Translation commentary on Proverbs 17:13

“If a man returns evil for good”: Revised Standard Version expresses this line as an “if” clause. Others make it a statement, as it is in Hebrew. “Man” is revised by New Revised Standard Version to say “One who. . ..” “Returns evil for good” means to act badly to someone who has been good to you. We may translate this line, for example, “The person who does evil to someone who has been good,” “To wrong a person who has done good to you,” or “Don’t pay back evil for good.”

“Evil will not depart from his house”: Other ways of expressing this line are “In his house bad behavior will never finish” and “His house will never be free of trouble.” Since this line is the main clause, some translations find it better to reverse the two lines of the saying; for example, New Revised Standard Version has “Evil will not depart from the house of one who returns evil for good,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “Evil will never leave the house of the one who pays back evil for good.” In this saying “house” may refer to the family of such a person, and in that case we may say, for example, “Evil will never leave the family of the person who pays back evil for good.”

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 17:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 17:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “If good things are done to a person and (he) repays it with evil/sin,
    evil/bad things will follow him forever.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Misfortune will never depart from the house
    of one who does evil in return for good.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) are bad to the ones who are good to you (sing.), there is always bad (thing) that will-arrive to your (sing.) household.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Bad happenings are continual to the person who repays what is bad for the good that is done to him.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him,
    evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 17:13

17:13

In this verse, the second line gives the consequence of the action in the first line.

13a If anyone returns evil for good,

13b evil will never leave his house.

Notice that the “evil” consequence is more severe than the “evil” action in the first line. It “will never leave,” and it will affect the man’s household as well as the man himself.

The Berean Standard Bible translates the first line as an “if” clause. The God’s Word translates it as a statement, as in the Hebrew. It has:

13a Whoever pays back evil for good—

13b evil will never leave his home.

Some versions change the order of the clauses. For example:

13b Evil will not depart from the house

13a of one who returns evil for good. (New Revised Standard Version)

You should use the option that most effectively communicates the meaning of this verse.

17:13a

If anyone returns evil for good: The implied context of this clause is that someone has said or done something kind or helpful for the person mentioned here (the anyone). Instead of showing his gratitude, this person says or does something bad or harmful in return. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

If you repay good with evil (Good News Translation)
-or-
Whoever gives evil in return for good (New Century Version)
-or-
if you are mean to those who are good to you (Contemporary English Version)

17:13b

evil will never leave his house: There is a figure of speech in this line. Here evil is personified as a guest who resides permanently in the person’s house. This line means that the man who did the evil deed will always experience bad things, along with his household or family.

evil: The word evil probably refers to bad or harmful things or events, such as trouble, disaster, or illness.

Some ways to translate this line are:

• Keep the personification. For example:

Disaster will never be far from the house (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

will always have trouble at home (New Century Version)

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