What is your full compensation package? (10:16)
The wages of the righteous is life; the income of the wicked, punishment.
This proverb does not deal directly with money. It uses financial terms to communicate a spiritual truth: “wages” and “income” communicate benefits received for services rendered.
Different actions produce different rewards; the choice of words here implies varying degrees of reward, some receiving much, and others little.
One disturbing aspect of the text is its using the word “punishment,” rather than “death.” Life is contrasted, not with death, nor with oblivion, but with punishment. Could punishment follow death?
The text presents a scenario in which both the righteous and the wicked are getting what they’ve earned. Neither is idle nor lazy. Their rewards are not monetary. The text is not describing the earnings on a time-sheet, but the rewards in living for good or evil.
Translation: wages, income
The Hebrew word for “wages,” פעלה (peʽǔl•lāh, pronounced “pe-ool-lah”), is also rendered as “reward,” but also (perhaps strangely) as “work” or “labour.” It’s used first in Leviticus 19:13 to refer to the wages of a hired man. He should receive his wages on a daily basis, suggesting in a context of regular, systematic employment, rather than one-time, sporadic piece-work. This may imply God’s preference for deliberate, systematic acts of charity, rather than the popular “random acts of kindness.”
The word “wages” (plural) may incidentally be better translated, “wage” (singular), as in the English Standard Version (ESV).
The Hebrew word for “income,” תבואה (teḇû•ʼāh, pronounced “te-boo-ah”), rhymes with the previous “wages” in Hebrew, indicating some of the beauty lost in translation. Teḇû•ʼāh is translated as “increase, fruit, revenue, or gain.” It’s used first in Genesis 47:24, commonly translated there as the “harvest,” from which Pharaoh should receive one-fifth, with the remaining four-fifths going for future seeding and family consumption. It’s used most frequently in a context of agricultural produce or crops.
Both words denote future return for present effort. There is a delay in the return. There is also an increase in quantity. The harvest exceeds what is planted.
Punishment as Payback
Most English translations use the word “sin” instead of “punishment.” The version in Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Jewish Publication Society,1985) uses the word “want.” This also implies conscious suffering rather than unconscious oblivion. The implications are profound! It’s very important to consider what the Master says about the opposite of life. What does happen when life as we know it, here on earth now, comes to a dead end?
- Memorize the text in your favourite Bible translation and think about it often.
- Think about wealth from two viewpoints: The quality of life and the quanity of assets. Are you increasing your life, or merely increasing your assets? Sometimes you can do both, but often there is a trade-off.
- Watch the following video:
- You can be sure of this: Everyone will get what they deserve. They will be paid back for what they have done. Operate on the basis that life looks unfair, but God will always ensure that justice is done in the end.
- If you have not yet put your full trust into Jesus Christ to be your righteousness before a holy God then do so immediately.
Which of these steps, if any, does Jesus want you to take now? Ask Him.
This proverb does not deal directly with money. It uses financial terms to communicate a spiritual truth: “wages” and “income” communicate benefits received for services rendered.
Different actions produce different rewards; the choice of words here implies varying degrees of reward, some receiving much, and others little.
One disturbing aspect of the text is its using the word “punishment,” rather than “death.” Life is contrasted, not with death, nor with oblivion, but with punishment. Could punishment follow death?
The text presents a scenario in which both the righteous and the wicked are getting what they’ve earned. Neither is idle nor lazy. Their rewards are not monetary. The text is not describing the earnings on a time-sheet, but the rewards in living for good or evil.
Translation: wages, income
The Hebrew word for “wages,” פעלה (peʽǔl•lāh, pronounced “pe-ool-lah”), is also rendered as “reward,” but also (perhaps strangely) as “work” or “labour.” It’s used first in Leviticus 19:13 to refer to the wages of a hired man. He should receive his wages on a daily basis, suggesting in a context of regular, systematic employment, rather than one-time, sporadic piece-work. This may imply God’s preference for deliberate, systematic acts of charity, rather than the popular “random acts of kindness.”
The word “wages” (plural) may incidentally be better translated, “wage” (singular), as in the English Standard Version (ESV).
The Hebrew word for “income,” תבואה (teḇû•ʼāh, pronounced “te-boo-ah”), rhymes with the previous “wages” in Hebrew, indicating some of the beauty lost in translation. Teḇû•ʼāh is translated as “increase, fruit, revenue, or gain.” It’s used first in Genesis 47:24, commonly translated there as the “harvest,” from which Pharaoh should receive one-fifth, with the remaining four-fifths going for future seeding and family consumption. It’s used most frequently in a context of agricultural produce or crops.
Both words denote future return for present effort. There is a delay in the return. There is also an increase in quantity. The harvest exceeds what is planted.
Punishment as Payback
Most English translations use the word “sin” instead of “punishment.” The version in Tanakh: A New Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Jewish Publication Society,1985) uses the word “want.” This also implies conscious suffering rather than unconscious oblivion. The implications are profound! It’s very important to consider what the Master says about the opposite of life. What does happen when life as we know it, here on earth now, comes to a dead end?