hate

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated in English as “hate” or a form thereof is translated in Tabasco Chontal as “don’t want to see [the person who is hated].” (Source: John Beekman & Harwood Hess in Notes on Translation, March 1963, p. 1ff.)

See also hate.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 15:27

“He who is greedy for unjust gain makes trouble for his household”: “He who” is better expressed inclusively as “those who” or “people who.” “Greedy for unjust gain” refers to obtaining wealth wrongfully, usually through violence. Compare 1.19 where it is translated “get gain by violence.” The second line of this saying suggests the means is through bribery or extortion. “Makes trouble for his household” is similar to the expression in 11.29 and means “cause trouble for his family.” Bible en français courant says “The person who is greedy for money brings ruin upon his family.”

“But he who hates bribes will live”: “Hates” is as in 1.22. “Bribes” renders a different word than that used in 6.35 where “gifts” is used. It refers to a gift given to someone in a position of influence in order to bring about a certain result in favor of the giver. “Hates bribes” may be expressed as “does not take bribes” (see Good News Translation). “Will live” refers to living a long life as in 4.4; 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 15:27)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 15:27:

  • Kupsabiny: “A greedy person brings trouble to his family/home,
    but a person who does not accept bribes is in a good position.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Income gained by doing evil work
    brings trouble to a house.
    Don’t take bribes and you will have a long life.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A man who obtains wealth through a bad way brings difficulty to his household. A man who does- not -accept bribe(s) will-continue to live.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “One who is greedy-for wealth, he causes-to-exist problems in his family, but one who refuses/rejects a bribe will live.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who try hard to get money by acting dishonestly cause trouble for their family;
    those who refuse to accept bribes will live for a long time.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 15:27

15:27

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

27a
He who is greedy for unjust gain brings trouble on his household,

27b but he who hates bribes will live.

15:27a

He who is greedy for unjust gain: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “one who gains unjust gain.” The same phrase occurs in 1:19a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “all who are greedy, whose unjust gain….” In most contexts, including here, it refers to someone who tries to get rich wrongfully or dishonestly. The contrasting statement in 15:27b implies that this greedy person tries to get rich through the specific means of taking bribes.

brings trouble on his household: See the note on 11:29a, where this identical phrase occurs. It means that he causes trouble, ruin, or harm to everyone in his household. Another way to express this meaning is:

Those who are greedy for unjust gain make trouble for their households (New Revised Standard Version)

15:27b

but he who hates bribes: These words could refer to a person who hates to give bribes or a person who hates to take bribes. The parallel contrast with a greedy man in 15:27a implies that they refer to a person who refuses to take bribes.

will live: This phrase implies a good, long life. Some versions make this implied information explicit. For example:

He who spurns a bribe will enjoy long life (Revised English Bible)

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