complete verse (Proverbs 24:2)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 24:2:

  • Kupsabiny: “because those people only think about how to do evil. When those people talk, they really want someone to suffer.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “because they have only violence in their hearts,
    and they talk only about making trouble [for others].” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For what they only think and say is to hurt/do-violent-act to others.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “because cruelty/maliciousness and turmoil/riots is what they think-about and speak-about.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 24:2

“For their minds devise violence”: “For” introduces the reasons for observing the warnings just given. As in many other contexts, “their minds” is literally “their heart.” For a picture of what this line means, see 1.10-19. For the actual term rendered “violence”, see 21.7. The sense of the term “devise” is to “think of” (Revised English Bible) or to “plot” (New International Version). Revised English Bible “for violence is all they think of” and Good News Translation “Causing trouble is all they ever think about” express this well.

“And their lips talk of mischief”: “Their lips” refers to speech, just as “their minds” refers to thoughts. In this context where it is parallel to “violence”, the term “mischief” means causing trouble to others: “their lips talk about making trouble” (New International Version).

One way of translating this whole verse, for example, is “They think only of hurting people, and they always talk about how they can make trouble.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 24:2

24:2

This verse tells the parallel reasons to obey the commands in 24:1. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

2a for their hearts devise violence,

2b and their lips declare trouble.

The reasons progress from the inward plans of wicked people to their discussion of those plans.

24:2a–b

their hearts…their lips: These parallel phrases are figures of speech (synecdoche). They represent the wicked people themselves.

violence…declare trouble: In this context, both these terms refer to evil deeds that harm other people. Some versions translate the second term as “mischief.” In English, this word often refers to the minor, naughty things that children do. But the Hebrew terms here refer to more serious acts of evil.

24:2a

for their hearts devise violence: This line means “they plan to treat others in a way that is harmful, cruel, or oppressive.” Some other ways to translate this line are:

for violence is all they think of (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Their minds are always planning violence (New Century Version)

The word violence also occurs in 21:7.

24:2b

and their lips declare trouble: This line means that they discuss ways that they can cause trouble, harm, or misery to other people. Some other ways to translate this line are:

and they always talk about causing trouble

General Comment on 24:2a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder one or more of the parallel parts. For example:

All they think about and talk about is violence and cruelty. (Contemporary English Version)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.