Polyglot Bible: Proverbs: Proverbs 24

This is a parallel-text scholarly presentation of Proverbs 24 (and the opening of its continuation) across four ancient versions: the King James Version (KJV) in English, the Septuagint (LXX) in Greek, the Masoretic/Tanakh text in Hebrew, and the Latin Vulgate. The passage belongs to the Hebrew wisdom literature tradition and presents a collection of moral maxims attributed to the wise, addressed primarily as parental instruction ("my son"). Its central argument is that wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are the foundations of a well-ordered life — building houses, winning wars, and resisting the pull of evil — while foolishness, laziness, and wickedness lead to ruin. Notable teachings include the injunction to rescue those being led to death, the resilience of the righteous who fall seven times and rise, and the warning not to rejoice at an enemy's downfall lest God redirect his wrath. The text closes with the vivid parable of the sluggard's overgrown field, drawing a direct moral lesson about the swift poverty that follows idleness. The distinctive value of this presentation lies in its synoptic layout, allowing readers to compare textual variants across traditions — notably where the Septuagint expands significantly on the Hebrew (especially at verse 22) with material about the king's wrathful tongue that has no parallel in the Masoretic or KJV texts.

Polyglot Bible: Proverbs: Proverbs 24

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