“Blessed is the man who fears the Lord always”: “Blessed” means here to be fortunate or happy. For the expression “Blessed is”, see 3.13 and 14.21, where Revised Standard Version renders the same Hebrew word “Happy is.” “Man” translates Hebrew ʾadam, which is better translated as “person.” “Fears the Lord always” is literally “dreading always.” “The Lord” is not mentioned in the Hebrew text, but this may be intended. Note that both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation supply “the Lord“, whereas New Revised Standard Version has “the one who is never without fear.” Some interpreters understand “dreading” or “fearing always” to mean “fearing to do evil.” Accordingly, Contemporary English Version says “The Lord blesses everyone who is afraid to do evil.” Bible en français courant has “Happy is the man who lives in the fear of acting wrongly.” The Septuagint assumes that it is “the fear of the Lord” by saying “fear with reverence.” Both “fears the Lord” and “is afraid to do evil” are possible translations in this line.

“But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity”: “Hardens his heart” is an expression used, for example, in Exo 7.3, meaning “to be stubborn” or “to refuse to listen to God’s words.” “Fall into calamity” means to come to a bad end, to “end up in trouble” (Contemporary English Version). This contrasts with being “Blessed” in line 1. We may translate the whole verse, for example, “You will always be happy if you honor the Lord, but if you have a stubborn heart, you will end up in trouble.”

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 .