On Wednesday evenings, we have been reading through the book of Proverbs in our fellowship.  As we feel the urge and for better understanding, we may read some verses from other translations and read the footnotes of some Bibles.

A couple of weeks ago, we read Proverbs 11:16:

Proverbs 11:16  A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.

I had not really paid attention to this verse in the past, but that night we did.  We read it from other translations, and it got interesting.  Many did not read like the King James did at all.

For instance:  Where the King James said strong men, others said violent, ruthless, and terrible. Other places in the Old Testament where the same Hebrew word is used translated it oppressors.

Darby – violent retain riches.

RSV – violent men get riches.

New Living Translation – A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth.

New English Translation – A generous woman gains honor, and ruthless men seize wealth.

THE MESSAGE – A woman of gentle grace gets respect, but men of rough violence grab for loot.

However, Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible used the word diligent in place of strong. In my mind, there is quite a difference between strong/diligent and violent/oppressive and ruthless.

Proverbs 11:16 A gracious wife, obtaineth honour, but, the diligent, shall obtain wealth.  Emphasized Bible

 So, which is it? Diligent or violent?

We looked up the verse in EW’s Bullinger’s Companion Bible which is a Kings James Bible version. In his notes, he said that both the Septuagint and the Syriac used the word diligent just like Rotherham. Interesting! The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. It was translated into Greek during the Babylonian Captivity about 200 years before Christ was on the earth.  So, the Hebrew text used would have been very old compared to any available to modern translators.

The Syriac was translated from the Hebrew text about 400 A.D. according to Bullinger. Both translations translated the word strong in our Bibles into diligent in their work. Their work would have used much older texts than more modern texts.

E-Sword, a Bible software program, has the Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament. Their notes implied that there were two lines left out in the King James version that are included in other older translations.  That sparked my interest even more.

I wanted to read the verse from the Septuagint and the Syriac myself. So, I typed into Google “Septuagint version of Proverbs 11:16” and found this.

Brenton’s Septuagint (LXX) A gracious wife brings glory to her husband: but a woman hating righteousness is a theme of dishonour. The slothful come to want: but the diligent support themselves with wealth.

Then I looked to see for myself what the Syriac translation said. I did not find the Syriac, but I found this:

Proverbs 11:16. A gracious woman retaineth honour— The LXX, Syriac, and Arabic versions have two hemistichs (extra lines) which are here omitted; namely, the second of this, and the first of the next verse. They read, A gracious woman raiseth honour to her husband; but a woman who hateth righteousness is a throne of disgrace. The slothful, though rich, shall come to poverty; but the laborious shall retain their riches. (StudyLight.org)

This inspired me to then look at Lamsa’s translation of the Aramaic. He also included the two extra lines.

Proverbs 11:16 A gracious woman sustains the honor of her husband; a woman who hates the truth is the seat of dishonor. Lazy men are in want even when they are rich; and strong men retain knowledge. Lamsa

This information of the LXX and the Syriac was available to Rotherham and EW Bullinger; therefore, it was available to all who wanted to know who were also doing translation work.  Many times, preconceived ideas or mindsets greatly affect the way translations are done.  Since the 2^nd or 3^rd centuries, the consensus has been that the rich are evil or oppressive and do not walk with God.  They quote the record of the rich young ruler and preach that Jesus was a poor man and that we should follow his lead.

It is a good idea to read and study God’s Word for yourself. God is the same today as He was in the days of Joseph, Abraham, Solomon and David.  God says, “I am the Lord I change not.” God is consistent throughout His Word.

Whether the other two lines belong or not, I do not know, but it is interesting to see the support of the use of the word diligent and the use of support themselves. Instead of saying getting wealth or loot through the use of violence or oppression, and with the other two lines added in, it gives more support to the use of diligent. These older translations tie together the woman of 16A with the man of 16B by saying she brings glory or honor to her husband. Solomon, as the writer, and God, as the author, equates graciousness in women as an honorable attribute, just as God equates diligence as honorable in men.

This diligence of the man is not simply hard work. Many good people work hard and are broke. This diligence would include being a giver, saving money and learning how to invest, and knowing how to make your investments grow and prosper as Joseph did for Potiphar and Pharaoh. Diligence is one of the themes that runs through Proverbs.

It is also interesting that Lamsa translated knowledge in place of wealth from the Aramaic. This is understandable as knowledge, wisdom and understanding skip through Solomon’s proverbs like the three Musketeers. These three together are the foundation of true wealth.

If you want to know how to do these things, just ask. God is more than willing to teach and grant you the wisdom you need to live The Prosperous Life.