8:13

In this verse, Wisdom states a general principle that a person who fears the LORD will hate evil. She then lists a number of specific evil things that she hates.

8:13a

To fear the LORD: In Hebrew, the word fear includes the ideas of fear, reverence, and submission. For more information on the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fear the LORD, see the note on 1:7a.

is to hate evil: This phrase means to strongly dislike what is bad and to refuse to be involved in it. For hate, see the note on 1:22b.

In languages that cannot use an infinitive like “to fear” as the subject of a sentence, other ways of translating this line are:

A person who fears and respects the LORD will also reject what is evil.
-or-
If someone reverently obeys the LORD, he will hate and reject anything that is evil.

8:13b

I hate arrogant pride: The words arrogant and pride come from the same Hebrew root. The first word occurs only here in the OT. The second word, in this kind of context, is usually translated as “pride.” The two words have the same meaning. When they are used together in poetry, as here, they refer to all kinds of pride. Some other ways to translate these two words are:

pride (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
pride and arrogance (New International Version)

If your language has an idiom for people who are proud, you may be able to use it here. In some languages, it may not be natural to use abstract nouns such as “pride” and “arrogance.” Another way to translate this line is:

I hate it when people are proud and think that they are better than others.

8:13c

evil conduct: In Hebrew, the phrase evil conduct is literally “way of evil” (English Standard Version). The word “way” is used figuratively to refer to a person’s conduct or way of life.

and perverse speech: For the phrase perverse speech (literally “mouth of turnings-about”), see the notes on 2:12b and 2:14b. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

false words (Good News Translation)
-or-
deceitful lies (Contemporary English Version)

The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as perverse is not the same Hebrew word that was used in 8:8b, but it has a similar meaning.

General Comment on 8:13a–c

There is no explicit connection between the general principle in 8:13a and the specific evil things listed in 8:13b–c. In some languages, it may be helpful to make the connection explicit, as the New Living Translation (1996) has done:

All who fear the Lord will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech. (New Living Translation (1996))

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