This verse appears to contrast the “righteous” and the “wicked” in terms of having enough to eat and going hungry. Compare this saying with that of 10.3. Most translations understand these lines to contrast the ability of the righteous to eat all they want or need with the inability of the wicked to do the same.

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite”: The text says literally “The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul.” Some understand that “eats to the satisfying of his soul” refers to having all the necessities of life, and so Moffatt translates “The good man has enough to meet his needs.” Others, like Good News Translation, believe the reference is strictly to food.

“But the belly of the wicked suffers want”: “Belly” renders a Hebrew word that refers to the interior of the abdomen, containing the womb in females as well as the stomach and intestines. “Suffers want” translates a verb used in 12.9 in the sense of “lacks.” The sense in this line is “suffers from hunger” or “goes hungry.”

Revised English Bible translates the whole verse, “The righteous eat their fill, but the bellies of the wicked are empty.” This is a good model translation.

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 .