11:4

This proverb contrasts the uselessness of wealth with the value of righteousness in delivering a person from the LORD’s punishment. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

4a
Riches are worthless in the day of wrath,

4b but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

11:4a

Riches are worthless in the day of wrath: This line indicates that riches will not help a person to avoid punishment when the time comes for the LORD to show his anger.

the day of wrath: This phrase refers to a time of “fierce, overflowing anger or fury.” It implies that the LORD punishes or judges. In some languages, it may be necessary to make the subject explicit. For example:

When it is time for ⌊the LORD to show his⌋ anger, your money will not help you

The day of wrath may refer to the LORD’s final judgment of the wicked. It may also refer to an individual’s death or some other disaster or punishment that occurs during a person’s lifetime.

It is recommended that you translate in a way that will not limit the meaning to only one of these options. The above example shows one way to do this. Another way to translate this line is:

Riches won’t help on the day of judgment (New Living Translation (2004))

11:4b

but righteousness brings deliverance from death: This line is identical to 10:2b. See the notes there.

righteousness: The word righteousness refers to doing what is right, living according to the LORD’s moral standard. See the note on this word in 8:18b.

While righteousness includes “honesty” (as in the Good News Translation), it may be helpful to show that the term has a broad range of meaning. For example:

but if you obey the Lord , you will be saved from death.

brings deliverance from death: In some languages, it may be more natural to express this phrase positively, in terms of “life” rather than death. For example:

can save your life (Good News Translation)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.