Proverbs 19:28

19:28 A crooked witness ¹  scorns justice,

and the mouth of the wicked devours ²  iniquity.

Proverbs 28:19

28:19 The one who works his land will be satisfied with food, ³ 

but whoever chases daydreams ⁴  will have his fill ⁵  of poverty.

[19:28]  ¹ tn Heb “a witness who is worthless and wicked” (עֵד בְּלִיַּעַל, ’ed beliyya’al). Cf. KJV “an ungodly witness”; NAB “an unprincipled witness”; NCV “an evil witness”; NASB “a rascally witness.”

[19:28]  ² tn The parallel line says the mouth of the wicked “gulps down” or “swallows” (יְבַלַּע, yÿvala’) iniquity. The verb does not seem to fit the line (or the proverb) very well. Some have emended the text to יַבִּיעַ (yavia’, “gushes”) as in 15:28 (cf. NAB “pours out”). Driver followed an Arabic balaga to get “enunciates,” which works well with the idea of a false witness (W. McKane, Proverbs [OTL], 529). As it stands, however, the line indicates that in what he says the wicked person accepts evil – and that could describe a false witness.

[28:19]  ³ tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.

[28:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.”

[28:19]  ⁵ tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisba’, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second – with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.