Chapter Overview
Summary
Proverbs 11 continues the Solomonic-antithetic-proverbs — 31 verses on the consequences of righteousness vs. wickedness. Verse 31 — 'if the righteous is recompensed on the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner' — is cited VERBATIM-FROM-LXX at 1 Peter 4:18 as a foundation for the 'if the righteous is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear?' argument about final-judgment.
Notable Variants
11:31 → 1 Peter 4:18 VERBATIM-LXX CITATION (the LXX's 'scarcely saved' reading differs notably from MT's 'recompensed on earth'); 11:1 'a false balance is an abomination'; 11:22 'a beautiful woman without discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.'
Structural Notes
MT Prov 11 = LXX Prov 11. 31 verses.
Dishonest scales are detestable to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.
'A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight' tracks MT. JUST-WEIGHT as divine-delight. Leviticus 19:35–36 and Deuteronomy 25:13–16 ground the just-weights ethic.
When arrogance arrives, disgrace follows, but wisdom stays with the humble.
'When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom' tracks MT. PRIDE-BEFORE-DISGRACE.
The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
'The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them' tracks MT.
Wealth is useless on the day of fury, but righteousness rescues from death.
'Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death' tracks MT. DAY-OF-WRATH — eschatological-judgment vocabulary. Zephaniah 1:15, 18 and Revelation 6:17 extend.
The righteousness of the blameless makes his path straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
'The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness' tracks MT.
The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own craving.
'The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust' tracks MT.
When a wicked person dies, his hope perishes, and the expectation of the powerful comes to nothing.
'When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too' tracks MT.
The righteous is rescued from distress, and the wicked steps into his place.
'The righteous is delivered from trouble, and the wicked walks into it instead' tracks MT. REPLACEMENT-THEOLOGY — the wicked takes the place the righteous escaped.
With his mouth a godless person destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.
'With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor, but by knowledge the righteous are delivered' tracks MT.
When the righteous prosper, the city celebrates; when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.
'When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness' tracks MT.
By the blessing of the upright a city is lifted up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.
'By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown' tracks MT.
Whoever despises his neighbor lacks sense, but a person of understanding keeps silent.
'Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense, but a man of understanding remains silent' tracks MT.
A gossip reveals secrets, but a trustworthy person conceals a matter.
'Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered' tracks MT.
Without guidance a people falls, but safety comes through many advisors.
'Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety' tracks MT. MANY-COUNSELORS wisdom — repeated at Prov 15:22, 24:6.
Whoever guarantees a loan for a stranger will suffer for it, but the one who refuses to pledge is secure.
'Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm, but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure' tracks MT.
A gracious woman holds on to honor, and ruthless men hold on to wealth.
'A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches' tracks MT.
A person of faithful love benefits himself, but a cruel person brings trouble on his own body.
'A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself' tracks MT. KINDNESS-BENEFITS-THE-KIND — the boomerang-ethic.
The wicked earns deceptive wages, but the one who sows righteousness reaps a genuine reward.
'The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward' tracks MT. SOWS-RIGHTEOUSNESS-REAPS-REWARD. Galatians 6:7–8 ('whatever one sows, that will he also reap') extends.
Genuine righteousness leads to life, but whoever chases evil chases his own death.
'Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die' tracks MT.
The twisted in heart are detestable to the LORD, but those whose way is blameless are His delight.
'Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the LORD, but those of blameless ways are his delight' tracks MT.
Be assured: the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
'Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered' tracks MT.
A gold ring in a pig's snout — that is a beautiful woman who abandons good sense.
'Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion' tracks MT. GOLD-RING-IN-PIG'S-SNOUT — one of the Bible's most-memorable put-down images.
The desire of the righteous leads only to good; the hope of the wicked leads to fury.
'The desire of the righteous ends only in good, the expectation of the wicked in wrath' tracks MT.
One person gives freely and gains even more; another withholds what is right and ends up in want.
'One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want' tracks MT. GIVE-AND-GROW-RICHER paradox. 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 ('whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully') develops.
A generous person will be enriched, and whoever refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
'Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered' tracks MT.
People curse whoever hoards grain, but blessing rests on the head of the one who sells it.
'The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it' tracks MT. GRAIN-HOARDING curse — commodity-hoarding is anti-community.
Whoever earnestly seeks good finds favor, but whoever pursues evil — it will find him.
'Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it' tracks MT.
Whoever trusts in his wealth will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
'Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf' tracks MT. GREEN-LEAF-FLOURISHING — Ps 1:3's tree-planted-by-streams parallel.
Whoever brings trouble on his household will inherit wind, and a fool will serve the wise in heart.
'Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart' tracks MT. INHERIT-THE-WIND — Qoheleth-language echoed (Eccl 1:14's 'striving after wind').
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who captures lives is wise.
'The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise' tracks MT. FRUIT-RIGHTEOUS = TREE-OF-LIFE. 'Captures-souls' — Jesus' 'catchers-of-men' commissioning (Matt 4:19) parallels.
If even the righteous receives what he deserves on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Masoretic (WLC)
הֵן צַדִּיק בָּאָרֶץ יְשֻׁלָּם אַף כִּי־רָשָׁע וְחוֹטֵא
If the righteous is repaid on earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Septuagint (LXX)
εἰ ὁ μὲν δίκαιος μόλις σῴζεται ὁ ἀσεβὴς καὶ ἁμαρτωλὸς ποῦ φανεῖται
If the righteous is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear?
1 PETER 4:18 CITATION — VERBATIM-LXX. 1 Peter 4:18 cites this verse verbatim from the LXX: 'AND IF THE RIGHTEOUS IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER? (kai ei ho dikaios molis sōzetai, ho asebēs kai hamartōlos pou phaneitai).' The citation is exact-word-for-word with the LXX.
THE LXX-vs-MT DIVERGENCE IS DECISIVE. The MT reads 'the righteous is repaid on the earth' (a-fortiori to wicked-punishment); the LXX reads 'the righteous is scarcely saved' — a radically-different meaning. Peter's argument-about-Christian-suffering presupposes the LXX: if the righteous-are-barely-saved (through trials), what of the unrepentant? The LXX's difficulty-of-salvation theme undergirds Peter's trial-and-testing ethics (1 Pet 1:6–7, 4:12–19).
THE TRANSLATIONAL EXPLANATION. The Hebrew yeshullam ('is repaid') and the LXX's molis sōzetai ('scarcely saved') diverge because the LXX translator either (a) read a different Hebrew Vorlage, (b) paraphrased freely, or (c) read yeshullam with a nuance of 'made-whole-with-difficulty.' The LXX reading has predominated in Christian-tradition because of 1 Pet 4:18.