pride

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The Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “pride” in English is translated as

  • “continually boasting” (Amganad Ifugao)
  • “lifting oneself up” (Tzeltal)
  • “answering haughtily” (Yucateco) (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
  • “unbent neck” (like llamas) (Kaqchikel) (source: Nida 1952, p. 151)
  • “praising oneself, saying: I am better” (Shipibo-Conibo) (source: Nida 1964, p. 237).
  • “bigness of head” (existing idiom: girman kai) in the Hausa Common Language Bible it is idiomatically translated as or (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • “trying to make yourself the leader” in Mairasi (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • “make oneself important” (sick upspeeln) in Low German (source: translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1933, republ. 2006)
  • “a haughty liver” in Yakan (source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • “lift head” in Upper Guinea Crioulo (source: Nicoleti 2012, p. 78)

See also proud / arrogant and haughty / proud / heart exalted / exalt oneself above.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 21:24

This verse gives a definition of the ““Scoffer”” or arrogant person. It is a single sentence containing a number of similar terms heaped together.

““Scoffer” is the name of the proud, haughty man”: The Hebrew is literally “proud arrogant scoffer his name.” The meanings of the individual words are clear enough, but it is difficult to know which word or words to take as the subject of the sentence. New Revised Standard Version, for instance, makes this whole line the subject, “The proud, haughty person, named ‘Scoffer’ . . ..” Revised English Bible, on the other hand, takes just the first term as the subject, “The conceited man is. . ..” Translators may take either of these as a model. For comments on “Scoffer” see 1.22.

“Who acts with arrogant pride”: This line contains the only verb form in Hebrew, the participle “doing” or “acting” (Revised Standard Version “who acts”). New Revised Standard Version makes this the main verb of the sentence: “. . . acts with arrogant pride.” New Living Translation is similar with “they act with boundless arrogance.” “In arrogant pride” is literally “in excess of insolence” or “in outburst of presumption”; it describes a person who acts with bold disregard for laws and customs. Good News Translation “inconsiderate” comes somewhere near this sense.

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 21:24)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 21:24:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who boasts of himself and despises (people) is bad/arrogant.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “One who keeps on criticizing others
    is an arrogant and obstinate person.
    There is no limit to their boasting.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The proud and arrogant/[lit. the-(ones-who)-thinks-high] man you will-know for he mocks, and he boasts too much.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who is a mocker and is-proud (lit. makes-high his body), people say that he is arrogant.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who make fun of everything that is good are proud and conceited ;
    they always act in an inconsiderate way toward others.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 21:24

21:24

The first line of this proverb describes the character of a mocker. The second line describes how he acts.

24a Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man—

24b of him who acts with excessive pride.

21:24a

Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man: In Hebrew this phrase has no verb. It is literally “proud arrogant mocker [is] his name.”

The purpose of this phrase is to describe the kind of person who is known or identified as Mocker. Mocker is the word that people use to refer to him. It is not his real name. Some ways to translate this phrase are:

• Use a capital letter to indicate that Mocker functions as a name or title. For example:

The proud, haughty person, named “Scoffer,” (New Revised Standard Version)

• Use a small letter to indicate that people are identifying a character quality when they speak of the person. For example:

An arrogant, conceited person is called a mocker. (God’s Word)
-or-
If you are proud and conceited, everyone will say, “You’re a snob!” (Contemporary English Version)

• Describe the character trait without referring explicitly to what the person is named or called. For example:

Mockers are proud and haughty (New Living Translation (2004))

The three closely related Hebrew words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as proud, arrogant, and Mocker overlap in meaning.

Mocker: A person who is “proud” and “arrogant” treats others with scorn. He “mocks” or makes fun of both other people and God.

proud: The adjective form proud occurs only here in Proverbs. In most of its occurrences elsewhere, the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “arrogant.” The noun form “pride” occurs in 11:2a, 13:10a, and 21:24b.

A proud person thinks about his own importance. He is also presumptuous and insolent. He assumes that he can do what he wants. So he refuses to respect other people’s opinions or to accept the authority of others, including God.

arrogant: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as arrogant occurs only here in Proverbs. It refers to a person who is self-centered and is unwilling to learn or submit to God.

All three of these words describe a person who is aggressively proud. In many languages, it will be possible to use a combination of words, phrases, or idioms to translate the same range of meaning.

21:24b

of him who acts with excessive pride: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as excessive is literally “anger” or “excess/outburst.” It means “wrath” or “anger” in most of the OT verses where it occurs. In this context, it probably refers to an “outburst” or “excess” of pride. It probably also implies anger. Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

they act with boundless arrogance (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
His arrogance knows no limits. (God’s Word)
-or-
one who behaves with insolent fury

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