Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Kako: “heart thinking” (source: Reyburn 2002, p. 190)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English. For the verses referenced here, it uses p’ijil c’op or “word wisdom.”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English. One of them is p’ijil jol or “word wisdom” which is also used for “understanding,” good sense,” “intelligent,” or “insight.”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
“On the lips of him who has understanding wisdom is found”: “The lips”, like “the mouth” in verse 11, refers to words and thoughts. “Understanding”, as in 1.5, refers to intelligence, good sense, good judgment. “Wisdom” is close in meaning to “understanding”. See the discussion in 1.1-7. “Is found” may often need to be expressed actively. See the model after the discussion of the second line.
“But a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense”: “A rod” is a symbol of punishment. The word is the same as that used in Psa 23.4 for the club used to defend the sheep. Here the “rod” refers to a slender, flexible cane used for beating a prisoner or punishing someone. “Lacks sense” is literally “lacks heart,” where “heart” refers to intelligence or right thinking. See 6.32. “For the back” means that the cane is applied to his back or he is beaten on his back.
Here again the second line is not a very clear parallel with the first. This line is almost the same as 26.3b, where “fools” replaces “him who lacks sense”. The essential contrast in our verse may be expressed, for example, “People recognize the wisdom in the speech of an intelligent person, but they punish anyone who speaks stupidly.”
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 .
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 10:13:
Kupsabiny: “Wise words come from the tongue of an understanding/experienced person, but the foolish person will suffer the sticks/rods (being beaten).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Good words are in the mouths of people who have wisdom, but those who lack wisdom will be beaten with a rod.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “A man who has understanding speaks words with wisdom, but a man who has no understanding speaks words which will-be the reason that he will-be-punished.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “It-can-be-heard in the words of a thinking/reflecting person his wiseness, but a whip is what is appropriate to one who is mindness (lit. has no mind/thoughts).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Those who have good sense say what is wise, but people who do not have good sense must be punished.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
This verse has parallel parts that contrast in meaning, but the contrast is not obvious. The contrast may be between the kind of words that a wise person speaks and the only “advice” that a fool can understand—physical punishment.
13a Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning,
13b but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
10:13a
Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning: The phrase the lips of the discerning is a figure of speech. It represents the words that a discerning person speaks. This means that if a person is intelligent/sensible, his intelligence will be expressed in his speech. Some other ways to translate this line are:
If you have good sense, it will show when you speak (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Smart people speak wisely (New Century Version)
Wisdom: The Hebrew word ḥokmah, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as Wisdom, refers here to a person’s skill/ability to make good decisions, to act properly, and to do what is right in any situation.
discerning: In Hebrew, this word refers to a person who can understand and interpret ideas and can draw conclusions. He is also a person who is sensible and competent. He is able to act in an appropriate way when he needs to make a decision or solve a problem. He is able to discern the difference between right and wrong, between a good decision and a bad one.
Some other ways to translate this term are:
a person who has understanding (God’s Word)
-or-
smart (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
intelligent (New American Bible)
-or-
discerning/sensible
A term such as “educated” is not recommended here, because it may incorrectly refer to a person who has had formal schooling.
10:13b
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment: This line probably means that a person who lacks judgment needs to be punished by being beaten on the back with a rod (“a slender stick or cane”).
It may not be necessary to specify a rod if people in your language area use something different to administer physical punishment. It may also not be necessary to specify that the rod is for the back. For example:
but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod (New Living Translation (2004))
Some scholars think that the word rod may be a figure of speech that represents punishment in general. For example:
but stupid people need to be punished (Good News Translation)
Translate this line in a way that clearly and appropriately expresses the meaning in your language.
lacks judgment: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “lacking heart.” In this phrase, the word “heart” refers primarily to a person’s mental faculties—the ability to think clearly and to make good decisions. So the phrase “lacking heart” describes someone who lacks common sense and makes foolish decisions. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
one without sense (God’s Word)
-or-
if you are stupid (Contemporary English Version)
Translate in a way that sounds natural in your language.
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