mercy

Click here to view graphically

The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 11:17

“A man who is kind benefits himself”: “Man” in both lines of the verse is not intended to be exclusively an adult male and so an inclusive form such as “people,” “you who,” or “anyone” is better. “Kind” translates the Hebrew adjective meaning “merciful,” “good,” or “loyal.” “Benefits” refers here to profits or rewards.

“But a cruel man hurts himself”: “Cruel” contrasts with “kind” in the first line and means one who is fierce, angry, or violent. “Hurts” contrasts with “benefits” and means to do harm, injure, or cause trouble. “Himself” renders a different word than used in the first line and means “flesh.” In this context it has the sense of “himself”.

The point of this saying is that a person’s behavior toward others has unexpected consequences for himself or herself. Good News Translation may serve as a model translation. Bible en français courant is another model: “Goodness benefits the one who practices it, but cruelty turns itself against the one who is guilty of it.2

We may also say, for example, “Be kind to others and you will be rewarded; be cruel and you will suffer the results.”

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 11:17)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 11:17:

  • Kupsabiny: “The kindness/gentleness of a kind/gentle person makes him happy,
    but the angry one brings trouble to himself.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “An open-hearted person benefits himself.
    Hard-hearted people destroy themselves.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If you (sing.) are nice/kind/good to others, it can-make-good to you (sing.), but if you (sing.) are cruel, it can-harm you (sing.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The consistently-merciful/kind-one will be rewarded, but the one who has no mercy/kindness, he hardships his own self (lit. body).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who are kind benefit themselves because others will be kind to them,
    but those who are cruel will hurt themselves because others will be cruel to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:17

11:17

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

17a
A kind man benefits himself,

17b but a cruel man brings trouble on himself.

11:17a

A kind man benefits himself: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as kind is the same word that it translated as “loving devotion” in 3:3a. (See the note there.) It refers to a person who shows consistent/faithful love and kindness to others.

Such behavior results in benefits or rewards to the person himself. These benefits may include good health, happiness, or blessings that he receives from the ones he has helped. Other ways to translate this line are:

Faithful love brings its own reward (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Kind people do themselves a favor (New Century Version)
-or-
You do yourself a favor when you are kind. (Good News Translation)

11:17b

but a cruel man brings trouble on himself: The word cruel can also mean “merciless.” The phrase brings trouble means “causes harm, injury, sickness, or trouble.” Other ways to translate this line are:

cruelty earns trouble for itself (Revised English Bible)
-or-
If you are cruel, you only hurt yourself. (Good News Translation)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.