15:21
Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:
21a
Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment,
21b but a man of understanding walks a straight path.
The parts in 15:21a occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 15:21b. If this chiastic order is not natural in your language, you may need to reorder the parts in one of the lines. For example, 15:21a could be reordered as follows:
21a
A man who lacks judgment delights in folly
15:21a
Folly is joy to one who lacks judgment: Doing things that are morally foolish is joy or causes happiness to a person who lacks judgment. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
If a person lacks good judgment, he will enjoy acting foolishly
Folly:
lacks judgment: This phrase refers to a person who lacks common sense and makes foolish decisions.
15:21b
but a man of understanding: This phrase contrasts precisely with the person in 15:21a who has no common sense. It refers to a person who has the good sense or competence to handle the situations that he faces in life.
walks a straight path: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “walks straight ahead.” This implies staying on the straight/right path. As elsewhere in Proverbs, the figurative meaning is to consistently do what is right.
When you translate this line, it is recommended that you keep the figure of speech of a straight/right path if possible. For example:
a sensible person stays on the right path (New Living Translation (2004))
However, in some languages, it may be more effective to translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
someone with understanding does what is right (New Century Version)
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