Translation commentary on Proverbs 10:15

“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city”: A “strong city” was a walled city that gave protection to those inside its walls. Accordingly, the sense of this line is “Wealth protects the rich” or “If you have wealth, you have protection.” The nature of this protection is not explained, but it probably includes all those things that threaten the life of the poor. It may be necessary to adjust this line to say, for example, “The wealth of a rich man protects him just as the strong walls of a city protect the people who live in it.” If the idea of the city is inappropriate, it is better to say, for example, “The rich protect themselves with their money” or “The rich use their money to get what they want.”

“The poverty of the poor is their ruin”: “Poverty” refers to the condition of being destitute or having little or no material resources. However, many rural people round the world who live on a subsistence level do not think of themselves as belonging to a class called “the poor”. It may therefore be necessary to adjust “the poverty of the poor” to say, for example, “But people who own nothing. . ..” For “ruin” see verse 14.

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 10:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “A rich person leans on (his/her) riches/wealth,
    but the poor one, (his/her) suffering eats (him/her).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Wealth and prosperity
    are the rich person’s fortress.
    The lack of wealth and prosperity
    is the poor man’s handicap.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The wealth of a rich can-protect him, but the poverty of a poor can-destroy him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The means-of-protection of the wealthy is their wealth. The poor by-contrast, they have-difficulty because-of their poverty.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “The wealth that rich people have protects them like a city is protected by a strong wall around it ,
    but people who are poor suffer much because they have no one to help them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:15

10:15

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

15a
The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city,

15b but poverty is the ruin of the poor.

10:15a

The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city: This clause is a metaphor that compares wealth to a fortified city. A fortified city is a city surrounded by high walls. These walls protect the inhabitants from outside dangers. Similarly, a rich person relies on his wealth to protect him from difficulties. This line is identical to 18:11a.

If the meaning of this metaphor is not clear in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

A rich person’s wealth is like a fortress.

• Change to a simile and make the similarity explicit. For example:

A rich person’s wealth protects him like a city with strong walls protects its inhabitants.

• Translate the meaning without using the figure. For example:

Wealth protects the rich (Good News Translation)

10:15b

but poverty is the ruin of the poor: However, if a person is poor, he has no means to protect himself and can be ruined due to his lack of resources. The word ruin is identical to the word used in 10:14b. Some other ways to express the meaning of this line are:

but the poor are brought to ruin by their poverty (NET Bible)
-or-
poverty destroys the poor (Good News Translation)

poverty: In Hebrew, this word for poverty refers to extreme poverty. It is a different form of the word that is used in 10:4a, but it has the same emphasis. See the note and footnote there.

the poor: In Hebrew, this word for poor refers to people who lack material things. Since they belong to one of the lower social classes, they also lack power and significance. Most versions translate this Hebrew word with the general word “poor.” The Revised English Bible uses a more specific word that contrasts with the description of the rich in 10:15a. It has:

the helpless

You may use either option in your translation.

In this context, the words for “poverty” and poor refer to the same condition. For more information about this word for poor, see the note on 14:31a.

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