4:4

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

4a he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words ;

4b
keep my commands and you will live.

4:4a

taught me and said: In the context of 4:3, the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as taught implies that the father taught his son over a period of time. Some English versions make this explicit. For example:

would teach me (Good News Translation)
-or-
used to teach me (God’s Word)

In some languages, it may be more natural to start this verse with a new sentence. For example:

⌊During that time,⌋ my father used to teach me.

Let your heart lay hold of my words: In Hebrew, the heart refers primarily to the mind and intellect, though it also includes the emotions. In other languages, a different part of the body, mind/liver/stomach, may be used instead.

lay hold of: In Hebrew, the verb lay hold of literally means “grasp” or “hold firmly.” It is used figuratively here. It indicates that the son should hold the father’s instruction firmly in his mind. Two ways to translate this clause are:

• Use a figure of speech. For example:

“Cling to my words wholeheartedly. (God’s Word)
-or-
“Hold on to my words with all your heart. (New Century Version)

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

“Keep my words in your thoughts.
-or-
“Remember what I say and never forget it. (Good News Translation)

4:4b

keep my commands: In this context, the Hebrew verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as keep means “obey.” The same word occurs in 7:1a and 7:2a. The word commands occurs in 2:1b. Some other ways to translate this advice are:

Keep my commandments (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Obey my commands (God’s Word)
-or-
Follow my commands (New Living Translation (2004))

and you will live: The word and introduces the motivation or intended result of paying attention to the father’s commands. The clause you will live implies a long and prosperous life. Other ways to connect these clauses are:

Obey my commands so that you may live. (God’s Word)
-or-
Always obey what I command you, and then you will live.
-or-
Following my commands will result in ⌊a long and prosperous⌋ life.

General Comment on 4:4a–b

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

If you follow my teachings and keep them in mind, you will live. (Contemporary English Version)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

5:20

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

20a
Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress ?

20b or embrace the bosom of a stranger ?

5:20a–b

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?: These are parallel rhetorical questions. They advise the young man not to become sexually involved with another man’s wife. The implied answer is that there is no sensible reason for doing so, because his own wife is enough to fulfill his sexual needs. The word captivated has the same meaning as in 5:19. To embrace the bosom of a stranger is a euphemism. It means to have sex with her, not just to give her a hug.

General Comment on 5:20a–b

Because these two questions are parallel, it may be more natural in some languages to combine and/or reorder them. For example:

My son, what reason would you have for making love with another man’s wife and being delighted with her beauty?

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

6:29

This verse contains the topic of the two metaphors in 6:27–28. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

29a So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife ;

29b no one who touches her will go unpunished.

A person will always be hurt by touching fire or hot coals. Similarly, a man will definitely be punished if he sleeps with another man’s wife.

6:29a–b

sleeps with…touches: These two expressions are both euphemisms for having sexual relations. Use whatever euphemism(s) or direct expressions are appropriate in your language.

6:29a

another man’s wife: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as another man is the same word that it translated as “neighbor” in 3:28a. It refers to anyone with whom a person interacts, from a close friend to an acquaintance. See the note on “neighbor” in 3:28a–b.

6:29b

no one who touches her will go unpunished: This double negative may also be expressed as a positive statement:

everyone who touches her will certainly be punished

The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as go unpunished is one word in Hebrew, meaning “innocent” or “guiltless.” In this verse, it means that the adulterer will not be acquitted or released from punishment. The source and nature of the punishment is not specified. It may come from the LORD, a judicial court, the community, or the woman’s husband.

General Comment on 6:29a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the parallel terms that refer to sexual relations. For example:

The same is true if you have sexual relations with another man’s wife. Anyone who does so will be punished. (New Century Version)
-or-
It is just as dangerous to sleep with another man’s wife. Whoever does it will suffer. (Good News Translation)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

7:26a–b

As in 7:19a, this verse begins with the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “For.” This word introduces the reason why the young man should heed the warning in 7:25–26.

she has brought many down to death; her slain: These parallel phrases indicate that the adulterous women referred to here indirectly caused the deaths of their victims. They did this by seducing their victims into having illicit sex. Their victims eventually died or were killed as a result. These phrases do not mean that these women were actual murderers.

Other ways to express the correct meaning are:

…she has…caused the death of too many to count (Good News Translation)
-or-
…many have died because of her (New Century Version)

death…her slain: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as death is literally “pierced ones,” which calls to mind the arrow piercing the liver in 7:23a. This word usually refers to men who were killed violently in battle. The parallel term her slain similarly refers to men who have been fatally wounded and killed.

she…her: The words she and her refer to adulterous women in general. They do not refer to a particular person.

General Comment on 7:26a–b

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

Because women like this have been the cause of countless men losing their lives.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

8:31

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

31a
I was rejoicing in His whole world,

31b
delighting together in the sons of men.

