This saying expresses the importance of mastering persuasive speech—not only the style of speaking, but the knowledge of knowing the right time to speak.

“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man”: This line says literally “There is joy to a man in the answer of his mouth.” It is probably assumed that the person who experiences joy from his response has given an appropriate reply to what the other person said. For “answer” see 15.1. For “joy” see “glad” in 15.13. We may render this line, for example, “It is pleasant to be able to give a good reply” or “It brings pleasure to a person who answers another person well.”

“And a word in season, how good it is!”: “Word” parallels “answer” and refers to a word, utterance, or saying. “In season” is literally “in its time” meaning “spoken at the right time” and refers to something said that is fully appropriate to the situation. “How good it is” may need to be placed at the beginning of the line, for example, “How effective it is when something is spoken at the right moment!” Alternatively “how good it is” may be expressed at the end of the line: “A word spoken at just the right moment is very effective.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .