23:14
In this verse, the second line gives the result of the first line.
14a Strike him with a rod,
14b and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
23:14a
Strike him with a rod: In Hebrew, this clause is almost identical to the first clause of 23:13b. Many English versions translate it as an “if” clause. For example:
If you beat them with the rod (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
If you spank them (New Century Version)
23:14b
and you will deliver his soul from Sheol: This verse part indicates that the parent will spare the child from an early death. The implied reasoning is that painful discipline will persuade a child to change his bad behavior. Then he will not die early as a result of a wild lifestyle or a crime.
soul: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as soul refers to the child’s life or the child himself. It probably does not imply a contrast between the child’s inner being and his physical body.
Sheol: The word Sheol refers to the world/place of the dead. For more information and translation advice on this word, see the notes on 1:12a and 15:11a.
Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
you will save him from the grave (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
you will be preserving him from Sheol (Revised English Bible)
-or-
you will deliver him from death (NET Bible)
General Comment on 23:13–14
In some languages, it may be redundant to repeat the almost identical clauses in 23:13b and 23:14a. Two ways to avoid unacceptable redundancy are:
• Use different expressions in 23:13b and 23:14a. For example:
13a Don’t fail to discipline your children.
13b They won’t die if you spank them.
14a
Physical discipline
14b may well save them from death. (New Living Translation (2004))
• Combine the almost identical clauses into one clause. For example, the Good News Translation combined 23:13b and 23:14a. It has:
13a Don’t hesitate to discipline children. 13b/14a A good spanking won’t kill them.
14b As a matter of fact, it may save their lives.
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