11:8

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

8a
The righteous man is delivered from trouble,

8b in his place the wicked man goes in.

The contrast in this verse is between the righteous person and the wicked person. The righteous person suffers temporarily but is eventually rescued. The wicked person ends up experiencing the same suffering from which the righteous person was delivered.

11:8a

The righteous man is delivered from trouble: This clause indicates that when a righteous person experiences trouble, ⌊the LORD⌋ rescues him from it. It does not imply that the righteous never experience trouble. For this reason, a translation such as “The righteous are protected from trouble” (Good News Translation) is not recommended.

trouble: The word trouble refers to any kind of severe physical or mental suffering. See the note on 1:27a–c, where the Berean Standard Bible translates the word as “distress.”

11:8b

in his place the wicked man goes in: In Hebrew, this line is literally “the wicked comes instead of him.” This indicates that the situations of the righteous and wicked man are reversed. It does not imply that the wicked person serves as a substitute for the righteous person. Another way to translate this line is:

it happens to the wicked instead

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