3:17

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

17a
All her ways are pleasant,

17b and all her paths are peaceful.

3:17a–b

All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful: These two lines contain parallel metaphors. These metaphors may describe the ways/paths that wisdom follows, in other words, the way she treats her followers. The metaphors may also describe the paths along which wisdom leads her followers. With either interpretation, this verse describes additional benefits that a person gains by being wise.

When you translate this verse, try to retain the figures of ways and paths if possible. For example:

She will guide you down delightful paths; all her ways are satisfying. (New Living Translation (2004))

If it is not possible, you may translate the meaning without using the figures of speech. For example:

Wisdom will make your life pleasant and will bring you peace. (New Century Version)

3:17a

All her ways are pleasant: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pleasant could also be translated as “lovely,” “delightful,” or “agreeable.”

3:17b

all her paths are peaceful: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as peaceful is šalom. (See the note on 3:2b.) The New Jerusalem Bible provides another way to translate this clause. It has:

her paths all lead to contentment

The Contemporary English Version and Good News Translation focus on the safety aspect of šalom. For example:

Wisdom…leads us safely along. (Contemporary English Version)

Use an expression that focuses on one or more aspects of meaning of this word.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.