10:13

This verse has parallel parts that contrast in meaning, but the contrast is not obvious. The contrast may be between the kind of words that a wise person speaks and the only “advice” that a fool can understand—physical punishment.

13a
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,

13b but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.

10:13a

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning: The phrase the lips of the discerning is a figure of speech. It represents the words that a discerning person speaks. This means that if a person is intelligent/sensible, his intelligence will be expressed in his speech. Some other ways to translate this line are:

If you have good sense, it will show when you speak (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Smart people speak wisely (New Century Version)

Wisdom: The Hebrew word ḥokmah, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Wisdom, refers here to a person’s skill/ability to make good decisions, to act properly, and to do what is right in any situation.

discerning: In Hebrew, this word refers to a person who can understand and interpret ideas and can draw conclusions. He is also a person who is sensible and competent. He is able to act in an appropriate way when he needs to make a decision or solve a problem. He is able to discern the difference between right and wrong, between a good decision and a bad one.

Some other ways to translate this term are:

a person who has understanding (God’s Word)
-or-
smart (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
intelligent (New American Bible)
-or-
discerning/sensible

A term such as “educated” is not recommended here, because it may incorrectly refer to a person who has had formal schooling.

10:13b

but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment: This line probably means that a person who lacks judgment needs to be punished by being beaten on the back with a rod (“a slender stick or cane”).

It may not be necessary to specify a rod if people in your language area use something different to administer physical punishment. It may also not be necessary to specify that the rod is for the back. For example:

but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod (New Living Translation (2004))

Some scholars think that the word rod may be a figure of speech that represents punishment in general. For example:

but stupid people need to be punished (Good News Translation)

Translate this line in a way that clearly and appropriately expresses the meaning in your language.

lacks judgment: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “lacking heart.” In this phrase, the word “heart” refers primarily to a person’s mental faculties—the ability to think clearly and to make good decisions. So the phrase “lacking heart” describes someone who lacks common sense and makes foolish decisions. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

one without sense (God’s Word)
-or-
if you are stupid (Contemporary English Version)

Translate in a way that sounds natural in your language.

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