Proverbs 14:34
Justice exalteth a nation: but sin maketh nations miserable.
Open Proverbs 14:34 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Justitia elevat gentem ; miseros autem facit populos peccatum.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- δικαιοσύνη ὑψοῖ ἔθνος, ἐλασσονοῦσι δὲ φυλὰς ἁμαρτίαι.
- Hebrew (WLC)
- צְדָקָ֥ה תְרֽוֹמֵֽם גּ֑וֹי וְחֶ֖סֶד לְאֻמִּ֣ים חַטָּֽאת
Haydock's commentary
Miserable. This sentence ought to be engraven in all public places. Hebrew, "and mercy the sinful people," whom God spares on account of their alms-deeds, (Daniel iv. 24.) or "sin is the shame of peoples." (Calmet)
Montanus renders chesed mercy, and Pagnin "ignominy." The former is scarcely intelligible, et misericordia populorum peccatum, unless sin be here taken for a sin-offering, (Haydock) as it is by Vatable, Grotius, &c. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Gregory the Great Book XI, To Brunichild, Queen of the Franks
Since it is written, Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin maketh peoples miserable ( Prov. xiv. 34 ), a kingdom is then believed to be stable when a fault that is known of is quickly amended. Now it has come to our ears by the report of many, what we cannot mention without exceeding affliction of heart, that certain priests in those parts live so immodestly and wickedly that it is a shame for us to hear of it and lamentable to tell it. Lest, then, now that the rumour of this iniquity has extended as far as here, the wrong doing of others should smite either our soul or your kingdom with the dart of its sin, we ought to arise with ardour to avenge these things, lest the wickedness of a few should be the perdition of many. For bad priests are the cause of the ruin of a people. …