Translation commentary on Proverbs 19:1

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity”: This line is identical with 28.6a. “Walks in his integrity” is used in 2.7 without the pronoun. See there for comments and translation.

“Than a man who is perverse in speech, and is a fool”: “Perverse in speech” is literally “crooked in his lips.” “Perverse” renders the same verb used in 11.20, where it is applied to the mind, literally “the heart.” “Perverse in speech” means to be a liar, to tell untruths. Many interpreters consider “a fool” to be inappropriate here and change the word to one meaning “rich,” as in 28.6b. This gives a better parallel with “a poor man” in line 1. Revised English Bible translates “Better to be poor and above reproach than rich and double-tongued.” Note, however, that Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation keep “a fool” and this is recommended to translators. Contemporary English Version translates “It is better to be poor and live right than to be a stupid liar.”

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 19:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 19:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “A poor man who speaks the truth is better off
    than a person who is foolish and brings chaos to things/words.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “It is better to be poor and honest
    than to be dishonest and a fool.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Much better/[lit. good] the poor-one who lives without fault than a foolish-(one) who is a liar.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It-is-better (to be) a poor-person who is righteous than a foolish-person who is a liar.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Conducting our lives as we should even though we are poor
    is better than being foolish and telling lies.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 19:1

19:1

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

1a Better a poor man who walks with integrity

1b than a fool whose lips are perverse.

In Hebrew, the parallel parts are arranged in the form of a chiasm. For example:

1a Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity

1b than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool. (English Standard Version)

You should use whatever order is more natural in your language.

This proverb is a four-part “better than” proverb. It has the following pattern:

It is better to have A (bad/undesirable situation) + B (good/desirable situation)

than to have C (bad/undesirable situation) + D (another bad/undesirable situation)

The four parts are:

A: poor (undesirable)

B: blameless (desirable)

C: foolish (undesirable)

D: perverse speech (also undesirable)

Although this proverb looks similar to proverbs such as 12:9, the pattern of contrasting parts is different. See the note on 12:9 for information on “better than” proverbs with contrasting situations in both lines.

The overall meaning of this proverb is that a person’s moral character is more important than his financial status. It is better to be a poor person with a blameless life than to be a lying fool. This is true whether the fool is poor or rich.

19:1a

Better a poor man who walks with integrity: The phrase who walks with integrity refers to a person who is consistently perfect or blameless in his conduct. This phrase has the same meaning as the almost identical Hebrew phrase in 2:7b. See the note there. Some other ways to translate this line are:

Better a poor man who lives blamelessly (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
Better to be poor and above reproach (Revised English Bible)

19:1b

than a fool: For the word fool, see fool 2 in the Glossary.

whose lips are perverse: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lips are perverse is literally “crooked in his lips.” It is a figure of speech that refers to a person who tells lies or speaks deceitfully. Some other ways to translate this line are:

than to be a lying fool (Good News Translation)
-or-
than to be foolish and tell lies (New Century Version)
-or-
than to be one who talks dishonestly and is a fool (God’s Word)

General Comment on 19:1a–b

In some languages, a comparison with the form “A is better than B” may need to be translated without making the comparison explicit. For example:

1a It is good for a person to be without faults, even though he is poor.

1b It is not good to be a fool who tells lies.

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