4:3

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

3a When I was a son to my father,

3b
tender and the only child of my mother,

See the General Comment on 4:3a–b at the end of 4:3b for ways to combine and/or reorder these parallel parts.

4:3a

When I was a son to my father: The author uses this phrase to refer to the time when he was a child being taught by his father. For example:

When I was a boy learning from my father (God’s Word)

4:3b

tender: The word tender refers to his young age, though it does not necessarily refer to early childhood. The next verse clearly implies that he was old enough to receive instruction.

the only child of my mother: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the only child of my mother is more literally “only/unique (Hebrew yaḥid) before my mother.” This phrase may indicate that he was literally an only child. However, the LXX translates yaḥid as “beloved.” Here the phrase may imply that his mother loved him as much as if he were an only child. You may translate this phrase either way. One way to translate the implied meaning is:

⌊tenderly loved by⌋ my mother as an only child (New Living Translation (1996))

General Comment on 4:3a–b

The phrases “to my father” and “the only child of my mother” are parallel. They imply that:

(a) The boy lived at home with both his parents.

(b) Both his parents loved him as an only child.

Be careful not to imply that the boy lived with his father in a separate household from his mother. Also be careful not to imply that the boy’s father may have had other children by a different woman.

In some languages, it may be necessary to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts of this verse. For example:

When I was only a little boy, my parents’ only son (Good News Translation)
-or-
When I was young, my father and mother ⌊loved me very much⌋ . I was like an only child.

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