complete verse (Proverbs 16:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 16:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who falsely accuse people brings chaos/strife,
    and a gossiper divides/separates friends.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “With needless words the wicked create disputes.
    and create disputes between friends.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A back-biter/gossiper man starts-up trouble and destroys friendship.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It is bad to gossip, because talk/gossip, it causes-there-to-be quarrels/fights and it destroys mutual-friendship.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Deceitful people cause strife/quarreling among other people;
    those who say false things about other people cause people who are friends to become enemies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 16:28

“A perverse man spreads strife”: For “perverse” see “perverted” in 2.12. “Spreads” renders a word meaning “send out” or “let loose.” “Strife”, as in 10.12, refers to conflict, quarrels, and fighting among people. In translation it may be necessary to indicate that “strife” is spread among people; for example, “Wicked people cause others to fight among themselves.”

“And a whisperer separates close friends”: The meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “whisperer” is somewhat uncertain. New English Bible/Revised English Bible translate it “tale-bearing,” that is, “gossiping.” Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version say “gossip.” New Jerusalem Bible has “slanderer,” which means a person who makes false charges that are harmful to another person. “Separates . . . friends” means to cause friends to become enemies or to destroy friendship. The word rendered “close friends” refers to persons who are companions or intimate associates.

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 16:28

16:28

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

27a
A perverse man spreads dissension,

27b and a gossip divides close friends.

The second line of this proverb is more specific than the first line. A “gossip” is a particular kind of “perverse man.” The parallelism implies that a “perverse man” causes trouble by his harmful words. A specific example is that his words destroy friendships.

16:28a

A perverse man: In Hebrew, this phrase refers to someone who twists or turns upside down the standards that the LORD established for human society. He is a bad person who causes trouble of various kinds. In this context, parallel with “a gossip,” it probably refers to a person who twists the truth or who tells lies about others. See the note on 2:12b.

spreads dissension: The phrase spreads dissension means “causes quarrels or misunderstandings between people.” (See the note on 6:14b.)

Some other ways to translate this line are:

A devious person spreads quarrels (God’s Word)
-or-
A dishonest man spreads strife (English Standard Version)
-or-
Wicked people cause trouble/misunderstanding

16:28b

and a gossip: In Hebrew, the word gossip is literally “whisperer.” It refers to anyone who spreads false or misleading information that will harm another person or ruin his reputation.

divides close friends: This phrase means “destroys the friendship between close friends” or “causes close friends to become enemies.” It may refer to a close friend of the gossip or to other people who are close friends.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

a slanderer divides friend from friend (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
gossip separates the best of friends (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and tale-bearing breaks up the closest friendship (Revised English Bible)

General Comment on 16:28a–b

Due to the parallelism, these lines refer to the actions of the same person. No contrast is intended between them or between the results of their evil actions. The Good News Translation makes this clear by reordering the parallel parts. It has:

Gossip is spread by wicked people; they stir up trouble and break up friendships.

See 16:28a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display for another way to reorder the parallel parts. You will need to decide whether reordering the parallel parts makes the meaning clearer in your language.

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