witness

The Hebrew, Ge’ez, and and Greek that is translated as “witness” in English is translated in these ways:

  • “truly have seen” in Highland Popoluca
  • “telling the truth regarding something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something” in Lalana Chinantec
  • “verily know something to be the truth” in San Mateo del Mar Huave
  • “we ourselves saw this” in Desano
  • “tell the truth about something” in Eastern Highland Otomi
  • “know something is true because of seeing it” in Teutila Cuicatec (source for this and above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • “ones who will confirm that these-things that you have seen are true” in Kankanaey (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • “ones who are to testify about these things, because it all happened before your eyes” in Tagbanwa (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 19:9

This verse is nearly identical with verse 5. See there for comments.

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 19:9)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 19:9:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who lies in court will not escape punishment.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “It is not true that those who give false witness
    will not be punished.
    Those who say things that are not true
    will be destroyed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A lying witness will-be-punished, and whoever lies will-be-destroyed.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “For-sure the one who is a habitual-liar and testifies what is not true will-be-punished.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who tell lies in court will certainly be punished ;
    they will be ruined.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 19:9

19:9

Notice the parallel parts that are almost identical in meaning:

9a
A false witness will not go unpunished,

9b and one who pours out lies will perish.

This verse is identical to 19:5 except for the final verb in the second line. Verse 19:5b has: “will not escape.” Verse 19:9b has: “will perish.” The meaning of “will perish” is stronger and more specific. See the notes on 19:5 for more information.

19:9b

will perish: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will perish probably refers to physical death. The parallel line (19:9a) indicates that a false witness will be punished. This line (19:9b) specifies what the punishment will involve—probably death. Some other ways to translate this verb are:

will be destroyed (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
will die (New Century Version)
-or-
is doomed (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

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