעֲ⁠ךָ֨ וְרֵ֪עַ & וּ⁠בֵ֥ית אָחִ֗י⁠ךָ אַל־תָּ֭בוֹא & שָׁכֵ֥ן קָ֝ר֗וֹב מֵ⁠אָ֥ח רָחֽוֹק

friend_of,your (Some words not found in UHB: friend_of,your and,the_friend_of I_will_show=you(ms) not abandon and,the_house_of your(ms)=brother/kindred not go in/on=day your_calamity_of,of good neighbour nearby more,than_a_brother far_away )

Here, friend, house, brother, a nearby inhabitant, and a distant brother represent these things and people in general, not specific things or people. In this verse, brother refers to relatives in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any friend of yours and any friend of … and do not enter any house of any relative of yours … is any nearby inhabitant than any distant relative”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

בְּ⁠י֣וֹם

in/on=day

Here, day refers to a point in time when something happens. It does not refer to a 24-hour length of time. See how you translated the same use of day in [21:31](../21/31.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

אֵידֶ֑⁠ךָ

your_calamity_of,of

See how you translated the abstract noun calamity in [1:26](../01/26.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ט֥וֹב שָׁכֵ֥ן קָ֝ר֗וֹב מֵ⁠אָ֥ח רָחֽוֹק

good neighbour nearby more,than_a_brother far_away

Here Solomon implies that this situation is true in the day of your calamity, as mentioned in the previous clause. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “When you need help, a nearby inhabitant is better than a distant brother”

Parallel PROV 27:10