Paragraph 24:11–12 Saying 25

In 24:11, the teacher advises the young man to rescue people who are in danger of being killed. In 24:12, he warns him not to make excuses for failing to act. The reason is that God knows that such an excuse is not valid.

24:11

Both lines of this verse mean almost the same thing. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

11a
Rescue those being led away to death,

11b
restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter.

The following verse makes it clear that the young man knows what is happening. He knows that these people do not deserve to die. He also knows that he could help them if he wanted to. In some languages, it may be more natural to make some of this information explicit in verse 11a. For example,

⌊If you know that⌋ a person faces death ⌊and he does not deserve to die⌋ , rescue him.

24:11a

Rescue those being led away to death: This clause does not specify who faces death. It probably refers to:

(a) people who have been wrongly condemned to death by a court

(b) people who are in danger of being killed by their enemies or criminals

The clause also does not specify how these people will be rescued. It could be by legal action, by paying a ransom, or by some other means. If possible, translate in a way that allows one or more of these options.

being led away: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “being taken.” It implies here that these people are being literally taken somewhere against their will. For example:

Deliver those who are being taken away to death (New American Standard Bible)

Some English versions understand the phrase being led away figuratively and leave this idea implied. For example:

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die. (New Living Translation (2004))

You may use either option.

24:11b

restrain: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as restrain probably indicates that the young man should keep/prevent the potential victims from continuing on toward their death. It probably does not mean that he should literally grab hold of them and restrain them.

those stumbling toward the slaughter: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stumbling creates a vivid picture in the mind of the reader. It describes someone who staggers or sways unsteadily as he walks toward the place where he will be killed.

However, this word should probably be understood figuratively. It probably refers to someone whose chances of staying alive are very uncertain. It probably does not refer to someone who literally stumbles.

slaughter: In this context, the word slaughter refers to one or more people being executed or killed. It does not necessarily refer to a situation such as a massacre in which many people are killed.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

don’t stand back and let them die (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
rescue those who are about to be killed (New Century Version)

General Comment on 24:11a–b

These two lines refer to the same situation. In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

Don’t hesitate to rescue someone who is about to be executed unjustly. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Don’t fail to rescue those who are doomed to die. (Contemporary English Version)

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