complete verse (Proverbs 13:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 13:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “The farm of a poor person may produce a lot of/much food,
    but that food is swept away when there exists no truth/justice.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The fields of poor people
    may bear sufficient grain.
    But unjust people will rob [them of it]” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Even the land of the poor can-produce abundantly, they can- not -benefit from it because of the unrighteous doing of others.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Even though much will-be-harvested from the land of a poor-person, yet it-is-possible that it-will-be-lost on-account-of the trickery of other people.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Sometimes poor people’s fields produce plenty of food,
    but unjust people take away all that food.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 13:23

This saying is difficult to interpret. Its thrust seems to be that no matter how much the land of poor people produces, they suffer from the social and economic injustices done to them and thereby lose what they have. As Revised Standard Version expresses it, the saying is a condemnation of those who take from the poor.

“The fallow ground of the poor yields much food”: This line is literally “Plenty of food [is] fallow ground the poor.” “Fallow ground” refers to ground or land that is left unseeded for a growing season. It may or may not be tilled, plowed, cultivated. Some object that such ground as is mentioned here cannot yield much food. Fallow ground is left unseeded to restore it. The Hebrew term may refer to land left without planting for a season or it may refer to idle land, that is, land that is not being used or land that is newly claimed and has not grown crops before.

Translations differ greatly in their handling of this saying. Some speak of a potential or conditional situation; for example, “Even when the land of the poor produces good crops. . .” (Contemporary English Version), and “The field of the poor may yield much food” (New Revised Standard Version). See Good News Translation “could yield.” Others make a statement of fact, for example, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “In the field of the poor there is abundant food.”

“But it is swept away through injustice” is literally “but substance [is] swept away without justice.” There is much guesswork in translating line 2. Revised Standard Version “it”, referring back to “food” in line 1, does not reflect anything in the Hebrew text; the sense of “substance” is unclear here, although the term clearly has a meaning of “wealth” (Revised Standard Version) or “riches” in 8.21. “Swept away” suggests being taken away or captured, and, in the context, to being lost or being cheated out of it by others. According to Good News Translation it is the “unused fields” that “unjust people” will not let the poor use. Contemporary English Version has the poor getting “cheated out of what they grow,” that is, their food. “Injustice” refers to the failure of people to act fairly, in a just or right manner. In light of the difficulties of this text either Good News Translation or Contemporary English Version may be used as translation models.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 13:23

13:23

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

23a
Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor,

23b but without justice it is swept away.

13:23a

Abundant food is in the fallow ground of the poor: There are two main interpretations of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fallow ground. With any of these interpretations, it refers to land that is suitable for farming:

(1) The word refers in general to farmland. It is assumed that this land has been planted with seed. For example:

The field of the poor may yield much food (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
When poor people are able to plow, there is much food (God’s Word)

(2) The word refers specifically to land that was left unplanted for a season (fallow ground) or that has never been farmed. For example:

The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food (English Standard Version)
-or-
Unused fields could yield plenty of food for the poor (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. An unplanted or unused field does not normally produce a large amount of food. Some other ways to translate this line are:

Even when the land of the poor produces good crops (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
A poor person’s field might produce plenty of food (New Century Version)

13:23b

but without justice it is swept away: In Hebrew, this line is literally “there is what is swept away because [there is] no justice.” There are two main interpretations of this line:

(1) The poor person’s crop is swept away. For example:

but injustice sweeps it all away (New Living Translation (2004))

(2) The poor person himself is swept away. For example:

but a person is swept away where there is no justice (God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars. This interpretation assumes that poor people plant crops, but unjust people or practices keep them from getting a fair price or a fair share of the harvest.

without justice it is swept away: One way to translate this using a figure of speech is:

injustice sweeps it away (New International Version, New Living Translation (2004))

In this translation , “injustice” is personified. It is described as if it were a person who swept away the crops of poor people. In some languages, it may not be natural use such a figure of speech. Other ways to translate this are:

but others often steal it away (New Century Version)
-or-
they get cheated out of what they grow (Contemporary English Version)

As in other proverbs, this verse describes a general principle or a situation that often occurs. The New Century Version (quoted above) makes this explicit with the word “often.” Use a natural way in your language to express a general principle.

it is swept away: This phrase is a figure of speech that often describes hostile or violent action by a person’s enemies. In this context, it means that the poor person’s crop is taken away from him by various means. See the New Century Version and Contemporary English Version (quoted above) for two examples. Another way to translate this line is:

but through injustice it may be stolen (Revised English Bible)

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