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Proverbs 17:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 17:15
New English Translation
15 The one who acquits the guilty and the one who condemns the innocent[a]—
both of them are an abomination to the Lord.[b]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:15 tn Heb “he who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous” (so NASB). The first colon uses two Hiphil participles, מַצְדִּיק (matsdiq) and מַרְשִׁיעַ (marshiaʿ). The first means “to declare righteous” (a declarative Hiphil), and the second means “to make wicked [or, guilty]” or “to condemn” (i.e., “to declare guilty”). To declare someone righteous who is a guilty criminal, or to condemn someone who is innocent, are both abominations for the Righteous Judge of the whole earth.
- Proverbs 17:15 tn Heb “an abomination of the Lord.”
Proverbs 17:15
World English Bible
Proverbs 17:15
World English Bible
15 He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous,
both of them alike are an abomination to Yahweh.
Proverbs 17:26
New English Translation
Proverbs 17:26
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 17:26 tn Heb “not good.” This is an example of tapeinosis—an understatement that implies the worst-case scenario: “it is terrible.”
- Proverbs 17:26 tn The verb עָנַשׁ (ʿanash), here a Qal infinitive construct, properly means “to fine” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT) but is taken here to mean “to punish” in general. The infinitive functions as the subject of the clause.
- Proverbs 17:26 tn The form is the Hiphil infinitive construct from נָכָה (nakhah, “to strike; to smite”). It may well refer to public beatings, so “flog” is used in the translation, since “strike” could refer to an individual’s action and “beat” could be taken to refer to competition.
- Proverbs 17:26 tn Heb “[is] against uprightness.” The expression may be rendered “contrary to what is right.”sn The two lines could be synonymous parallelism, but the second part is being used to show how wrong the first act would be—punishing the righteous makes about as much sense as beating an official of the court for doing what is just.
Proverbs 17:26
World English Bible
Proverbs 17:26
World English Bible
26 Also to punish the righteous is not good,
nor to flog officials for their integrity.
Proverbs 18:5
New English Translation
Proverbs 18:5
New English Translation
5 It is terrible[a] to show partiality[b] to the wicked,[c]
by depriving[d] a righteous man of justice.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:5 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure known as tapeinosis, a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
- Proverbs 18:5 tn The idiom “lifting up the face of” (שְׂאֵת פְּנֵי, seʾet pene) means “to show partiality” in decisions (e.g., Deut 10:17; Mal 2:9); cf. CEV, NLT “to favor.” The verbal form is the Qal infinitive construct from נָשָׂא (nasaʾ), which functions as the subject of the clause.
- Proverbs 18:5 tn Or “the guilty,” since in the second colon “righteous” can also be understood in contrast as “innocent” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT).
- Proverbs 18:5 tn Heb “to turn aside” (so ASV); NASB “to thrust aside.” The second half of the verse may illustrate this reprehensible action. The Hiphil infinitive construct לְהַטּוֹת (lehattot) may serve either (1) as result, “showing partiality…so that the righteous are turned away,” or (2) as epexegetical infinitive, “showing partiality…by turning the righteous away.” The second is preferred in the translation. Depriving the innocent of their rights is a perversion of justice.
Proverbs 18:5
World English Bible
Proverbs 18:5
World English Bible
5 To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good,
nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
Proverbs 21:15
New English Translation
Proverbs 21:15
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 21:15 tn The Qal infinitive construct עֲשׂוֹת (ʿasot) functions as the subject of the sentence.
- Proverbs 21:15 tn The term “brings” is supplied in the translation; many English versions supply a simple copula (“is”).
- Proverbs 21:15 sn The noun means “terror (NAB, NASB, NIV), destruction (KJV, ASV), ruin (cf. NCV).” Its related verb means “be shattered, dismayed.” The idea of “dismay” (NRSV) or “terror” would make the better choice to contrast with “joy” in the first line, but “ruin” is also possible. Whenever justice prevails, whether in the courts or simply in society, the people who practice iniquity may be shaken into reality by fear (cf. CEV “crooks are terrified”).
Proverbs 21:15
World English Bible
Proverbs 21:15
World English Bible
15 It is joy to the righteous to do justice;
but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
Proverbs 24:11-12
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:11-12
New English Translation
11 Deliver those being taken away to death,
and hold back those slipping to the slaughter.[a]
12 If you say, “But we did not know about this,”
won’t[b] the one who evaluates[c] hearts discern it?
Won’t the one who guards your life realize[d]
and repay each person according to his deeds?[e]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:11 tn The idea of “slipping” (participle from מוֹט, mot) has troubled some commentators. G. R. Driver emends it to read “at the point of” (“Problems in Proverbs,” ZAW 50 [1932]: 146). But the MT as it stands makes good sense. The reference would be general, viz., to help any who are in mortal danger or who might be tottering on the edge of such disaster—whether through sin, or through disease, war, or danger. Several English versions (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV) render this term as “staggering.”sn God holds people responsible for rescuing those who are in mortal danger. The use of “death” and “slaughter” seems rather strong in the passage, but they have been used before in the book for the destruction that comes through evil.
- Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “Will he not?” The verb is an imperfect stative and so should be understood as future or modal. Likewise the verb in the next line.
- Proverbs 24:12 tn Heb “weighs” (so NASB, NIV, NRSV) meaning “tests” or “evaluates.”
