Verses 18-19 are a four-line saying in the form of a simile. Revised Standard Version follows the Hebrew order of the lines.

“Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death”: “A madman” is a crazy person, someone who lacks control over his acts. “Firebrands” is literally “flaming or burning arrows.” “Firebrands, arrows, and death” may be expressed as “deadly burning arrows” or “fiery arrows that kill people.” For people who do not understand “flaming arrows,” it may be possible to say “throws fire sticks” or “shoots deadly arrows.”

“Is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I am only joking!””: “The man who deceives his neighbor” is a person who makes someone else believe something that is not true. The deceiver or joker cannot foresee the damage he is causing and so is like the crazy person shooting burning arrows in line 1. Contemporary English Version translates verses 18-19 “It is no crazier to shoot sharp and flaming arrows than to cheat someone and say, ‘I was only fooling!'”

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 .