PROV 28:2 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences 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 Διʼ ἁμαρτίας ἀσεβῶν κρίσεις ἐγείρονται, ἀνὴρ δὲ πανοῦργος κατασβέσει αὐτάς.
(Diʼ hamartias asebōn kriseis egeirontai, anaʸr de panourgos katasbesei autas. )

BrTr By reason of the sins of ungodly men quarrels arise; but a wise man will [fn]quell them.

ULT By the transgression of a land many are its rulers,
⇔ but by a man who understands, who knows, so it will endure.

UST When the people in a country sin, they will continually have new leaders;
⇔ but when they have a truly knowledgeable ruler, then they will have a stable government that will last.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE In rebellion, a land has many rulers,
⇔ but order is maintained by a man of understanding and knowledge.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET When a country is rebellious it has many princes,
⇔ but by someone who is discerning and knowledgeable order is maintained.

LSV By the transgression of a land its heads are many,
And by an understanding man,
Who knows right—it is prolonged.

FBV When a country is in rebellion, it has many rulers, but a ruler who is wise and knowledgeable provides strength and continuity.

T4T ⇔ When the people of a nation sin, they will have one ruler after another;
⇔ but when their leaders are wise and have good sense, their government will last for a long time.

LEB • By the rebellion of a land, her rulers increase, but by a person of intelligence who knows justice, it will last.

BBE Because of the sin of the land, its troubles are increased; but by a man of wisdom and knowledge they will be put out like a fire.

Moff Many a mishap crime brings on a country:
⇔ good order is maintained by honest men.

JPS For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof; but by a man of understanding and knowledge established order shall long continue.

ASV For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof;
⇔ But by men of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

DRA For the sins of the land many are the princes thereof: and for the wisdom of a man, and the knowledge of those things that are said, the life of the prince shall be prolonged.

YLT By the transgression of a land many [are] its heads. And by an intelligent man, Who knoweth right — it is prolonged.

Drby By the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof; but by a man of understanding [and] of knowledge, [its] stability is prolonged.

RV For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by men of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

SLT In the transgression of a land many its chiefs: and by a man understanding to know, the place shall be extended.

Wbstr For the transgression of a land many are its princes: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

KJB-1769 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.[fn]

28.2 by…: or, by men of understanding and wisdom shall they likewise be prolonged

KJB-1611 [fn]For the transgression of a land, many are the princes thereof: but by a man of vnderstanding and knowledge the state thereof shall bee prolonged.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

28:2 Or, by men of vnderstanding and wisedome shall they likewise be prolonged.

Bshps For the wickednes of the lande, the prince is oft chaunged: but thorowe a man of vnderstanding and wysdome, a realme endureth long.
(For the wickedness of the land, the prince is often changed: but through a man of understanding and wisdom, a realm endureth long.)

Gnva For the transgression of the land there are many princes thereof: but by a man of vnderstanding and knowledge a realme likewise endureth long.
(For the transgression of the land there are many princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge a realm likewise endureth long. )

Cvdl Because of synne ye londe doth oft chaunge hir prynce: but thorow men of vnderstondinge & wy?dome a realme endureth longe.
(Because of sin ye/you_all land doth/does often change her prince: but through men of understanding and wisdom a realm endureth long.)

Wycl For the synnes of the lond ben many princis therof; and for the wisdom of a man, and for the kunnyng of these thingis that ben seid, the lijf of the duyk schal be lengere.
(For the sins of the land been many princes thereof; and for the wisdom of a man, and for the cunning of these things that been said, the life of the duke shall be lengere.)

Luth Um des Landes Sünde willen werden viel Änderungen der Fürstentümer; aber um der Leute willen, die verständig und vernünftig sind, bleiben sie lange.
(To the lands sin(n) will become many Änderungen the/of_the prince(s)/ruler(s)tümer; but around/by/for the/of_the people/folk will, the sensible/understanding and reasonable are, remain/stay they/she/them long.)

ClVg Propter peccata terræ multi principes ejus; et propter hominis sapientiam, et horum scientiam quæ dicuntur, vita ducis longior erit.
(Because sins of_the_earth/land many leaders his; and because of_man wisdom, and of_these knowledge which are_said, life ducis longior will_be. )

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

28:2

Verse 28:2a refers to a nation whose people rebel. This rebellion results in an unstable society that has many rulers. In contrast (28:2b), when a nation has a wise leader, the result is a stable government.

