18:12
Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:
12a
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud,
12b but humility comes before honor.
The Berean Standard Bible and some English versions have arranged the parallel parts in the form of a chiasm. The parts in 18:12a occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 18:12b.
In Hebrew, there is no chiasm. The second line is more literally:
12b but before honor ⌊is⌋ humility.
The New Living Translation (2004) also has no chiasm, but it arranges the parallel parts differently. It has:
12a
Haughtiness goes before destruction ;
12b
humility precedes honor.
You should use whatever order expresses the meaning of the proverb most effectively.
The overall meaning is that a person’s pride causes him to be destroyed, but his humility causes him to be honored. In both lines, the literal meaning is that the character traits (haughtiness/humility) precede the results (destruction/honor). The implied meaning is that the character traits cause or lead to the results.
Verse 18:12 deals with a different theme from 18:10–11. But it repeats the idea of “high” as well as the opposite idea of “low.” A proud person’s heart is literally “high” (18:12a). The Berean Standard Bible tries to express the contrast in 18:12b by using the word “downfall” instead of “destruction.”
Other languages may also be able to express the ideas of humility and honor with words such as “low” or “high.” For example:
12a A person with a high opinion of himself will be brought down to destruction,
12b but a person who lowers himself will be made high in the thoughts of others.
Consider whether this kind of repetition will be effective in your language.
18:12a
Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud: This clause is similar to 16:18a. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates there as “destruction” is the same word that it translates here as downfall. In both verses, it refers to a person’s ruin or destruction.
The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as proud is literally “high.” It is not the same Hebrew word as the word translated as “pride” in 16:18a, but it has the same meaning. Both words refer to a person who has a high opinion of himself. For more information on these two words, see the notes on 16:18 and 16:18a–b.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty (English Standard Version)
-or-
Pride leads to destruction (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Proud people will be ruined (New Century Version)
18:12b
but humility comes before honor: This clause indicates that if a person is humble, the LORD or other people will honor him as a result. In Hebrew, this clause is identical to 15:33b (see the note there). However, 18:12b contrasts with the preceding line. Verse 15:33b does not introduce a contrast. Because of this difference in context, it may not be possible to translate the two lines the same way.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
humility leads to honor (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
but the humble will be honored (New Century Version)
-or-
but if a person is humble, others will respect him
General Comment on 18:12a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder the parallel lines so that the good result comes before the bad one. For example:
12b No one is respected unless he is humble;
12a arrogant people are on the way to ruin. (Good News Translation)
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