ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Passage

Proverbs 16.4

Book: Proverbs · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV (ASV)

"2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Jehovah weigheth the spirits. 3. Commit thy works unto Jehovah, And thy purposes shall be established."

"4. Jehovah hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil."

"5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Jehovah: Though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for; And by the fear of Jehovah men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:2-6, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives. 3. Commit your deeds to Yahweh, and your plans shall succeed."

"4. Yahweh has made everything for its own end, yes, even the wicked for the day of evil."

"5. Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh: they shall certainly not be unpunished. 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of Yahweh men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:2-6, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"2. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits. 3. Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established. Commit: Heb. Roll"

"4. The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil."

"5. Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished. unpunished: Heb. held innocent 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil." (Proverbs 16:2-6, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"2. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, And Jehovah is pondering the spirits. 3. Roll unto Jehovah thy works, And established are thy purposes,"

"4. All things hath Jehovah wrought for Himself, And also the wicked [worketh] for a day of evil."

"5. An abomination to Jehovah [is] every proud one of heart, Hand to hand he is not acquitted. 6. In kindness and truth pardoned is iniquity, And in the fear of Jehovah Turn thou aside from evil." (Proverbs 16:2-6, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Solomon (principal); Agur; Lemuel; wise men
  • Audience: young Israelite men in the wisdom tradition
  • Location: Israel, Solomonic court
  • Time period: principal composition c. 970-930 BC (Solomon); compilation c. 700 BC (Hezekiah)

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.