8:31a

I was rejoicing in His whole world: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “in the world of his earth.” There are two ways to interpret this repetition of synonyms:

(1) It means “his whole world.” For example:

at play everywhere on his earth (New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It means the inhabited part of his world. For example:

his inhabited world (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars. The previous verses describe Wisdom being present at the creation of oceans, mountains, and sky. There is nothing to suggest that Wisdom rejoiced only in the inhabited part of the earth.

The Good News Translation and the Contemporary English Version both leave implied the emphasis of whole world, and the Good News Translation also omits “his.” It has “happy with the world.” It is recommended that you retain the emphasis and the pronoun “his” if possible. If it is unnatural in your language to say “his entire world,” another way to express the meaning is:

the entire world that he created
-or-
everything that he created

8:31b

delighting together in the sons of men: Other ways to translate this phrase are:

and pleased with the human race (Good News Translation)
-or-
and delighted with all its people (New Century Version)

General Comment on 8:30b–c and 8:31a–b

The words “delight” and “rejoicing” in 8:30 are here reversed to “rejoicing” and “delighting,” forming a chiasm to complete this paragraph. In some languages, it will not be possible to retain the chiasm due to a lack of synonyms. However, it may be possible to emphasize the idea of rejoicing/delighting by saying something like:

Indeed, I was very happy at the whole world that he created, including people.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

10:9

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

9a
He who walks in integrity walks securely,

9b but he who perverts his ways will be found out.

See the Section 4:10–19 summary for more information about the metaphor of walking on a path. Similar metaphors are used frequently in Proverbs.

10:9a

He who walks in integrity: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “whoever walks in blamelessness.” The word “blamelessness” has the underlying meaning of completeness or perfection. It refers to consistent, flawless, moral goodness. This phrase is almost identical to the one found in 2:7b. See the note there.

walks securely: This phrase indicates that the LORD protects a person who lives a blameless life so that he has nothing to fear.

Notice that in Hebrew a form of the word “walk” occurs in both phrases of this line. This repetition adds emphasis and makes the proverb easier to remember. Some English versions have kept this repetition. For example:

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
He who lives blamelessly lives safely (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

You will have to decide if it is effective to use repetition like this in your language.

10:9b

but he who perverts his ways: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “but the one who makes crooked his ways.” It refers to a person who deliberately deceives other people or behaves dishonestly. You are encouraged to keep the “paths/ways” metaphor if possible. If it is not possible, you may translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

if you are dishonest (Contemporary English Version)

will be found out: This phrase indicates that his deceitfulness will become known, perhaps by his fellow men, but especially by the LORD. It is implied that he will then be punished. Some English versions have used the verb “caught.” This word implies future judgment or punishment. For example:

but the dishonest will be caught (Good News Translation)

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

12:10

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

10a
A righteous man regards the life of his animal,

10b but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty.

12:10a–b

A righteous man…the wicked: In Hebrew, the word translated as righteous is singular, while the word translated as wicked is plural. This variation is for the sake of style. When you translate these terms in your language, you may use singular for one term and plural for the other. You may also use singular or plural for both terms. Use whatever is more natural in your own language.

12:10a

regards the life of his animal: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “knows the soul of his beast.” It indicates that a righteous person is concerned about or takes care of the life, desires, or needs of his animal. He provides it with enough food, water, and rest. It is implied that a righteous person would also care for more important needs, such as the needs of his servants. For example:

A righteous person cares ⌊even⌋ about the life of his animals (God’s Word)

his animal: The word animal refers to any domesticated, four-footed animal. It includes sheep or goats, cattle, horses, or mules. The singular form of the word probably refers to any such animal or animals that the person owns. Many English versions, including the God’s Word quoted above, use the plural “animals.” You may use whatever is more natural in your language.

Some languages may not have a general word for animal. In such languages, you may be able to use one or more specific terms. For example:

herd-animals and flock-animals
-or-
sheep and cattle

12:10b

but the tender mercies of the wicked are only cruelty: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tender mercies usually means “compassion.” Some English versions translate this clause more literally. For example:

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel (New Revised Standard Version)

Since it is hard to understand how “mercy” can be “cruel,” scholars have interpreted this clause in different ways:

(1) The Hebrew word here has a sarcastic meaning. It means that even the kindest thing that a wicked person does is actually cruel or is motivated by cruelty. For example:

but even the most compassionate acts of the wicked are cruel (NET Bible)

(2) The Hebrew word refers here to the source of a person’s feelings, which in English is the heart. For example:

but the heart of the wicked is ruthless (New Jerusalem Bible)

(3) The Hebrew word refers here to the behavior of the wicked toward their animals. For example:

but wicked people are cruel to theirs (Good News Translation)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.

In some languages, it may be difficult to express implied sarcasm. Some other ways to express this meaning are:

but the compassion of wicked people is nothing but cruelty (God’s Word)
-or-
but ⌊even⌋ when a wicked person ⌊tries to be⌋ kind, he ⌊ends up doing what⌋ is cruel
-or-
but ⌊even⌋ the ⌊so-called⌋ kindness of the wicked is cruel ⌊in the estimation of most people⌋

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.