“Bind them on your fingers”: In 3.3 the learner was instructed to bind the teachings on his neck. See also 6.21. It is not certain if this refers to the winding of prayer bands around the finger and arm as in Matt 23.5. It may refer to the image of wearing of a ring; this is used as a simile in translations that say, for example, “Put them firmly in your thinking like a ring which is always on your finger.” Contemporary English Version “Keep them at your fingertips” avoids the literal sense and means “keep them ready for use.” Note Good News Translation “Keep . . . with you all the time.”

“Write them on the tablet of your heart”: See 3.3.

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 .