Verses 17-20 pick up again the theme of speech.

“He who speaks the truth gives honest evidence”: New Revised Standard Version avoids the masculine pronoun “He” and says “Whoever.” “Speaks the truth” is literally “breathes out faithfulness.” In 6.19 “breaths out lies” has the sense of spouting or pouring forth lies, particularly as a witness in a court room. Here “the truth” is breathed out in the context of the term “witness” in line 2. “Truth” is here words that are faithful to the facts as witnessed. “Gives honest evidence” is literally “reveals justice” and means “shows what is right, correct, or honest.”

“But a false witness utters deceit”: “False witness”, as in 6.19, is a person who tells lies in court. This person contrasts with “he who speaks the truth” in the first line. “Utters” does not occur in the Hebrew text; Revised Standard Version provides it from “speaks” in line 1. “Utters deceit” contrasts with “gives honest evidence”.

Contemporary English Version translates this verse: “An honest person tells the truth in court, but a dishonest person tells nothing but lies.”

Another translation has “An honest witness speaks the truth, but a false witness is a liar.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .