This is almost weird! I am at a loss to understand why some versions render אוֹנִ֣ים (lexical form אָוֶן) as "strength", or "wealth", etc.
The listed BDB meaning for אָוֶן is "(1) trouble, sorrow, (2) idolatry, (3) trouble of iniquity, wickedness."
The Complete Word Study Dictionary of OT meaning is "nothingness, trouble, sorrow, evil, mischief. The primary meaning is emptiness and vanity ..."
The word occurs 78 times in the OT and always suggests one of the above listed meanings. Thus, Green translates Prov 11:7 as:
In the death of the wicked man, his expectation shall perish and the
hope of the unjust shall be lost.
The LXX translates the same word in Prov 11:7 as ἀσεβῶν = "ungodly"
The Aramaic Bible in Plain English translates this verse as:
Whenever an evil man has died, his hope has perished, and the hope of
the evil perishes.
The Latin translates the word as sollicitorum = "solicitous", but not wealth or strength. [Just have this translation occurred is almost as mysterious!]
Therefore, I would agree with those similar to the NKJV which gives:
When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of
the unjust perishes.
This translation is confirmed by two things:
- "unjust" or "evil" is parallel to the first half of the proverb
- The same word is rendered "evil/unjust" in other places in Proverbs, namely, 6:12, 18, 10:29, 12:21, 17:4, 19:28, 21:15, 30:20.