Translation commentary on Proverbs 13:7

Verses 7-8 are observations about wealth and human conduct. The saying in verse 7 may be interpreted to mean (1) that people should not judge by outward appearance, or (2) that a person’s wealth or lack of it cannot be hidden, or (3) that people should avoid extremes of behavior. This saying may also be taken as a criticism of pretense; that is, poor people acting as if they are rich, or rich people acting as if they are poor.

“One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing”: Line 1 is similar to line 2 in 12.9. “One man” renders the same opening expression as in 12.18 by noting the existence of someone (an indefinite person). New Revised Standard Version has “Some pretend. . ..” Note Good News Translation “Some people. . ..” “Pretends to be rich” renders a form of a Hebrew verb meaning “one enriching himself,” that is, “acting as if he were rich.” In some languages this line must be expressed as “There are some people who say untruthfully that they are rich.”

“Another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth”: “Another . . . poor” is a verb form parallel to “pretends to be rich” in line 1, and so “one impoverishing himself” means “acting as if he were poor.” The lines are clearly contrasting parallelism. As in line 1 the verb “has” is understood and so is supplied by Revised Standard Version. “Great wealth” means the person has lots of money or owns many things. In some languages to have large amounts of riches is to possess many loads, to have many full granaries, or to cultivate many gardens. For a model translation see Good News 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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 13:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 13:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “There is a person who pretends to be rich but/yet has nothing,
    another pretends to be poor and has riches.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Some people keep claiming to be rich
    even though they don’t have anything.
    And some,
    even though they have everything,
    keep claiming to be poor.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “There are people who pretend that (they) are rich, but indeed poor. And there are also people who pretend that (they) are poor, but indeed rich.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There are some pretend-rich but come-to-find-out they are shaved (id. = penniless, without anything). There are also pretend-poor but come-to-find-out many are their possessions.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Some people who have nothing pretend to be rich,
    but other people who are very rich pretend to be poor.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 13:7

13:7

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

7a One pretends to be rich, but has nothing ;

7b another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

This proverb refers to people who give false impressions about their wealth or poverty. It teaches that a person’s true situation may be quite different from what it seems to be. So people should not be deceived by outward appearances or circumstances.

13:7a–b

One pretends to be rich, but has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth: The phrases has nothing and has great wealth are examples of hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration for the sake of emphasis).

Verse 13:7a means that some people pretend to be rich, but actually have very little. They are actually poor. It does not mean that they literally own nothing. Verse 13:7b means that some people pretend to be poor, but actually they are rich.

In some languages, a literal translation of these hyperboles may express the wrong meaning. Another way to translate the verse without these figures of speech is:

Some who are poor pretend to be rich; others who are rich pretend to be poor. (New Living Translation (2004))

Notice that the New Living Translation (2004) also changes the word order within the two clauses. You should use whatever order is more natural in your language.

Many languages have idioms for people who are rich and people who are poor. You may be able to use such idioms to add vividness or emphasis to this proverb, especially if you decide not to use hyperbole.

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