Proverbs 11:22
New International Version
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion.

New Living Translation
A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

English Standard Version
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

Berean Standard Bible
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

King James Bible
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

New King James Version
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a lovely woman who lacks discretion.

New American Standard Bible
As a ring of gold in a pig’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

NASB 1995
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

NASB 1977
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

Legacy Standard Bible
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who turns away from discretion.

Amplified Bible
As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout, So is a beautiful woman who is without discretion [her lack of character mocks her beauty].

Christian Standard Bible
A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A beautiful woman who rejects good sense is like a gold ring in a pig’s snout.

American Standard Version
As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a fair woman that is without discretion.

Contemporary English Version
A beautiful woman who acts foolishly is like a gold ring on the snout of a pig.

English Revised Version
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[Like] a gold ring in a pig's snout, [so] is a beautiful woman who lacks good taste.

Good News Translation
Beauty in a woman without good judgment is like a gold ring in a pig's snout.

International Standard Version
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion.

Majority Standard Bible
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

NET Bible
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who rejects discretion.

New Heart English Bible
Like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.

Webster's Bible Translation
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman who is without discretion.

World English Bible
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout, is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A ring of gold in the nose of a sow—A beautiful woman and stubborn of behavior.

Young's Literal Translation
A ring of gold in the nose of a sow -- A fair woman and stubborn of behaviour.

Smith's Literal Translation
A ring of gold in the nose of a swine, a fair woman and she departed from discernment.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
A golden ring in a swine's snout, a woman fair and foolish.

Catholic Public Domain Version
A beautiful and senseless woman is like a gold ring in the snout of a swine.

New American Bible
Like a golden ring in a swine’s snout is a beautiful woman without judgment.

New Revised Standard Version
Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman without good sense.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Like a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a beautiful woman without discretion.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Like a nose ring of gold in the snout of the pig, so is a beautiful woman who has turned from discretion.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman that turneth aside from discretion.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As an ornament in a swine's snout, so is beauty to an ill-minded women.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Dishonest Scales
21Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape. 22Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion. 23The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.…

Cross References
1 Peter 3:3-4
Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair or gold jewelry or fine clothes, / but from the inner disposition of your heart, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight.

1 Timothy 2:9-10
Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, / but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

Isaiah 3:16-24
The LORD also says: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty—walking with heads held high and wanton eyes, prancing and skipping as they go, jingling the bracelets on their ankles— / the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will make their foreheads bare.” / In that day the Lord will take away their finery: their anklets and headbands and crescents; ...

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”

Matthew 23:27-28
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity. / In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

1 Peter 3:5-6
For this is how the holy women of the past adorned themselves. They put their hope in God and were submissive to their husbands, / just as Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. And you are her children if you do what is right and refuse to give way to fear.

1 Timothy 2:8-10
Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger or dissension. / Likewise, I want the women to adorn themselves with respectable apparel, with modesty, and with self-control, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, / but with good deeds, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.

Song of Solomon 4:7
You are altogether beautiful, my darling; in you there is no flaw.

Ezekiel 16:14-15
Your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, for it was perfect in the splendor I bestowed on you, declares the Lord GOD. / But because of your fame, you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot. You lavished your favors on everyone who passed by, and your beauty was theirs for the asking.

1 Corinthians 11:5-6
And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for it is just as if her head were shaved. / If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. And if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

1 Corinthians 11:13-15
Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? / Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, / but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.

Isaiah 61:10
I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; / you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? / If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 7:34
and his interests are divided. The unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the work of the Lord, how she can be holy in both body and spirit. But the married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world, how she can please her husband.


Treasury of Scripture

As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.

a jewel

Proverbs 31:30
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Ezekiel 16:15
But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.

Nahum 3:4-6
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts…

is without

Proverbs 7:10
And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.

Proverbs 9:13
A foolish woman is clamorous: she is simple, and knoweth nothing.