^2aA land in rebellion has many rulers,

^2bbut a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

28:2a

A land in rebellion has many rulers,

When a nation sins/rebels against God, many people will govern/rule it.
What happens when the people of a country break/reject God’s laws? There will be many rulers/leaders.

A land in rebellion: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

It refers to a situation when the people of a nation rebel against God. They rebel when they deliberately sin against him by breaking his laws and rejecting their agreement to serve him. For example:
When a land transgresses (ESV)
When a nation sins (GNT) (ESV, NASB, NLT, GNT)
It refers to rebellion against the current ruler or government. For example:
When a country is in revolt (GW)
In time of civil war (CEV) (CEV, GW, NJB)

Versions such as the BSB (quoted above), the NIV (“When a country is rebellious”) or the NRSV (“When a land rebels”) can refer to either interpretation (1) or (2). If you can translate in a way that refers naturally to either interpretation, you should do so. Otherwise, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. The Hebrew noun that is used here usually refers to deliberate disobedience or rebellion against God’s law or covenant.See the discussions on the noun pešaʿ in NIDOTTE (H7322), TWOT (#1846a), and Vine (#6588, pp. 266–267). Commentaries that support interpretation (1) include Waltke, Ross, Delitzsch, Whybray, Kidner, and Cohen. Commentaries that support (2) include UBS, Longman, and Hubbard. This rebellion often results in an unstable government.

A land: The word that the BSB translates as land is a figure of speech. It represents the people of a country. Some other ways to translate this whole clause are:

When the people of a nation refuse to obey God’s laws

When those who inhabit a country sin/rebel against God

has many rulers: There are two ways to interpret this clause. The second interpretation is more specific than the first:

The country has many rulers. They may rule at the same time or one after another. For example:
it has many leaders (CEV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, NASB, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS)
The country has many rulers, one after another, in a relatively short time. For example:
it will have one ruler after another (GNT) (NCV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In an unstable society, there may be leaders of many competing groups. Moreover, a leader who gains control may not stay in power for a long time.

28:2b

but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

But a sensible/intelligent person who knows how to rule well will cause his country to remain strong and peaceful.
But when an intelligent person rules, the government will be strong for a long time.

but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order: In Hebrew, the first part of this phrase is more literally “a man discerning, knowing.” In the context of 28:2a, this phrase refers to a leader or ruler who is sensible or intelligent. He also has knowledge or experience.

understanding: See discerning (Hebrew: mebin) in the Glossary.

maintains order: Such a leader makes wise decisions that keep the country strong and stable.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

with one person wise and experienced, you have stability (NJB)

but when it is led by a man with understanding and knowledge, it continues strong (NCV)

Some versions use a single term that combines the meaning of “understanding” and “knowledge.” For example:

but with an intelligent ruler there is lasting order (NRSV)

but a nation that has a sensible leader will have a strong government that lasts a long time

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

בְּ⁠פֶ֣שַֽׁע אֶ֭רֶץ רַבִּ֣ים שָׂרֶ֑י⁠הָ

by_[the],transgression_of earth/land many princes_of,its

By here indicates that having transgression is one reason why a land has many rulers. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate a reason. Alternate translation: “Transgression is one reason why a land has many rulers”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְּ⁠פֶ֣שַֽׁע

by_[the],transgression_of

See how you translated the abstract noun transgression in [10:19](../10/19.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אֶ֭רֶץ & שָׂרֶ֑י⁠הָ & יַאֲרִֽיךְ

earth/land & princes_of,its & endures

Here, land, its, and it refer to the people who live in a land. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the people in a land … are their rulers … those people will endure”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠בְ⁠אָדָ֥ם

and,by,a_person

Here Solomon implies that a man is a ruler. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “but by a ruler”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

מֵבִ֥ין יֹ֝דֵ֗עַ

understanding knowing

The words understands and knows mean the same thing. Solomon is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “who really understands”

Parallel PROV 28:2

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

28:2

28:2a

28:2b