11:1
This verse contrasts the LORD’s attitude toward sellers who cheat and sellers who are honest. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:
1a
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD,
1b but an accurate weight is His delight.
In Hebrew, as in the Berean Standard Bible, these lines are not arranged in the form of a chiasm. That is, the parts in 11:1b do not occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 11:1a. However, some English versions do present these parallel parts in the form of a chiasm. For example:
The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him. (New International Version)
11:1a–b
Dishonest scales…an accurate weight: These contrasting parallel phrases are figures of speech (metonymy). They represent the people who use inaccurate scales and the people who use accurate weights. Some ways to translate these figures of speech are:
• Keep the metonymy. For example:
The LORD detests inaccurate scales, but accurate weights make him happy.
• Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:
A seller who cheats when weighing things is disgusting to the LORD, but a person who uses accurate scales/weights is pleasing to him.
scales…weight: The word scales refers to a weighing device. This device had two pans that hung from each end of a bar. A merchant placed stones that weighed a known amount in one pan. He placed the objects to be weighed in the other pan.
The merchant normally carried a bag with him. This bag contained all the “weights” or stones that he needed to measure the merchandise.
11:1a
Dishonest scales: This phrase refers to using an incorrect weight on a balance scale in order to cheat someone who is buying or selling something.
In some languages, the word Dishonest is not used to describe inanimate objects such as scales. Some other ways to translate the phrase Dishonest scales are:
inaccurate scales
-or-
scales whose measure/weight is not correct
The expression “dishonest scales” also occurs in 20:23b.
are an abomination to the LORD: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as an abomination to the LORD is a very strong expression. Other ways to translate this expression are:
abhorrent” (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
disgusting (God’s Word)
-or-
repulsive
-or-
nauseating
Many English versions translate this expression with a word such as “hates.” For example:
The Lord hates anyone who cheats (Contemporary English Version)
If you translate the expression that way, it is recommended that you supply additional emphasis. For example:
The LORD utterly hates
The same phrase occurs in 3:32a. See how you translated it there.
11:1b
but an accurate weight is His delight: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as delight is the same word that it translates as “favor” in 8:35b and as “fitting” in 10:32a. In those verses it refers to something that is favorable, pleasing, or fitting. The Berean Standard Bible may have used the stronger word delight here to form a better contrast with the word “abomination” in 11:1a. Some other ways to translate this line are:
a just weight is pleasing to him (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
He is happy with honest weights. (Good News Translation)
-or-
but he delights in a person who uses accurate weights
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