20:8
The topic of this proverb is an ideal king who rules justly and wisely (20:8a). The proverb uses the metaphor of winnowing to describe the way in which he removes evil from his kingdom (20:8b).
8a A king who sits on a throne to judge
8b sifts out all evil with his eyes.
20:8a
A king who sits on a throne to judge: A king customarily sat on a throne to listen to legal cases and give his decisions. The throne was a symbol of his authority.
In this verse, the focus is on what a king does (20:8b) when he judges a case. It is not on the fact that he was in a seated position on a throne. Some versions leave one or more of these details implied in order to focus on the main idea. For example:
The king sits in judgment (Good News Translation)
-or-
When rulers decide cases (Contemporary English Version)
One of these options may be effective if it is awkward in your language to specify that the king is sitting on a throne.
20:8b
sifts out all evil with his eyes: This part of the verse is an incomplete metaphor. It compares the way that a king judges a case to the process of sifting. Except for the verb sifts out (literally, “winnows,” “scatters”), the agricultural details are left implied.
A farmer winnows grain after he has threshed it to separate the straw and the chaff from the kernels. (See 20:26b for more details on threshing.) He then throws the threshed grain into the air with a winnowing fork or shovel. The wind blows away the straw, chaff, and hulls. The kernels of grain remain in the threshing area.
In this context, the point of the metaphor is that winnowing separates the useless material from the kernels and scatters it far away. Similarly, a king carefully examines the evidence in a legal case. He separates what is false or evil from what is true or good. He does this in order to stop evil conduct and/or remove evil people from his kingdom.
with his eyes: This phrase is used here as a figure of speech. The king’s eyes represent his ability to recognize what is false or evil when he “looks at” or examines the evidence.
Some other ways to translate 20:8b are:
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
A king who judges is like a person who winnows. He recognizes all that is evil and scatters/removes it.
• Use a different figure of speech for “winnow” or for eyes. For example:
A king who sits on his throne to judge sifts out every evil with his eyes. (God’s Word)
-or-
When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence, distinguishing the bad from the good. (New Living Translation (2004))
• Translate the meaning without using figures of speech. For example:
When a king sits on his throne to judge, he knows evil when he sees it. (New Century Version)
If you use footnotes for cultural background information, consider adding a footnote that explains how people winnowed grain in the country of Israel. For example:
In the country of Israel at that time, people winnowed grain by tossing it in the air with a special fork or shovel. The wind blew away the chaff and husks, and the grain was left behind.
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