Proverbs 21:14 
Context| NET © | A gift given 1 in secret subdues 2 anger, and a bribe given secretly 3 subdues 4 strong wrath. 5 |
| NIV © | A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. |
| NASB © | A gift in secret subdues anger, And a bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. |
| NLT © | A secret gift calms anger; a secret bribe pacifies fury. |
| MSG © | A quietly given gift soothes an irritable person; a heartfelt present cools a hot temper. |
| BBE © | By a secret offering wrath is turned away, and the heat of angry feelings by money in the folds of the robe. |
| NRSV © | A gift in secret averts anger; and a concealed bribe in the bosom, strong wrath. |
| NKJV © | A gift in secret pacifies anger, And a bribe behind the back, strong wrath. |
| KJV | |
| NASB © | |
| HEBREW | |
| LXXM | |
| NET © [draft] ITL | |
| NET © | A gift given 1 in secret subdues 2 anger, and a bribe given secretly 3 subdues 4 strong wrath. 5 |
| NET © Notes |
1 sn The synonymous parallelism joins the more neutral term “gift” with the more specific “bribe.” D. Kidner notes that this underscores how hard it is to tell the difference between them, especially since they accomplish similar things (Proverbs [TOTC], 143). 2 tn The word כָּפָה (kafah) occurs only here; it means “to subdue,” but in New Hebrew it means “to overturn; to compel.” The BHS editors suggest a change to כָּבָה (kavah), “to be quenched,” based on Symmachus and Tg. Prov 21:14, but there is no substantial improvement in the text’s meaning with such a change. 3 tn Heb “a bribe in the bosom” (so NASB). This refers to a gift hidden in the folds of the garment, i.e., given secretly (cf. NIV “a bribe concealed in the cloak”). 4 tn The repetition of the term “subdues” in the second line is supplied in the translation. 5 tc The LXX offers a moralizing translation not too closely tied to the MT: “he who withholds a gift stirs up violent wrath.” |
