SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2020

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 1:18

1:18

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

18a But they lie in wait for their own blood ;

18b
they ambush their own lives.

1:18a–b

But: The Hebrew conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But expresses a contrast between the birds that are too smart to be caught (1:17) and the men who have less sense than birds. Consider how to express the contrast most effectively in your language.

they: This pronoun refers to the same men who are called “sinners” in 1:10.

lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives: In the Hebrew (also in the Berean Standard Bible), the same parallel verbs, lie in wait and ambush are used in 1:18 as in 1:11. This reinforces the irony of the criminals’ situation. They planned to ambush and kill others, but they end up being killed themselves. Some English versions, however, have used the “trap” metaphor because of the immediate contrast with 1:17. For example:

but people like that are setting a trap for themselves, a trap in which they will die (Good News Translation)

You will need to decide what terms will provide better contrast in your language. If you decide to use “net” or “trap,” be sure that your readers understand that this is not a literal trap. It refers to behavior that will result in the death of the people who do it. In some languages, it may be necessary to use one of the following options to make sure that the meaning is clear:

• Use a simile. For example:

But these men ⌊act like people who⌋ set traps and then fall into them themselves! They lie in wait to kill someone else, but they are the ones who die.

• Make the implied contrast with the birds explicit. For example:

But these people ⌊have less sense than birds, because it is as if they⌋ are ambushing themselves. They set traps in which they themselves will die.

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:

But as for these people, they lie in wait to kill someone else. They ⌊do not realize that they⌋ will cause their own death by such actions.

General Comment on 1:18a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts in this verse. For example:

But these ⌊wicked⌋ men will die in the traps they themselves have set for other people.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2:17

2:17

Notice the parallel parts that are similar.

17a who abandons the partner of her youth

17b and forgets the covenant of her God.

2:17a

who abandons the partner of her youth: This phrase indicates that the woman has abandoned her husband, who has been her lifetime friend or companion ever since they were young. Some ways to translate this phrase are:

who leaves her husband, the closest friend of her youth (God’s Word)
-or-
who has abandoned the man whom she married when she was young

In some languages, a translation of this phrase may wrongly imply that the woman has had more than one husband. It may also wrongly stress the woman’s youth or immature judgment at the time when she got married. One way to avoid these wrong implications is to leave the phrase of her youth implied. For example:

She has abandoned her husband (New Living Translation (2004))

2:17b

and forgets the covenant of her God: In this context, the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as forgets indicates that the woman deliberately ignores, rejects, or breaks the covenant that she made. It does not indicate that she has forgotten information that she once knew. The term covenant here refers to the marriage agreement between the woman and her husband. This agreement was of her God in the sense that God witnessed the agreement. Other ways to translate this whole phrase are:

forgets her sacred vows (Good News Translation)
-or-
ignores the promise she made before God (New Century Version)
-or-
rejects the marriage vows that she made before God

General Comment on 2:17a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these two lines. For example:

17b who breaks her wedding vows (Contemporary English Version)

17a and leaves the man she married when she was young (Contemporary English Version)

The relationship between these two lines may also be expressed in other ways. For example:

17b A woman like these has broken/rejected her sacred wedding vows 17a by leaving her husband, whom she married when she was young.
-or-
17a This kind of woman has abandoned her husband, her companion ever since she was young. 17b As a result, she has broken the marriage agreement that she made before God.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 3:27

Paragraph 3:27–35

3:27

In this verse, the second line completes the thought of the first line. It specifies the circumstance in which a person should not withhold good.

27a Do not withhold good from the deserving

27b when it is within your power to act.

3:27a

Do not withhold good from the deserving: The Hebrew phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the deserving is more literally “its owners.” This phrase refers here to people who have a right to receive something good from another person. In this context, the word good probably refers to a loan payment or a purchase or wages that another person is entitled to receive. Other ways to translate this advice are:

Refuse no kindness to those who have a right to it (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Do not hold back anything good from those who are entitled to it (God’s Word)

In some languages, it may be more natural to state this advice positively. For example:

Do all you can for everyone who deserves your help. (Contemporary English Version)

3:27b

when it is within your power to act: This clause means “when you are able to do it.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Whenever you are able (New Century Version)
-or-
Whenever you possibly can (Good News Translation)

General Comment on 3:27a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse. For example:

Whenever you are able, give to people the good that you owe them.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 4:24

4:24

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

24a
Put away deception from your mouth ;

24b
keep your lips from perverse speech.

