Verses 10 and 11 share the common theme of safety. They are a single paragraph in Good News Translation.

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower”: The expression “The name of the Lord” occurs only here in Proverbs, but it is similar to “the name of my God” in 30.9. “The name of the Lord” is equivalent to the Lord himself and is so translated by Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Contemporary English Version. Most others keep the full expression. In Psa 61.3 (Hebrew verse 4) God is also addressed as “a strong tower”. In Pro 10.29 there is a similar expression, “The Lord is a stronghold to . . . upright.” “A strong tower” refers to an essential part of a city’s defenses, a place of protection against enemy attacks. In languages where defense towers built on walls are unknown, it may be necessary to adjust to a local equivalent or to modify the image by saying, for example, “The Lord is my defense” or “The name of the Lord defends me.”

“The righteous man runs into it and is safe”: This line expands on the sense of the first line. In Revised Standard Version “the righteous man” translates the same Hebrew noun as “the righteous” used in 10.6, 7 and many other places. It refers to “good” or “upright” people, or perhaps in this context people who trust in (the name of) the Lord; Contemporary English Version renders it “his people.” “Safe” renders a Hebrew word that means to “be high”; it is the same term as used in the next verse for “a high wall.” In this verse the sense is “out of the way of harm” or “safe from attack.” In some languages “runs to it and is safe” is expressed as “can go and hide in it.”

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 .