Translation commentary on Proverbs 11:3

The sayings in verses 3-8 follow a single broad theme of the outcomes in life for those who are upright and those who are not (“the wicked”). There are many repetitions and similarities between the individual sayings.

“The integrity of the upright guides them”: “Integrity” has the same sense as in 2.7 and 10.9, but translates a different word. That word describes the character of Job in Job 2.3 (translated “blameless”). For “upright” see 2.7. “Guides” translates the verb used in 6.22 in which the teachings of the parents “lead” the child. If it is unnatural for an abstract quality such as “integrity” to be the subject of this action, it may be necessary to use a different construction; for example, “The person who is good will do what is honest,” “People who are upright know how to do what is right,” or “The good person will be led to do what is honest.” See Good News Translation.

“But the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them”: “Crookedness” translates a verb meaning to twist or pervert and may refer to both speech and action. It is the opposite of “integrity.” For “the treacherous” see 2.22. The word “destroys” is probably best taken to mean “ruin” or “to bring down to nothing.” Just as the good person will be guided by his integrity, the wicked person will be ruined by his wicked behavior. Bible en français courant translates the second line “The dishonest person will be destroyed by his love of evil.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “The deceiver will be slain by his falsehood.” This may need to be adjusted to say, for example, “People who deceive others will be destroyed because they are dishonest.”

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 11:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 11:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “The goodness of straight/righteous people guards/keeps them,
    but those who have gone astray, their evilness destroys them.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who do good work,
    are guided along the good path.
    Those who do evil work
    are ruined by their evil work.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The righteous man knows what he is going to do because his way-of-living is right, but a deceitful man will-be-destroyed because his way-of-living is not right.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The trustworthiness of a righteous/just person, that is what leads him, but the crafty-one, he is ruined because of his craftiness.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “People who are good are guided by doing what is honest;
    those who are not honest will be ruined because of the wrong things that they do.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:3

11:3

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

3a The integrity of the upright guides them,

3b but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.

11:3a

The integrity of the upright guides them: This Hebrew word for integrity is a different form of the noun that is used in 10:29a. (See the note there.) There is little or no difference in meaning between them. Both refer to a person who consistently does what he knows is right.

Several English versions translate integrity by the word “honesty.” For example:

The honest have their own honesty for guidance (New Jerusalem Bible)

To some English speakers, the word “honesty” refers primarily to telling the truth and not deceiving or cheating other people. The Hebrew word has a broader range of meaning. It refers to a person who leads a consistently blameless life.

integrity…guides them: In some languages, it may not be possible to say that an abstract character trait, such as integrity, guides someone. What this line means is that the actions of an upright person will be based on his consistently blameless character. It is implied that the person with such a character will know how to make good, correct, beneficial decisions. Another way to translate this line is:

The decisions of an upright person are based on his faultless character.

upright: An upright person is someone whose conduct is right and just and straightforward. (See the note on 2:7a.) Such a person is also righteous and has integrity.

11:3b

the perversity of the faithless destroys them: The word perversity refers to the words or deeds of a person who twists the truth. He says or does things that contradicts what is true. Some other ways to translate this line are:

the deviousness of the treacherous leads them to ruin (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
dishonesty will destroy those who are not trustworthy (New Century Version)
-or-
People who can’t be trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. (Good News Translation)

the faithless: The word faithless refers to someone who acts treacherously or breaks an agreement. It can apply to a marriage relationship, property rights, a treaty or general conduct. Some other ways to translate this word are:

the treacherous (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
People who can’t be trusted (Good News Translation)

This word last occurred in 2:22b.

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