SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2020 – Page 42

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:11

7:11–12

Verses 7:11–12 contain further information about the woman mentioned in 7:10. Some versions, like the New International Version, put these two verses in parentheses, because they describe the woman’s general pattern of behavior, not what happened in this particular story.

If your language has a way to indicate background information that is not part of the main action of the story, you will want to use it here. Another way to make clear that these verses do not describe the events of this story is to refer to immoral wives in general. For example, other ways to translate 7:11a are:

She was the brash, rebellious type (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
She was one of those women who are loud… (Contemporary English Version)

7:11a

She is loud: The word loud describes the woman’s voice. She speaks in a loud and boisterous manner.

and defiant: The word defiant indicates that the woman has a “stubborn” (New Century Version) and “rebellious” (God’s Word) attitude. She deliberately does what her husband does not want her to do.

7:11b

her feet do not remain at home: This phrase is a figure of speech (synecdoche) in which the woman’s feet represent the woman herself. It means that the woman never stays at home.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:16

8:16

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning.

16a By me princes rule,

16b and all nobles who govern justly.

There is an ellipsis in 8:16b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words. For example:

16b and ⌊by me⌋ all nobles who govern justly ⌊rule⌋ .

8:16a

By me princes rule: The word princes refers to anyone who belongs to the ruling class. It does not refer specifically to the sons of kings. For example:

Rulers lead with my help (New Living Translation (2004))

8:16b

and all nobles who govern justly: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Hebrew manuscripts have: “nobles, all judges of righteousness.” For example:

and nobles, all who govern rightly (New Revised Standard Version)

(2) Other Hebrew manuscripts and the LXX have: “nobles, all judges of the earth.” For example:

and nobles govern the earth (Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), because it is more likely to have been the original text. Also it better fits the parallel idea of 8:15b. As a practical translation issue, the content of text (2) would also be implied in text (1), since the “judges of righteousness” are on the earth.

nobles: The word nobles refers to a man who belongs to the ruling class.

who govern justly: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “all judges of righteousness.” It refers here to any government leader who governs or rules in a just or fair manner. It does not refer specifically to someone who presides over a law court. Another way to translate this phrase is:

so do all important people who judge fairly (New Century Version)

General Comment on 8:15–16

The four lines of these two verses are all parallel. In some languages, there may not be four different words for different kinds of rulers, so it may be more natural to combine these verses. For example:

15-16 It is by means of me that kings and other leaders rule their countries and make good/just laws.
-or-
15-16 I am the one that helps kings and all other leaders in the government to rule ⌊their countries/people well⌋ and to make laws that are good/just.

The parallel parts of each verse may also be combined and/or reordered. See the Display for 8:15a–b (combined/reordered) and 8:16a–b (combined/reordered).

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 9:12

9:12

This verse contains parallel parts that contrast in meaning.

12a
If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage ;

12b but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

This verse concludes the paragraph that contrasts the responses of wise people and mockers to wisdom. However, there is no explicit connection with the preceding verse.

9:12a–b

you are wise to your own advantage…you alone will bear the consequences: In Hebrew, the clause you are wise to your own advantage is literally “you are wise for yourself.” This clause means that the wise person will personally gain the benefit from being wise.

The clause you alone will bear the consequences has a parallel meaning. It means that the mocker alone will bear the responsibility. Here are two examples of other ways to translate this verse:

If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
You are the one who will profit if you have wisdom, and if you reject it, you are the one who will suffer. (Good News Translation)

9:12b

scoff: See the note on 9:7a–b.

bear the consequences: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bear the consequences is literally “carry.” In this context, it means to bear the responsibility or punishment.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:26

10:26

This verse uses two similes to describe the irritating effect of a lazy person on those who send him on an errand.

26a Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

26b so is the slacker to those who send him.

10:26a–b

Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the slacker to those who send him: The similarity of vinegar, smoke, and a slacker is that all three cause irritation. The vinegar irritates the mouth by making a person’s teeth feel rough or furry. The smoke irritates the eyes. In the same way, a slacker or lazy person irritates each person who sends him on an errand or assigns to him a task.

You may translate this simile in a number of different ways. Be sure to use natural expressions for the way that vinegar affects a person’s teeth and the way that smoke affects a person’s eyes.

• If people in your language area do not easily understand the similarity, you may need to make it explicit. For example:

Never get a lazy person to do something for you; he will be as irritating as vinegar on your teeth or smoke in your eyes. (Good News Translation)

Notice that the Good News Translation also rewords the proverb as a negative command and changes the order of the lines.

• Change the order of the lines. For example:

A lazy person affects the one he works for like vinegar on the teeth or smoke in the eyes. (New Century Version)

• Divide the two lines into two separate sentences. For example:

Lazy people are irritating to their employer. They are like vinegar that sets the teeth on edge or like smoke in the eyes.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:26

11:26

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

26a
People will curse the hoarder of grain,

26b but blessing will crown the one who sells it.