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Beautiful Behaviour Discretion Fair Gold Jewel Lacks Nose Pig Pig's Ring Sense Shows Sow Stubborn Swine's Turneth
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Beautiful Behaviour Discretion Fair Gold Jewel Lacks Nose Pig Pig's Ring Sense Shows Sow Stubborn Swine's Turneth
Proverbs 11
1. On Deception














Like a gold ring
The imagery of a "gold ring" in ancient times often symbolized wealth, beauty, and status. Gold, being a precious metal, was used to craft items of significant value and was often associated with royalty and divinity. In the Hebrew context, a gold ring would be considered an adornment that enhances beauty and signifies honor. However, the juxtaposition in this proverb suggests that even something as valuable as a gold ring can be rendered inappropriate or out of place, setting the stage for the comparison that follows.

in a pig’s snout
Pigs were considered unclean animals in Jewish law, as outlined in Leviticus 11:7. The image of a pig, especially in the context of ancient Israel, would evoke thoughts of impurity and defilement. The snout of a pig, being constantly in the dirt, is an unlikely place for something as precious as a gold ring. This stark contrast highlights the absurdity and incongruity of the situation, emphasizing the theme of misplaced value and the degradation of beauty when associated with folly.

is a beautiful woman
The phrase "a beautiful woman" acknowledges the God-given gift of physical beauty. In the biblical context, beauty is often seen as a blessing, as in the case of Sarah, Rebekah, and Esther. However, the Bible also warns against the vanity and fleeting nature of physical beauty (Proverbs 31:30). Here, beauty is acknowledged but is not the ultimate measure of a person's worth or character. The proverb sets up a comparison to show that external beauty, without the complement of inner virtue, is incomplete.

who lacks discretion
Discretion, in the biblical sense, refers to wisdom, understanding, and the ability to make sound judgments. The Hebrew word for discretion can also imply taste or judgment, suggesting a deeper sense of moral and ethical awareness. A lack of discretion implies foolishness or a failure to act with wisdom and prudence. In the context of this proverb, the absence of discretion in a beautiful woman is likened to the absurdity of a gold ring in a pig's snout. It underscores the idea that true beauty is not merely external but is deeply connected to one's character and wisdom.

(22) As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout.--Rather, a nose-ring run through the right nostril and hanging down over the mouth; a female ornament used from the earliest times (Genesis 24:47; Isaiah 3:21; Ezekiel 16:12), and still worn in the East.

Verse 22. - This is the first instance of direct "similitude" in the book. As a jewel [a ring] of gold in a swine's snout. The greatest incongruity is thus expressed. Women in the East wore, and still sometimes wear, a ring run through the nostril, and hanging over the mouth, so that it is necessary to hold it up when taking food. Such a nezem Abraham's servant gave to Rebekah (Genesis 24:22; comp. Isaiah 3:21; Ezekiel 16:12). The Septuagint has ἐνώτιον, "an earring." So is a fair woman which is without discretion; without taste, deprived of the faculty of saying and doing what is seemly and fitting. The external beauty of such a woman is as incongruous as a precious ring in the snout of a pig. Lesetre quotes an Arab proverb: "A woman without modesty is food without salt." Whether swine in Eastern countries were "ringed," as they are with us nowadays, is unknown; if they were thus treated, the proverb is still more vivid.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Like a gold
זָ֭הָב (zā·hāḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2091: Gold, something gold-colored, as oil, a clear sky

ring
נֶ֣זֶם (ne·zem)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5141: A ring (worn as an ornament)

in a pig’s
חֲזִ֑יר (ḥă·zîr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2386: Swine, boar

snout
בְּאַ֣ף (bə·’ap̄)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 639: The nose, nostril, the face, a person, ire

[is] a beautiful
יָ֝פָ֗ה (yā·p̄āh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 3303: Fair, beautiful

woman
אִשָּׁ֥ה (’iš·šāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

who lacks
וְסָ֣רַת (wə·sā·raṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular construct
Strong's 5493: To turn aside

discretion.
טָֽעַם׃ (ṭā·‘am)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2940: A taste, perception, intelligence, a mandate


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 11:22 Like a gold ring in a pig's (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 11:21
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