11:7

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7a When a wicked man dies, his hope perishes ;

7b
and the hope of his strength vanishes.

Verse 11:7b explains in more detail the meaning of “his hope perishes” in 11:7a.

11:7a–b

his hope perishes, and the hope: The Hebrew text uses two nouns that have almost the same meaning. The Berean Standard Bible translates each of them as hope. These nouns refer to what a wicked person hopes/expects to gain or achieve. The same terms occur in 10:28, but in the opposite order. Some ways to translate these parallel terms are:

• Use nouns for both terms. For example:

hope…expectation (New Revised Standard Version)

• Use verbs for both terms. For example:

what he hoped for…what he expected

• Use a noun for one term and a verb for the other term. For example:

his hope…all he expected (New International Version)

perishes…vanishes: Both these expressions come from the same verb in Hebrew. The same verb is also used in 10:28b. In this context, it means that the expectations or longings of a wicked person will not be fulfilled.

11:7b

the hope of his strength: There is a textual issue here:

(1) The Masoretic Text has “the expectation of strength/power.” For example:

what is expected from strength comes to nought (New American Bible)

(2) The LXX has “the boasting of the impious.” For example:

the expectation of the godless comes to nothing (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars.

There are different ways to interpret the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as strength. The main interpretations are:

(1) What he expected was based on his strength/power. For example:

his confidence in strength vanishes (God’s Word)

(2) What he expected was based on his wealth/riches. With this interpretation, strength is understood to be a figure of speech (metonymy) that represents “wealth.” For example:

hope placed in riches comes to nothing (New Jerusalem Bible)

You may follow either of these interpretations. It is recommended that you put the other interpretation in a footnote. The Display follows interpretation (1).

General Comment on 11:7a–b

In languages that do not use parallelism, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the two lines. For example:

When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
The expectation of wicked people that is based on their strength/wealth is useless, because it will cease to exist at their death.
-or-
When a wicked person dies, all his hopes come to an end, especially those that are based on his own strength/riches.

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