Translation commentary on Proverbs 12:19

The theme of this verse is that truth goes on and on but lies quickly fade away.

“Truthful lips endure for ever”: “Truthful lips” is literally “the lip of truth” in which “lip” again represents speech, whatever a person says. “Truth” is not merely the opposite of lies or untruths but rather the quality of reliability. People can depend on and trust what is spoken as being true. “Endure”, literally “establish,” means to be permanent, to go on, to last, or to continue. “For ever”, meaning “always,” contrasts with the short life of a lie or other deceit in line 2.

“But a lying tongue is but for a moment”: In Hebrew the final word of the first line rhymes with the first word of the second line. This line says literally “but only for the wink of an eye is a lying tongue.” The use of the figurative “wink of an eye” in this line serves to sharpen the contrast with “for ever” in line 1. For “lying tongue” refer to 6.17. One way of expressing this line is “lying talk stays for only a short time” or “. . . does not last long.”

Note that Good News Translation has reversed the order of the lines in this verse, placing the emphasis on the lasting quality of truth at the end of the saying. Before adopting this approach, translators should determine if the point of the saying is emphasized or lessened in this way in their language.

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 12:19)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 12:19:

  • Kupsabiny: “True words stay forever,
    but words of lies do not go far.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “True words remain forever,
    Untrue words do not last long.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “True words continue forever/[lit. until whenever], but false words will- not -last-long.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What-is-true, it remains-unchanging forever, but the lie, it is not long and it-becomes-known.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “When people tell lies, others soon realize that what they said is not true ;
    but when people say what is true, others will remember that forever.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 12:19

12:19

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

19a
Truthful lips endure forever,

19b but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

12:19a–b

Truthful lips…a lying tongue: These phrases are figures of speech (metonymy). They represent the truthful or lying words produced by the lips and tongue.

endure forever…lasts only a moment: The truth is permanently reliable or valid. No matter how much time passes, it continues to be true. By contrast, people soon find out that a lie is not true, and then they stop believing it.

Some ways to translate this verse are:

Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Truth will continue forever, but lies are only for a moment. (New Century Version)

General Comment on 12:19a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the lines so the positive statement comes last. For example:

A lie has a short life, but truth lives on forever. (Good News Translation)

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