“The fear of the Lord leads to life”: For parallels to this line see 10.27 and 14.27. “Leads to life” is literally “to life”; Revised Standard Version has supplied “leads”. Good News Translation understands this line to mean “You will have a long life.” Contemporary English Version says “true life,” although it is not clear what that means. Scott has “is life-giving,” which is equivalent to “gives life.”

“And he who has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm”: This line appears as two lines in Revised Standard Version but is one line in Hebrew. It seems to say literally “and a satisfied person spends the night not visited by harm.” Revised Standard Version has supplied “he who has it”. New Revised Standard Version has revised only slightly to say “filled with it.” “Not be visited by harm” expresses the thought that the person will be safe from trouble or harm. Revised English Bible translates “he who is full of it [the fear of the Lord] will rest untouched by evil.” Toy proposes several changes in the Hebrew, but Whybray believes the text is adequate. Many interpreters agree that a subject such as “you” or “a person” is intended. We may say, for example, “and so a person passes the night [sleeps all night] free from harm.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy translates this saying “Reverence for the Lord leads to life; one lives content and without suffering any evil.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .