“Righteous lips are the delight of a king”: “Righteous” picks up the term from line 2 in the previous verse and adds “lips”, to make an expression that refers to honest talk or truthful speech. “Delight” translates the same Hebrew word used in 11.1 and means “to take pleasure,” “to be glad or happy.” Revised English Bible has “Honest speech is what pleases kings.” The Hebrew text has “kings,” and this form is recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project. However, the verb “loves” in the second line is singular, and the Septuagint and the ancient versions have “king,” as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. If “kings” is used in the first line, it will be necessary to use a plural form in the second line, for example, “They love those who. . ..”
“And he loves him who speaks what is right”: In Revised Standard Version “he” refers to the king. Revised Standard Version “him” has been revised by New Revised Standard Version to “those.” “What is right” means “honest words” or “the truth.” 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 .
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 16:13:
Kupsabiny: “Kings are happy when the truth is being told, and they love people who do not lie.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The king desires to hear the truth. and he loves those who speak the truth.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “The kings are pleased/happy with the people who do- not -lie; they love the people who tell the truth.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “What they like and esteem is the one who says what is true.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Kings are delighted to hear people say what is true; they love those who say what is right/honest.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
13a Righteous lipsarea kings delight,
13b and he who speaks honestly isbeloved.
16:13a–b
Righteous lips…he who speaks honestly: These two phrases are practically synonymous. The words translated by the Berean Standard Bible as Righteous and honestly are often translated as “righteous” and “upright.” But in this context, both phrases refer to speech/advice that is honest and true, as opposed to flattery.
are a king’s delight…is beloved: For the word delight, see the note on 11:1b. The usual meaning of the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is beloved is “loves” (New Jerusalem Bible). In this context, “value” (New Century Version) or “favor” (Good News Translation) are also appropriate.
Two ways to express the meaning of this verse are:
Kings like honest people; they value someone who speaks the truth. (New Century Version)
-or-
A king wants to hear the truth and will favor those who speak it. (Good News Translation)
General Comment on 16:13a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. See 16:13a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.
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