- Proverbs 24:12 tn The imperfect of the stative verb יָדַע (yadaʿ, “to know”) means “will know/come to know,” thus “will learn, find out, realize.”
- Proverbs 24:12 sn The verse completes the saying by affirming that people will be judged responsible for helping those in mortal danger. The verse uses a series of rhetorical questions to affirm that God knows our hearts and we cannot plead ignorance.
Proverbs 24:11-12
World English Bible
Proverbs 24:11-12
World English Bible
11 Rescue those who are being led away to death!
Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!
12 If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this,”
doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it?
Shall he not render to every man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:23-25
New English Translation
Proverbs 24:23-25
New English Translation
Further Sayings of the Wise
23 These sayings also are from the wise:
To show partiality[a] in judgment is terrible:[b]
24 The one who says to the guilty,[c] “You are innocent,”[d]
peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce[e] him.
25 But there will be delight[f] for those who convict[g] the guilty,[h]
and a pleasing blessing[i] will come on them.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:23 tn Heb “to recognize faces”; KJV, ASV “to have respect of persons”; NLT “to show favoritism.”
- Proverbs 24:23 tn Heb “not good.” This is a figure known as tapeinosis—a deliberate understatement to emphasize a worst-case scenario: “it is terrible!”
- Proverbs 24:24 tn The word means “wicked; guilty” or “criminal”; the contrast could be “wicked—righteous” (cf. KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) or “innocent—guilty” (cf. NIV, TEV, CEV). Since this line follows the statement about showing partiality in judgment, it involves a forensic setting. Thus the statement describes one who calls a guilty person innocent or acquitted.
- Proverbs 24:24 tn Or “righteous”; the same Hebrew word may be translated either “innocent” or “righteous” depending on the context.
- Proverbs 24:24 tn The verb means “to be indignant.” It can be used within the range of “have indignation,” meaning “loathe” or “abhor,” or express indignation, meaning “denounce” or “curse.” In this passage, in collocation with the previous term “curse,” the latter is intended (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT).
- Proverbs 24:25 tn The verb means “to be pleasant; to be delightful.” The imperfect tense promises that there “will be delight” to those who rebuke the wicked.
- Proverbs 24:25 tn The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) means “to decide; to adjudge; to prove.” This word occurs frequently in the book of Proverbs meaning “to reprove” or “to rebuke.” It deals with disputes, legal or otherwise. It can refer to a charge against someone or starting a dispute (and so rebuke); it can mean quarrel, argue; and it can mean settle a dispute. In this context the first or last use would work: (1) reproving the wicked for what they do (cf. KJV, NASB, NRSV), or (2) convicting them in a legal setting (cf. NAB, NIV, NLT). In light of the previous forensic context the second sense is preferred here.
- Proverbs 24:25 tn “The guilty” is supplied in the translation for clarity based on the preceding context. See the previous note on the word “convict”: If a non-forensic context is preferred for vv. 23-25, “wicked” would be supplied here.
- Proverbs 24:25 tn The expression is בִרְכַּת־טוֹב (birkat tov, “blessing of good”); the genitive “good” has to be an attributive genitive modifying “blessings.” The word is general enough to mean any number of things—rich, healthy, pleasing, etc. The parallelism here narrows the choice. Some English versions interpret the “blessing” here as prosperity (cf. NAB, TEV, CEV).
Proverbs 24:23-25
World English Bible
Proverbs 24:23-25
World English Bible
23 These also are sayings of the wise.
To show partiality in judgment is not good.
24 He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous,”
peoples will curse him, and nations will abhor him—
25 but it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and a rich blessing will come on them.
Proverbs 28:5
New English Translation
Proverbs 28:5
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 28:5 tn Heb “men of evil”; the context does not limit this to males only, however.
- Proverbs 28:5 tn The term translated “justice” is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat); it refers to the legal rights of people, decisions that are equitable in the community. W. G. Plaut observes that there are always those who think that “justice” is that which benefits them, otherwise it is not justice (Proverbs, 282).
- Proverbs 28:5 sn The contrast (and the difference) is between the wicked and those who seek the Lord. Originally the idea of seeking the Lord meant to obtain an oracle (2 Sam 21:1), but then it came to mean devotion to God—seeking to learn and do his will. Only people who are interested in doing the Lord’s will can fully understand justice. Without that standard, legal activity can become self-serving.
Proverbs 28:5
World English Bible
Proverbs 28:5
World English Bible
5 Evil men don’t understand justice;
but those who seek Yahweh understand it fully.
Proverbs 29:26
New English Translation
Proverbs 29:26
New English Translation
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Footnotes
- Proverbs 29:26 sn The idiom seek the face means to try to obtain favor from someone. According to the proverb, many people assume that true justice depends on the disposition of some earthly ruler.
- Proverbs 29:26 tn Heb “but from the Lord [is] justice of a man.” The last part uses the construct state followed by the genitive, which here shows the advantage—it is justice for the person. The implication of the matter is that people should seek the Lord’s favor (rather than a human ruler’s) if they want true justice.
Proverbs 29:26
World English Bible
Proverbs 29:26
World English Bible
26 Many seek the ruler’s favor,
but a man’s justice comes from Yahweh.
New English Translation (NET)
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