4:24a–b

Put away…keep…from: In this context, these parallel phrases both mean to avoid using this kind of speech. In languages that cannot use a figurative expression such as “keep your lips from” in this context, it may be possible to add emphasis in other ways. For example, some English versions use the words “don’t ever” or “never.” Here is another way to translate this:

don’t ever say things that are not true (New Century Version)

deception…perverse speech: These two parallel phrases refer to all kinds of dishonest speech, including telling lies and testifying falsely in court.

mouth…lips: Both of these words are figures of speech (metonymy) that represent what is spoken by the mouth/lips. Because of this, many English versions do not mention mouth or lips directly, but use a natural expression that refers to speech. For example:

Put away from you crooked speech,

and put devious talk far from you. (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Never say anything that isn’t true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words. (Good News Translation)

However, if your language has a natural expression that uses the words “mouth” or “lips” or “tongue,” you are encouraged to use it. For example, the first line in the New Century Version has:

Don’t use your mouth to tell lies (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:6

Paragraph 6:6–11

In this paragraph, the author introduces a different topic. He gives advice to lazy people, addressing them directly as “O slacker.” In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate this change of topic in some way. See the translation advice in the note on 6:6a.

6:6

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

6a
Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker;

6b
observe its ways and become wise.

6:6a–b

Walk in the manner of the ant…observe its ways: The Hebrew of the first command is literally “go to the ant.” It implies to go and watch or learn from the ant. The second command means essentially the same thing: to watch, think about, or learn from the behavior of ants. In translating this parallelism, some versions leave Walk implicit and combine and/or reorder the parallel parts (see the quotes from the Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version in the translation options for 6:6a). Other versions retain the parallelism, with or without the word “go.” For example:

Go watch the ants…Watch what they do (New Century Version)
-or-
Take a lesson from the ants…Learn from their ways (New Living Translation (2004))

Use whatever option is appropriate in your language.

6:6a

Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker: The Berean Standard Bible puts the phrase O slacker after the command Walk in the manner of the ant. In some languages, it may be more natural to put the command last and to indicate that this verse introduces a change of topic. For example:

As for you who are lazy, go to the ant.
-or-
Now I have some advice for people who are lazy. They should go to the ant.

Walk in the manner of the ant: The phrase the ant refers to ants as a group. It does not refer to one specific ant. The kind of ant referred to here is probably the harvester ant.

O slacker: The person who is addressed as O slacker represents a class of people, that is, anyone who is lazy. The hearer (addressed as “my son” in 6:1 and 6:3) was not necessarily lazy, but the author intended him to learn from this advice. Some ways to address the hearer are:

• Use second person singular. For example:

Go watch the ants, you lazy person. (New Century Version)

• Use second person plural. For example:

You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. (Contemporary English Version)

• Use third person singular. For example:

A lazy person should learn from the behavior of ants.

• Use third person plural. For example:

Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live. (Good News Translation)

Use whatever option is appropriate in your language for a teacher who is advising a young man about the dangers of laziness.

6:6b

and become wise: This is a command in Hebrew. Since it follows logically from the preceding commands, it may be more natural in some languages to translate it as a purpose or as a result. For example:

so that you will become wise
-or-
and then you will become wise

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:3

7:3

This verse contains parallel metaphors. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

3a
Tie them to your fingers ;

3b
write them on the tablet of your heart.

7:3a

Tie them to your fingers: The image of this metaphor is not clear. It may refer to tying written teachings around the fingers (an allusion to the similar expression about God’s law in Deuteronomy 6:8). The point is that anything on the fingers can be seen at all times, so it serves to remind the person of something. The meaning is that the son should always keep his father’s teachings in his mind, ready to obey them.

In some languages, it may be possible to translate this metaphor literally, along with a footnote that explains the meaning and gives Deuteronomy 6:8 as a cross-reference. Other ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. Make explicit the point of similarity. For example:

Keep them always in your mind like something that you fasten around your finger.

• Use a different figure of speech that has a similar meaning. For example:

Keep them at your fingertips (Contemporary English Version)

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

Keep my teaching with you all the time (Good News Translation)
-or-
Remind yourself of them (New Century Version)

7:3b

write them on the tablet of your heart: This clause is identical with 3:3c, but the context is different. In this metaphor, the heart itself is compared to a stone tablet. The son is commanded to engrave his father’s teaching on his heart. The meaning of the metaphor is that he should preserve his father’s teaching in his mind and make it a part of his character.

