11:22

The two parallel lines in this verse form a simile.

22a Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout

22b is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

The topic of the simile is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. She is compared to a gold ring in a pig’s snout. The similarity is that both situations are incongruous or inappropriate. In both situations, beauty is out of place.

11:22a

Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout: In some areas, people insert a metal ring in the end of a pig’s snout to keep it from rooting (pushing its nose into things). To use an expensive gold ring for such a purpose would not be appropriate.

11:22b

a beautiful woman who lacks discretion: In this context, the word discretion refers to good sense or good judgment, especially in regard to moral issues. Some other ways to translate this line are:

a beautiful woman without good sense (Revised English Bible)
-or-
A beautiful woman who acts foolishly (Contemporary English Version)

General Comment on 11:22a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the two lines. For example:

Beauty in a woman without good judgment is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout. (Good News Translation)

It may also be helpful to make the similarity between the two parts of the comparison explicit. For example:

Beauty in woman who is not prudent/sensible is ⌊as incongruous⌋ as a gold ring in a swine’s snout.
-or-
⌊It is inappropriate⌋ for a beautiful woman to lack discretion. It is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

See also 11:22a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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