11:26a–b

The people will curse…but blessing will crown: The word that the Berean Standard Bible and other versions translate as curse normally means to invoke a bad result on someone. The parallel expression, blessing will crown, is literally “a blessing for the head of.” In this phrase, “head” refers figuratively to the whole person.

In this context, it is probable that curse and blessing do not refer to ritual or formal pronouncements of cursing or blessing. Instead, they probably mean that people say bad things about the person who hoards his grain. They praise or say good things about the person who is willing to sell it.

the hoarder of grain…the one who sells it: This proverb assumes that there is a shortage of grain. In such a situation, the phrase hoarder of grain indicates someone who refuses to sell his grain at the normal price when people want to buy it. Instead, he stores it so that he can sell it later at a much higher price. The parallel phrase the one who sells it refers to a person who is willing to sell his grain at a reasonable price. He does not store it in order to get a higher price later on.

Some versions make explicit the implied purpose for hoarding grain. It also makes explicit the implied situation or period of time for selling grain. For example:

People curse those who hold their grain for higher prices, but they bless the one who sells to them in their time of need. (New Living Translation (1996))

You may need to make some of this information explicit in your language to help your readers understand the context of hoarding and selling.

11:26a

grain: The word grain refers specifically to threshed grain, probably wheat. It may also refer more broadly to any kind of grain, vegetable, or fruit crop. In languages that do not have a word for wheat, some other ways to translate this word are:

• Use the word for another grain crop, such as rice.

• Use a more general term, such as “crop” or “what is harvested.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 12:27

12:27

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

27a
A lazy man does not roast his game,

27b but a diligent man prizes his possession.

The main contrast in this proverb is between a person who is too lazy to complete a project successfully ⌊and so must suffer the consequences⌋ and a person who gains valuable possessions as a result of his diligence.

12:27a

A lazy man does not roast his game: The word game describes a wild animal that people hunt for food. So this line refers to a person who is too lazy to cook what he has hunted. This may be expressed as:

Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch (New Living Translation (2004))

This is a specific and slightly humorous example of extreme laziness. Some versions drop this specific example and instead give a general principle. For example:

If you are lazy, you will never get what you are after (Good News Translation)

Most other versions keep the example. You are encouraged to use it if possible, because the picture of a hunter who is too lazy to cook his own food gets a reader’s attention much better than a general statement.

In some languages, readers may not understand the intended meaning of this clause. If that is true in your language, it may be necessary to make explicit the consequence of the person’s laziness. For example:

Anyone too lazy to cook will starve (Contemporary English Version)

12:27b

but a diligent man prizes his possession: The three main interpretations of this line are:

(1) A diligent person will obtain precious/valuable wealth. For example:

but the diligent man will get precious wealth (English Standard Version)

(2) A diligent person prizes/values his wealth. For example:

but personal possessions are precious to the diligent (NET Bible)

(3) Diligence is a person’s precious possession. For example:

diligence is anyone’s most precious possession (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. Some other ways to translate this line are:

but a hard worker will have great wealth (New Century Version)
-or-
but a hard-working person becomes wealthy (God’s Word)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 14:6

14:6

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

6a
A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,

6b but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

This proverb contrasts a mocker’s inability to gain wisdom with a discerning person who easily learns.

14:6a

A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none: This line means that a person who mocks others cannot become wise, even though he tries to do so. Some other ways to translate this line are:

A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain (English Standard Version)
-or-
A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it (New Living Translation (2004))

14:6b

but knowledge comes easily to the discerning: The word discerning refers to a person who can understand and interpret ideas and can draw conclusions. He is also a person who is sensible and competent. Another way to translate this line is:

but intelligent people learn easily (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 15:3

15:3

The parallelism in this verse is unusual. The parallel parts are similar in that they both describe the eyes of the LORD.

3a The eyes of the LORD are in every place,

3b
observing the evil and the good.

15:3a

The eyes of the LORD are in every place: This phrase is a figure of speech in which a human attribute (eyes) is used to describe the LORD. It is not meant to be understood literally. It means that the LORD sees/knows what happens in every place. It is possible to translate this meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

The Lord sees what happens everywhere (Good News Translation)

15:3b

observing the evil and the good: This line describes specifically what the LORD sees. The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as observing means to watch alertly. The LORD carefully observes both the evil and the good.

the evil and the good: This expression focuses mainly on the two classes of people that make up all humanity. It probably does not focus on the individual good and bad deeds that people do. Another way to translate this is:

surveying everyone, good and evil (Revised English Bible)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2020

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 9:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 10:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 11:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 12:27

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 14:6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 15:3

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