The options for translating this clause are similar to 7:3a.

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

write them on your heart as if on a tablet (New Century Version)

• Change the metaphor slightly. For example:

write them in your mind (Contemporary English Version)

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

Store them permanently in your mind.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:8

8:8

In this verse, the parallel lines describe Wisdom’s words from opposite points of view. Verse 8:8a describes what her words are like. Verse 8:8b describes what her words are not like.

8a
All the words of my mouth are righteous ;

8b
none are crooked or perverse.

8:8a

All the words of my mouth are righteous: The Hebrew word ṣedeq that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteous refers here to words that conform to God’s standard. The New International Version translates this word as “just.” See the note on 1:3b.

In this verse, where “righteous” words are contrasted with “crooked” words, the meaning may be equivalent to “true” (Good News Translation), “honest,” (New Century Version) or “sincere” (New American Bible). As in previous verses, the words of my mouth is a figurative way of saying “the words that I say” or “my words.”

8:8b

none are crooked or perverse: The word crooked literally means “twisted” or “contorted.” Here it has the sense of “deceptive” or “tricky.”

The literal meaning of perverse is “warped” or “crooked.” Here it has almost the same meaning as the first word.

If figurative terms such as “crooked” or “twisted” cannot be used about a person’s words in your language, you may need to use nonfigurative terms. For example:

not one is misleading or deceptive (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
nothing is false or misleading (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 9:4

9:4a–5a

The New International Version (2011) has been used as the source line, because it follows the recommended interpretation. There are two ways to interpret the structure and punctuation of these lines. Line 9:3b has been quoted again to show the context.

(1) The maids address their invitations to two parallel groups: “all who are simple” (9:4a) and “those who have no sense” (9:4b). For example:

3b and she calls from the highest point of the city,

4a “Let all who are simple come to my house !”

4b To those who have no sense she says,

5a “Come, eat my food… (New International Version (2011))

(2) The maids address their invitations to one group: “those who lack judgment” (9:4b). For example:

3b and she calls from the highest point of the city.

4a “Let all who are simple come in here! ”

4b she says to those who lack judgment.

5a “Come, eat my food… (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. This interpretation uses the normal structure for parallel lines.

However, notice that there is little practical difference between the two invitations. With the New International Version (2011), two separate groups are addressed. These groups are parallel to each other. With the New International Version, only one group is addressed, but that group is described with the same parallel terms.

In Hebrew, singular forms are used in 9:4a and 9:4b. Plural commands are used in 9:5a and 9:5b. Some English versions use singular forms in both verses. Others use plural forms. Use forms in your language that are natural for situations in which a person addresses a group of people.

See the General Comment on 9:4a–b at the end of the note on 9:4b and the General Comment on 9:4a–5b at the end of the note on 9:5a–b for ways to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts in these lines.

9:4a

(New International Version (2011)) Let all who are simple come to my house!: The word simple refers to people who are naive or inexperienced. In some languages, it may be more natural to use the pronoun “you,” because this is an invitation. For example:

You that are simple, turn in here! (New Revised Standard Version)

These words are actually spoken by the servant girls, so in some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit that this is Wisdom’s invitation. For example:

“⌊This is what Wisdom says:⌋ Come to my house, you who are inexperienced!”

(New International Version (2011)) come to my house: In Hebrew, this phrase is more literally “turn in here” (Berean Standard Bible) or “come in here” (New International Version). However, the servants are not near the house when they give the invitation, so in many languages, it may be clearer to translate this phrase in a way that is similar to the New International Version (2011). For example:

“You who are inexperienced, come to Wisdom’s house/feast!”

9:4b

(New International Version (2011)) to those who have no sense she says: For the phrase have no sense, see lacks judgment in the Glossary. As described previously in the note on 9:4a–9:5a, this clause should be understood as a quote formula that introduces a parallel invitation. The content of this invitation is found in 9:5a. In some languages, it may be clearer to leave the quote introduction implied and just give the contents of the quote. For example:

You who do not have good judgment

General Comment on 9:4a–b

Because of the parallelism, the two quote introductions should be understood as a single invitation to people who are both inexperienced and without sense. In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts to make this clear. For example:

“This is what Wisdom says: Come to my house, all you who are naive and lack sense.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2020

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 1:18

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2:17

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 3:27

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 4:24

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:3

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 9:4

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