Proverbs 30:22

KJV1611 – Modern English

For a servant when he reigns, and a fool when he is filled with food;

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

תַּֽחַת־עֶ֭בֶד כִּ֣י יִמְל֑וֹךְ וְ֝נָבָ֗ל כִּ֣י יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָֽחֶם׃

Transliteration

taḥat-ʿebed kî yimlôḵ wenābāl kî yiśbaʿ-lāḥem

Grammar Details

• *taḥat*: preposition - under/because of
• *ʿebed*: masculine singular noun - servant/slave
• *kî*: conjunction - when/if
• *yimlôḵ*: qal imperfect, third masculine singular - he reigns/becomes king
• *wenābāl*: conjunction + masculine singular adjective/noun - and a fool
• *yiśbaʿ*: qal imperfect, third masculine singular - he is satisfied with
• *lāḥem*: masculine singular noun - bread/food

Word Meanings

• *nābāl*: fool/senseless person/base person
• *yiśbaʿ*-*lāḥem*: is filled/satisfied with food/has plenty to eat

Other Translations

• Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

  A servant who becomes king, a fool who is filled with food,

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Thorow a seruaut yt beareth rule, thorow a foole yt hath greate riches,

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  For a seruant when he reigneth, & a foole when he is filled with meate,

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  A seruaunt that beareth rule, a foole that is full fedde,

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  For a servant when he reigneth; and a fool when he is filled with meat;

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  For a servant when he is king; A fool when he is filled with food;

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  For a servant when he reigneth, And a fool when he is satisfied with bread,

• American Standard Version (1901)

  For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  For a servant when he is king; And a fool when he is filled with food;

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  A servant when he becomes a king; a man without sense when his wealth is increased;

• World English Bible (2000)

  For a servant when he is king; a fool when he is filled with food;

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  under a servant who becomes king, under a fool who becomes stuffed with food,

Referenced Verses

• Prov 19:10 : 10 Delight is not fitting for a fool; much less for a servant to rule over princes.
• Eccl 10:7 : 7 I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth.
• Isa 3:4-5 : 4 And I will make youths their princes, and children shall rule over them. 5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor; the child shall act proudly against the elder, and the vile against the honorable.
• Prov 28:3 : 3 A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a sweeping rain that leaves no food.
• 1 Sam 25:3 : 3 Now the man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail; and she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his deeds; he was from the house of Caleb.
• 1 Sam 25:10-11 : 10 And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who break away from their masters. 11 Shall I take my bread, my water, and the meat I have prepared for my shearers, and give it to men whom I do not know from where they are?
• 1 Sam 25:25 : 25 Please do not let my lord regard this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent.
• 1 Sam 25:36-38 : 36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 But in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 And it came about ten days later that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
• 1 Sam 30:16 : 16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.