Proverbs 3:34

Although ¹  he is scornful to arrogant scoffers, ²  yet ³  he shows favor to the humble. ⁴ 

Ps 138:6; Pr 9:7,8,12; Pr 19:29; Pr 21:24; Isa 57:15; Jas 4:6; 1Pe 5:5

¹ tn The particle אִם (’im, “though”) introduces a concessive clause: “though….”

² tn Heb “he mocks those who mock.” The repetition of the root לִיץ (lits, “to scorn; to mock”) connotes poetic justice; the punishment fits the crime. Scoffers are characterized by arrogant pride (e.g., Prov 21:24), as the antithetical parallelism with “the humble” here emphasizes.

³ tn The prefixed vav (ו) introduces the apodosis to the concessive clause: “Though … yet …”

⁴ tn The Hebrew is structured chiastically (AB:BA): “he scorns / arrogant scoffers // but to the humble / he gives grace.” The word order in the translation is reversed for the sake of smoothness and readability.