Translation commentary on Proverbs 17:4

Kidner calls this saying “Guilty listener.” It is not so much a description of evildoers and liars as a warning against listening to and being influenced by evil words. The same thought is expressed in both lines.

“An evildoer listens to wicked lips”: “An evildoer” is a bad or evil person. Good News Translation makes it plural. “Listens” means pays attention to, follows the advice of. “Wicked lips” refers to talk such as gossip that aims to cause trouble and to people who spread such talk.

“And a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue”: The sense here is that a liar listens to catch anything false so he can pass it on to others. “Gives heed” has the same sense as “listens” in line 1. In some languages a “liar” is called “a person with two tongues” or “a person with a forked tongue.” “A mischievous tongue” is a person who deceives, lies, or says things to create trouble. We may render this line, for example, “Liars listen to each other” or “Liars pass on lies they have heard from other liars.”

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 17:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 17:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “A sinner/evil doer listens to the words of a wicked person,
    and a liar takes heed to slandering.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Evil people listen to evil words.
    Those who tell lies listen to lies.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A wicked man wants to listen to his fellow wicked (man), and a liar wants to listen to his fellow liar.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “What the cruel/malicious hear is the words of their companions who are cruel/malicious, the liars, it’s also their companions who are liars [ellipsis: whose words they hear].” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say what is evil,
    and liars pay attention to other people’s lies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 17:4

17:4

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

4a
A wicked man listens to evil lips ;

4b
a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

The second line specifies what the first line means. “A liar” (17:4b) specifies a particular kind of “wicked man” (17:4a), and “destructive” (17:4b) further defines the meaning of “evil” in 17:4a.

17:4a–b

evil lips…a destructive tongue: As in other proverbs, lips and tongue are figures of speech that represent the words that a person says. The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a destructive tongue refers to malicious or cruel words. These words are intended to cause harm to others. They are associated with lies, so they are equivalent to slander or malicious gossip.

Some other ways to translate these figures of speech are:

evil words…cruel words (New Century Version)
-or-
gossip…slander (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 17:4a–b

The parallel lines function together to describe one kind of person. They refer to a wicked person who tells lies. In some languages, it may be necessary to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts to make this meaning clear. For example:

Wicked liars listen eagerly to gossip and slander.

See also 17:4a–b (combined/reordered).

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