16:10–15

These verses all deal with the topic of kings, except for 16:11. They describe an ideal king, who rules as the representative of the LORD. If the title of “king” is not known in your language, some other ways to translate this word are:

• Use a title for a leader of similar status. For example:

chief

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

highest leader/ruler

16:10

Both lines of this proverb are about a king’s words. The second line gives the implied result of the first line.

10a A divine verdict is on the lips of a king ;

10b
his mouth must not betray justice.

16:10a

A divine verdict is on the lips of a king: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as divine verdict usually refers to divination, the false practice of obtaining information from the gods. Here it is used in a good sense. It indicates that the king speaks as the LORD’s representative. It means that when he makes official statements as king, he speaks with authority from the LORD. Some other ways to translate the meaning of this line are:

A king’s words are like a message from the LORD
-or-
The king speaks with divine authority (Good News Translation)

16:10b

his mouth must not betray justice: In Hebrew, this line is literally “his mouth does not act unfaithfully in judgment/justice.” This seems to contradict the behavior of actual kings, so some versions have translated this line as a statement of obligation. Here are the two interpretations:

(1) This line describes how an ideal king behaves : He does not act unfairly when he gives an official verdict. For example:

he does not err when he passes sentence (Revised English Bible)
-or-
his decisions are always right (Good News Translation)

(2) This line describes how a king ought to behave : He should not act unfairly when he gives an official verdict. For example:

he must never judge unfairly (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. The other verses in this section are worded as a description of an ideal king. They are not worded as advice to a king. If this is not clear to your readers, you may want to add a footnote. For example:

16:10-15 These verses describe an ideal/perfect king (cf. John 5:27–30). They do not mean that actual human kings cannot make mistakes.

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