BishopCourageous integrity

Proverbs 28 — Justice, wealth, and responsible rule — Hebrew and Greek compared

Saints Translation — Proverbs 1–31 [V1]

Same 0 Similar 3 Different 23 Divergent 2 Disparate 1

Disparate in this chapter: H 28:10

Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.

Proverbs 28 — Justice, wealth, and responsible rule

28:1–28:11 — Instruction and the use of wealth

Verse H 28:1 Similar

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:1

The wicked flee when no one pursues,

but the righteous are confident like a young lion.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:1

An impious person flees when no one pursues,

but a righteous person is confident like a lion.

Comparison and reception

Similar. Text: The Hebrew shifts from a plural verb with singular wicked to plural righteous with a singular verb; English smooths the number without changing the comparison.

Verse H 28:2 Divergent

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:2

Through a land’s transgression its rulers are many,

but through an understanding, knowledgeable person, it endures.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:2

Through the sins of the impious, disputes arise,

but a prudent man will extinguish them.

Comparison and reception

Divergent. Text: H concerns a land and its rulers; G concerns disputes. H’s ken, literally thus/so, and the unstated subject of endures leave the final construction compressed; political stability is an interpretation, not an additional written noun.

Verse H 28:3 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:3

A poor man who oppresses the lowly

is a sweeping rain that leaves no bread.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:3

A man vigorous in impieties extorts the poor.

Just like a violent and useless rain,

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G’s andreios describes vigor or boldness in impiety, not H’s poverty. G’s rain comparison continues into verse 4.

Verse H 28:4 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:4

Those who abandon instruction praise the wicked,

but those who keep instruction contend with them.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:4

so those who abandon the law praise impiety,

but those who love the law surround themselves with a wall.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G completes verse 3’s comparison and replaces contention with a protective wall.

Verse H 28:5 Similar

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:5

Evil people do not understand judgment,

but those who seek YHWH understand everything.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:5

Evil men will not understand judgment,

but those who seek the Lord will understand in everything.

Comparison and reception

Similar. Text: Both contrast evil with seeking God; G expresses understanding with future verbs.

Verse H 28:6 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:6

Better a poor person walking in integrity

than someone crooked in two ways, though rich.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:6

Better a poor person walking in truth

than a lying rich person.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: H’s dual ways is retained; G explicitly characterizes the rich person as false.

Verse H 28:7 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:7

One who keeps instruction is an understanding son,

but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:7

An understanding son keeps the law,

but one who tends dissipation dishonors a father.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G has the abstract asotia, dissipation/profligacy, where H names gluttons as companions.

Verse H 28:8 Similar

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:8

One who increases his wealth by interest and increase

gathers it for one who is gracious to the poor.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:8

One who increases his wealth with interest and gains

gathers it for one who shows mercy to the poor.

Comparison and reception

Similar. Text: Both distinguish accumulation through lending gains from the eventual beneficiary’s mercy; neither clause supplies a legal rate.

Verse H 28:9 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:9

One who turns his ear away from hearing instruction—

even his prayer is an abomination.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:9

One who turns his ear aside so as not to hear the law

has himself also abhorred his own prayer.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G’s perfect middle ebdeluktai has the person as subject and prayer as object; the rendering preserves that construction rather than making prayer the grammatical subject.

Verse H 28:10 Disparate

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:10

One who leads the upright astray on an evil way

will himself fall into his own pit,

but the blameless will inherit good.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:10

One who leads the upright astray on an evil way

will himself fall into destruction;

but the lawless will pass by good things

and will not enter into them.

Comparison and reception

Disparate. Text: G’s concluding subjects are the lawless, who miss good things; H’s are the blameless, who inherit good. G does not say that the lawless inherit the good.

Verse H 28:11 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:11

A rich man is wise in his own eyes,

but an understanding poor person searches him out.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:11

A rich man is wise in his own estimation,

but an intelligent poor person will judge him.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G’s kataginosko conveys an adverse judgment; H describes searching or examining him.

28:12–28:18 — Rulers, confession, and responsibility

Verse H 28:12 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:12

When the righteous rejoice, glory is great,

but when the wicked arise, a person is searched out.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:12

Through the help of the righteous much glory comes about,

but in the places of the impious people are captured.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: H’s passive is literally searched out; people hiding under wicked rule is a contextual explanation, unlike the explicit hiding verb in 28:28. G directly states capture.

Verse H 28:13 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:13

One who covers his transgressions will not prosper,

but one who confesses and forsakes them will receive mercy.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:13

One who covers his own impiety will not prosper,

but one who explains reproofs will be loved.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G’s exegoumenos elenchous is literally explaining/recounting reproofs; confessing wrongdoing is a possible contextual interpretation, but neither H’s forsaking nor its receiving mercy is written in G.

Verse H 28:14 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:14

Happy is the person who remains fearful always,

but one who hardens his heart will fall into evil.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:14

Happy is a man who shrinks from everything out of reverence,

but one hard of heart will fall into evils.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G specifies cautious or reverent fear, eulabeia, and everything; H has always. The proverb does not itself define a medical condition.

Verse H 28:15 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:15

A roaring lion and a rushing bear—

a wicked ruler over a poor people.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:15

A hungry lion and a thirsty wolf

is one who tyrannizes over a needy nation while himself poor.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G changes the bear to a wolf, describes hunger and thirst, and calls the tyrant poor rather than wicked.

Verse H 28:16 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:16

A ruler lacking understanding is great in oppressions;

one who hates unjust gain will lengthen his days.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:16

A king lacking revenues is a great extortioner,

but one who hates injustice will live a long time.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G makes the ruler’s lack financial, not intellectual. H’s plural haters with singular lengthens is smoothed to a generic singular.

Verse H 28:17 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:17

A person burdened with the blood of a life

will flee to the pit; let no one support him.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:17

One who guarantees a man charged with murder

will be a fugitive and will not be secure.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G makes the guarantor the fugitive; H describes the person burdened with blood and forbids support.

Verse 28:17a Divergent

Hebrew–English (H)

H —

[No corresponding Hebrew text at this location.]

Greek–English (G)

G 28:17a

Discipline a son, and he will love you

and give adornment to your life;

you must not heed a lawless nation.

Comparison and reception

Divergent. Text: G adds parental discipline and a warning about a lawless nation, with no corresponding H entry here.

Verse H 28:18 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:18

One who walks blamelessly will be saved,

but one crooked in two ways will fall in one.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:18

One who walks righteously has been helped,

but one who walks crooked ways will become entangled.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: H’s in one can refer to one of the two ways or to a single fall; the close wording leaves the ellipsis open. G replaces falling with entanglement.

28:19–28:28 — Trust, generosity, and correction

Verse H 28:19 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:19

One who works his land will be filled with bread,

but one who pursues empty things will be filled with poverty.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:19

One who works his own land will be filled with bread,

but one who pursues leisure will be filled with poverty.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G specifies leisure; H’s empty ones/things does not identify a single object of pursuit.

Verse H 28:20 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:20

A faithful person has many blessings,

but one hurrying to become rich will not go unpunished.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:20

A trustworthy man will be greatly blessed,

but the evil person will not be unpunished.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G has the evil person generally where H specifically names haste for wealth.

Verse H 28:21 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:21

Showing partiality is not good,

yet for a morsel of bread a man will transgress.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:21

One who has no respect for the faces of the righteous is not good;

such a person will sell a man for a morsel of bread.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G specifies respect for righteous people and the selling of a person; H describes partiality and transgression more generally.

Verse H 28:22 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:22

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth

and does not know that want will come upon him.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:22

A grudging man hastens to become rich

and does not know that a merciful person will rule over him.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G’s final subject is a merciful person, not poverty. H’s evil eye and G’s baskanos express grudging envy rather than a physical eye disorder.

Verse H 28:23 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:23

One who reproves a person will afterward find more favor

than one who smooths with the tongue.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:23

One who reproves a person’s ways

will have more favor than one who flatters with the tongue.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: H’s acharai normally means after me; afterward here is a provisional adverbial interpretation of the difficult construction. G instead supplies ways as the object of reproof.

Verse H 28:24 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:24

One who robs his father and his mother and says, ‘There is no transgression,’

is a companion of a destroying man.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:24

One who casts away a father or mother and thinks he is not sinning

is a partner of an impious man.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: H states robbery; G states rejection or casting away. G has or between the parents, H and.

Verse H 28:25 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:25

One with a wide appetite stirs up strife,

but one who trusts in YHWH will be well fed.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:25

An insatiable man judges rashly,

but one who trusts in the Lord will be in care.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G replaces stirring strife with rash judgment. Its en epimeleia literally denotes being in care/attention; being cared for and being attentive remain possible contextual construals, so the English preserves the broad expression.

Verse H 28:26 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:26

One who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

but one who walks in wisdom will escape.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:26

One who trusts in a rash heart is a fool;

but one who walks in wisdom will be saved.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G qualifies the heart as rash; H identifies it as the person’s own.

Verse H 28:27 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:27

One who gives to the poor has no lack,

but one who hides his eyes has many curses.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:27

One who gives to the poor will not be in need;

but one who turns away his eye will be in great difficulty.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G describes great difficulty or want where H has many curses.

Verse H 28:28 Different

Hebrew–English (H)

H 28:28

When the wicked arise, a person hides,

but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Greek–English (G)

G 28:28

In the places of the impious the righteous groan,

but at their destruction the righteous will multiply.

Comparison and reception

Different. Text: G names righteous people groaning in impious places; H describes a person hiding when the wicked rise.