Verses 25-27 speak of the rewards that come to the herder of stock. Verse 25 serves as a time clause for the main statement in verse 26.

“When the grass is gone, and the new growth appears”: “Grass” in this line and “herbage” in the second line refer to the same thing, that is, “hay,” “fodder,” or “feed.” “The new growth” means the tender young shoots of grass that begin to grow after the taller grass has been harvested and the rains have started.

“And the herbage of the mountains is gathered”: This line is parallel in meaning to “When the grass is gone”. “The mountains” refers to the higher parts of the country that get more rainfall and where the grass grows better. “Gathered” means that the grass is cut and stored as hay for feeding to the animals in the winter. We may translate this verse, for example, “When the grass has been cut for hay and the tender shoots appear, and when the hay on the mountain slopes has been harvested and stored. . ..”

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 .