Translation commentary on Proverbs 13:11

The thrust of this saying is to compare wealth quickly and easily obtained with wealth that is earned slowly. Neither the book of Proverbs nor the Old Testament generally condemns wealth. If anything, wealth is considered evidence of God’s blessing. However, wealth obtained by wrong means is condemned: 10.2; 11.4, 18; 21.6. Getting rich quickly is wrong according 20.21 and 28.20.

“Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle”: The Revised Standard Version, which follows the Septuagint and the Vulgate, shows in its footnote that the Hebrew text has “Wealth from vanity will dwindle,” that is, “Wealth that is gained from vanity. . ..” Some take this to mean “gained from fraud or swindling” (see comments on Hebrew Old Testament Text Project below). The word rendered “vanity” is literally “breath” or “vapor.” “Dwindle” means to gradually reduce or disappear.

“But he who gathers little by little will increase it” is literally “but one gathering by hand will increase.” “Gathers” renders a form of a verb meaning “the one collecting or assembling”. “By hand” is generally understood in this context as bit by bit or “little by little”, that is, a small amount at a time. “Increase it” means “cause the wealth to multiply, grow, become greater.”

Whether line 1 is read as given in the Hebrew or the Revised Standard Version, the second line clearly contrasts with the first. Most modern translations state the contrast clearly. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project makes two recommendations for the Hebrew text: “Wealth diminishes faster than the wind, but he who gathers increases his wealth” or “A fortune gained by swindling diminishes, but he who gathers bit by bit prospers.” The Contemporary English Version rendering has a good contrast and its repetitive words give it a proverbial flavor in English: “Money wrongly gotten will disappear bit by bit; money earned little by little will grow and grow.”

Another way of expressing the saying is “If a person does no work and gets rich, his money will be gone quickly. But if a person works to get money little by little, then his money will become a great amount.”

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 13:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 13:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “Wind sweeps the riches that is gotten without working hard,
    but what you have labored/worked for it increases/grows.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Wealth gathered quickly
    will be quickly spent.
    Wealth gathered by hard work
    will increase.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Wealth taken from a bad way just vanishes easily, but wealth that has-been-toiled-for increases more.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The wealth that was suddenly gained will easily be lost, but what one underwent-hardship-for to-earn-in-wages, it will-be-accumulated and become-much/many.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who acquire a lot of money quickly by doing what is wrong, probably will lose it quickly,
    but if people earn money slowly, the amount of money they have will increase.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 13:11

13:11

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

11a
Dishonest wealth will dwindle,

11b but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.

This proverb contrasts wealth that a person gets quickly, dishonestly, or easily with wealth that a person earns gradually.

13:11a–b

Notice that in the Hebrew, the subjects of 13:11a and 13:11b are not quite parallel. Line 11a is talking about wealth, while line 11b is talking about the person who earns wealth. If this is awkward in your language, you may adjust the parallelism, as the Berean Standard Bible and a number of other English translations have done. For example:

Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
A person who cheats to get rich will soon be poor again, but a person who works hard for his money will grow richer and richer.

13:11a

Dishonest wealth: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as Dishonest refers figuratively to something that lacks substance or is temporary. In contrast to wealth that is earned “through hard work” (13:11b), it implies wealth that is gained in one or more of three ways:

(1) The wealth is gained quickly or hastily. For example:

Wealth gained hastily (English Standard Version)
-or-
A sudden fortune (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) The wealth is gained dishonestly or unjustly. For example:

Wealth gained through injustice (God’s Word)

(3) The wealth is gained easily. For example:

Money that comes easily (New Century Version)

It is recommended that you choose a word or expression that will imply as many as possible of the above three meanings. If you need to choose one meaning, interpretation (1) is recommended. It forms a good contrast with 13:11b.

will dwindle: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “becomes little/less.” Most versions do not specify whether the wealth dwindles quickly or slowly. But since the wealth is gained quickly or easily, it may be implied that it dwindles in the same way. For example:

Money that comes easily disappears quickly (New Century Version)
-or-
The more easily you get your wealth, the sooner you will lose it. (Good News Translation)

13:11b

but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as through hard work is literally “by hand.” It describes the way in which money is earned. Versions understand this in two different ways:

(1) The money is earned steadily and gradually. For example:

money earned little by little will grow and grow (Contemporary English Version)

(2) The money is earned through honest and diligent work. For example:

wealth from hard work grows over time (New Living Translation (2004))

will be multiplied: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be multiplied is literally “increases ⌊it⌋ ” or “makes ⌊it⌋ many.”

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