“The way of an eagle in the sky”: “The way” is the normal Hebrew word for “path,” “road,” or “journey,” but it is also used to refer to the way things are done or the course of someone’s life. Some commentators see “the way” as referring to the (invisible) track made by each of the things mentioned; but others take it to refer to the way the things move or act, and this seems to give a better sequence from the first three items to the final one. So Scott says here “How an eagle soars in the sky”; Contemporary English Version has “How eagles fly so high” and Good News Translation “an eagle flying in the sky.” These are all good models to follow.

“The way of a serpent on a rock”: Following the pattern of the previous line, Scott says “How a snake glides across a rock” and Good News Translation “a snake moving on a rock.” For “serpent” see 23.32.

“The way of a ship on the high seas”: “A ship” refers to a large boat that is able to sail on the ocean away from land. “On the high seas” translates a Hebrew idiom that is literally “in the heart of the sea.” The Revised Standard Version expression is an idiom in English for “out on the ocean” or “on the open sea.” Scott renders this line “How a ship moves over the sea” and Contemporary English Version “how ships sail the ocean.”

“The way of a man with a maiden”: “A maiden” refers to a mature young woman, either unmarried or recently married. A number of versions translate it as “girl,” while some say “woman.” This line is the focus or climax of the whole saying. It moves from examples of what happens in the natural world to something wonderful or mysterious in human affairs. Commentators are divided on the meaning of this expression. Some take it to mean “how a man and a woman fall in love”; see Good News Translation, for example, and Contemporary English Version “how . . . people fall in love.” Others take it to refer to sexual intercourse and “the procreation of a human being” (Toy). In many societies a literal rendering like that of Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and other versions will be understood in this sense, even if that is not intended by the translators. Scott makes this sense clearer with “how a man wins his way with a girl.” This is an area of language where people often do not say directly what they mean, but expect that their hearers will assume more than what is said from their knowledge of human behavior. This is a case where translators will need to be guided by their sense of what is natural and proper in their own language.

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 .