| passage | the issue | KJV | other translations | nature of the error | explanation |
| 19:24 |
"BOSOM" vs. "DISH" | "A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again." | "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish, and will not even bring it back to his mouth." (NAS) | wrong translation | "6747 - tsallachath -
something advanced or deep, i.e. a bowl; figuratively, the
bosom" -Strong's Following the context, the NAS & ASV go with "dish" in 19:24, which is obviously better, i.e.; "The sluggard buries his hand in the dish (6747), and will not even bring it back to his mouth." (NAS) cf. 2K.21:13; where the KJV correctly translates this same word in the same manner: "And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish (6747), wiping it, and turning it upside down." |
| 21:4 |
"THE PLOWING OF
THE WICKED"?
("PLOWING" vs. "LAMP") |
"An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin." | "A high look, and a
proud heart, Even the lamp of the wicked, is sin." (ASV) "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin." (NAS) "Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin!" (NIV) |
wrong homonym |
"5215- niyr (neer); or nir (neer); ... plowing, i.e. (concretely)
freshly plowed land" -Strong's "5216- niyr (neer) or nir (neer); ... a lamp..." -Strong's 5215 is rather rare, occurring only 3 other times in the OT, and nowhere else in Proverbs. 5216 is much more common, occuring 47 times other times, with 6 other occurrences in Proverbs (and 2 of those refer to the lamp "of the wicked"): Prov 13:9 "The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out." (KJV) Prov 24:20 "For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out." (KJV) |
| 5:16 | "TO DISPERSE, OR NOT TO DISPERSE?" | "Let thy fountains be
dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets." |
"Should thy springs be
dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets?" (ASV)
"...Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you..." (NAS) "...Should your springs overflow in
the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be
yours alone, never to be shared with strangers..."
(NIV) |
wrong punctuation | Note the logical flow when
verse 16 is translated as a rhetorical question: Prov 5:15-18 (ASV) 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, And running waters out of thine own well. 16 Should thy springs be dispersed abroad, And streams of water in the streets? 17 Let them be for thyself alone, And not for strangers with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed; And rejoice in the wife of thy youth. Similary: "...Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you..." (NAS) "...Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers..." (NIV) Now compare that with v. 16 in the KJV: "Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets." ! Prov 5:15-18 15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. 16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. 17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. 18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. (KJV) |