Translation commentary on Proverbs 22:2

This verse may be a continuation of the thought of verse 1 that a person’s reputation is worth more than wealth. More likely, as a separate saying it shows that all people have their rights and should be respected, since the Lord has created them all.

“The rich and the poor meet together”: The verb “meet together” or “meet each other” does not refer to meeting in a physical sense. The meaning is well expressed by New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible, and Good News Translation: “have this in common.” “The rich” and “the poor” are singular in Hebrew, but in some languages the plural will be more natural: “rich people and poor people.”

“The Lord is the maker of them all”: This is literally “the one making them all [is] the Lord.” If we use singulars in the first line (“the rich person” and “the poor person”) we may need to render the Hebrew plural “them all” in this line as a dual pronoun, “them-two” or “both of them.”

Some translations restructure the two lines of the verse into a single simple sentence. Contemporary English Version, for instance, has “The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord”; another way of expressing this is “The Lord has made all people, the people with money and the poor people too.”

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 22:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 22:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “All people are alike on earth, whether poor or rich,
    because God is the one who created man.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The rich and the poor have one thing in common,
    The Lord has made them both.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The rich and the poor are both created by the LORD.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “This is the similarity of rich-(people) and poor: God created them all.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “There is one thing that is true about both rich people and poor people:
    Yahweh is the one who created all of them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 22:2

22:2

In this proverb, the second line further explains the meaning of the first line.

2a Rich and poor have this in common:

2b The LORD is the Maker of them all.

22:2a

The rich and the poor have this in common: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “The rich and the poor meet together,” as in the English Standard Version. There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) Rich and poor people figuratively meet together. They have a common similarity or characteristic. For example:

The rich and poor are alike (New Century Version)

(2) Rich and poor people literally meet together. As they live together in a community, they have social contact with one another. For example:

Rich and poor rub shoulders (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Most scholars think that this is probably the intended meaning. It fits better with the explanation in 22:2b that the LORD made both rich and poor.

However, many scholars think that interpretation (2) is at least possible, because it is true in daily life. So you may want to give interpretation (2) in a footnote. A suggested footnote is:

In Hebrew, it says, “Rich and poor people meet together.” Some scholars think that this refers to times when rich and poor people see or talk with one another in their community. Most scholars think that this refers to the similarity between rich and poor people.

22:2b

The LORD is Maker of them all: This clause explains what the rich and poor have in common. They are similar in that all people, both rich and poor, were made by the LORD. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

in that the Lord made them all (New Century Version)
-or-
The Lord made them both (New Living Translation (2004))

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