Translation commentary on Proverbs 18:11

This verse contrasts the safety in wealth with safety in the Lord in verse 10.

“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city”: This line is identical to 10.15a. See there for comments. There, however, the situation of the rich is contrasted with that of the poor. Here the two lines are not in contrast but support each other. A “strong city” is another expression for defense or protection. We may say, for example, “The wealth of the strong is their protection” or “The rich are protected by their wealth.”

“And like a high wall protecting him”: Note that Revised Standard Version has a footnote showing that the text rendered “protecting him” may also mean “in his imagination.” Good News Translation “imagine that their wealth protects them” follows the sense of this Revised Standard Version footnote. So this line may mean that the rich think they are protected, but in reality they are not. Only dependence on the Lord can give real protection. Contemporary English Version translates the verse “the rich think their money is a wall of protection.” Another translation has “A rich person thinks his wealth puts a wall around him like a strong wall that is built around a city to protect it.”

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 18:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 18:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “The rich man relies on his possessions,
    he thinks that his things are able to save him.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Rich people think that their wealth protects them
    like strong high walls on four sides of the city.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The rich think that their wealth can-protect them like the high stoned-walls which surround the city.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “In the opinion/thinking of the rich, their possessions can-be-illustrated by a high fence that is their protection/shelter.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Rich people are protected because they have a lot of money
    like a city is protected because it has a high wall surrounding it.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 18:11

18:11

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

11a
A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city ;

11b
it is like a high wall in his imagination.

Due to the parallelism, the phrase “in his imagination” is also implied in 18:11a. One way to make this explicit is:

11a The rich think that their wealth is their fortified city;

11b they imagine it an unscalable wall.

18:11a

A rich man’s wealth is his fortified city: A fortified city is a city surrounded by high walls. These walls protect the inhabitants from outside dangers. Similarly, a rich person relies on his wealth to protect him from difficulties. This metaphor is identical to 10:15a. See the notes there for translation advice.

However, the implied information is different. The connection with the following line and with the preceding verse is also different. Evaluate these differences carefully before you translate this line.

18:11b

it is like a high wall in his imagination: In Hebrew, the word high is a slightly different form of the word “set on high.” The Berean Standard Bible translated that word as “safe” in 18:10b. Some English versions translate this word in 18:11b as “unscalable” (New International Version), because the implied purpose of a high wall is to prevent enemies from climbing over it.

This clause means that rich people think or imagine that their wealth will protect them. They think it will be like a high wall that protects the residents inside a city. Some other ways to translate this line are:

a high wall, as the rich supposes (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
in his fancy, it is a protective wall (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
they imagine it to be a high wall of safety (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 18:11a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. See the Good News Translation, quoted in 18:11a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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