Not only will the sinners kill the innocent; they will also rob them.

“We shall find all precious goods”: “Find” means to “seize,” “capture,” or “take away.” “Precious” is used in Job 28.16 to refer to gems of great value. “Goods” translates a noun used a number of times in Proverbs in the sense of “wealth” or “possessions.” The context makes clear that “precious goods” refers to highly prized material goods taken as loot.

“Fill our houses with spoil”: “Fill” does not mean to fill to overflowing as with a liquid; it has the sense of putting a lot of things in. Moffatt says “cram our houses.” “Spoil” refers to the goods and property that are taken from the slain victims. For a model translation see Good News Translation.

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 .