The following is a back-translation of Proverbs 1-7 from the SpanishTraducción en Lenguaje Actual (publ. 2002, 2004):
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, a son of David, Israel’s king.
2-4 It is their purpose
That you, young people,
May come to be wise,
May straighten up your behavior
And may also understand words
That are well thought and well said.
These proverbs serve as well
To teach those with no experience,
So they can take care of themselves,
And be just and honest in everything.
So they may show they are smart and knowledgeable,
And think over what they do.
5 Those of you who are wise and intelligent,
Listen to what I want to tell you.
You will thus become wiser
And will gain more experience.
6 You will thus be able to understand
The difference between a proverb,
An example, and a riddle.
7 Whoever wants to become wise
Must begin by obeying God.
But ignorant people
Don’t want to be corrected
Nor do they want to become wise.
The Hebrew that is rendered in English as “proverbs” (or “Proverbs” as the title of the book) is translated into Pökoot as ngötïnyö (or Ngötïnyö), which refers to use of figurative language that is used in such a way that things are being said in an indirect way. At the same time they communicate general wisdom. (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001), a term based on “head wisdom” is used. (See wisdom (Proverbs)).
In Literary Chinese and Mandarin Chinese use 箴言 / zhēnyán which means “motto” or “proverb,” but originally means “word of warning.” A number of other East Asian languages, including Japanese (箴言 / shingen), Korean (잠언), or Vietnamese (châm ngôn) use the same term. (Source: Zetzsche)
The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“The proverbs of Solomon”: “Proverbs” translates the plural form of the Hebrew word mashal, which covers a much wider range of meaning than the English word “proverb.” In this title the term refers to teaching or wisdom literature either spoken or written by Solomon, or attributed to his name. According to 1 Kgs 4.32 Solomon “uttered three thousand proverbs (Hebrew mashal); and his songs were a thousand and five.” This may mean that he “composed” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) that many proverbs and songs, but it need not be taken that way.
The term “proverbs” is difficult in some languages, because even though there may be terms for different kinds of sayings, none of these may be as wide in meaning as the Hebrew term here. In such cases translators often choose a more general expression such as “wise talk,” “wise sayings,” or “good words.”
In many languages the construction “proverbs of Solomon” is unclear, as it is in English. It may be taken to mean, for example, that Solomon wrote these sayings, or that he owned them, or that he dictated them. The problem becomes even more difficult because chapters 1–9 may not even be recognized in many languages as being related to the kinds of sayings classed as “proverbs.” Translators seem to have two choices:
(1) to leave the construction unclear, or
(2) to translate with a term or expression that shows Solomon to be the author, such as “the ‘proverbs’ that Solomon composed.”
In either case it is advisable to provide a note to explain that the expression “proverbs of Solomon” may be taken to mean that the book is dedicated to him.
“Son of David” identifies Solomon in relation to his father, David (2 Sam 12.24).
“King of Israel” refers to Solomon, not to David. Many translations depend on punctuation to show that Solomon is called “king of Israel”. However, for public reading punctuation often fails to make clear what is meant. Good News Translation “and King of Israel” may be a helpful model in some languages. In others some restructuring, such as “King Solomon of Israel, the son of David” (Contemporary English Version), may be clearer.
In languages in which the title “king” is unknown, it may be possible to use an equivalent title such as “chief” or “the highest ruler.” If this is not satisfactory, it is often possible to say something like “who ruled over Israel.”
Some translators may find that verse 1 functions best as a heading for the Introduction and therefore may wish to place it in bold letters or in whatever form titles or headings are given in the translation. Others may find it better to render verse 1, for example, “These are the wise words spoken by Solomon who was king of Israel and David’s son.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch includes in verse 1 something of the purpose: “Counsel for living through Proverbs composed by Solomon. . ..”
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 1:1:
Kupsabiny: “Proverbs of the king of Israel who was called Solomon son of David.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “These are the proverbs of Solomon, the child of David and king of Israel.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This is the advice of Solomon the child of David who was king in Israel.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “These are the proverbs/wise sayings that come from Solomon, the King of Israel, who was the son of King David.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
This division begins with a brief introduction (1:1–7). The introduction states the main purpose of the book of Proverbs: to provide moral instruction for naive young people. The final verse of the introduction states the basis for obtaining knowledge. It also cautions the readers that some people will choose to be fools.
Following this introduction are ten well-organized lessons. Each lesson begins with the words “my son” or “my sons” and contains instruction on a particular topic. Most of the lessons end with a summary or a conclusion. The author writes to his readers as a father who is advising his son or sons. The mention of the mother’s teaching in 1:8 along with that of the father suggests that the setting for this instruction is the home.
In between these lessons are five additional discourses. These discourses contrast the claims of personified Wisdom and Folly. They are not addressed specifically to the son. The final discourse contains parallel invitations by Wisdom and Folly to attend the feasts that they have each prepared. This reminds the readers that they must make a choice between wise and foolish behavior.
Section 1:1–7
This is the purpose of Proverbs
This section is the writer’s introduction to the book of Proverbs. It contains an overall title for the book (1:1), a statement of purpose (1:2–6), and a motto or key verse (1:7). In Hebrew, the first six verses form a single sentence that gives related goals or functions for the proverbs. Proverbs 1:2a, 1:2b, 1:3a, 1:4a, and 1:6a all begin with a verb phrase that relates back to the title and gives one of the functions. The Berean Standard Bible translates these phrases as: “for gaining…, for comprehending…, for receiving…. To impart…, by understanding….” Proverbs 1:5 begins with a different grammatical construction. Several scholars therefore consider this verse to be a parenthesis, clarifying that the proverbs are also useful to people who are wise.
Some other headings for this section are:
The Purpose of Proverbs (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
How Proverbs Can Be Used (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The Importance of Proverbs (New Century Version)
Paragraph 1:1–7
1:1
These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: In Hebrew, this verse is the title of the Book of Proverbs.
In some languages, it may be appropriate to format this verse as a title. In other languages, it may be preferable to state the verse as a separate sentence, as the Berean Standard Bible does.
The phrases son of David and king of Israel further identify the name Solomon. They do not imply that David had any other son who became a king of Israel.
the proverbs of Solomon: The title credits Solomon as being the overall source of the proverbs, because he either wrote or collected many of the proverbs in the book. In some languages, it may be necessary to express this meaning in a different way. For example:
The proverbs that Solomon…collected/wrote
-or-
Solomon…was the source of these proverbs.
proverbs: The Hebrew word for proverbs, as it is used in this book, usually means wise sayings or principles that teaches people how they should act. It may also describe something that is true about human behavior. Some proverbs were short, compact statements. Others were longer lessons up to a chapter in length. The purpose of both kinds of proverbs was to teach or advise people regarding proper conduct.
In some languages, the term for a short saying or proverb may not be appropriate to describe the longer lessons found in the first nine chapters. If that is true in your language, it may be possible to use a more general term here in 1:1. For example:
This is the teaching/advice of Solomon…
-or-
These are the wise sayings of Solomon…
A more specific term could then be used in 1:6, which mentions specific kinds of wise sayings.
Solomon son of David, king of Israel: The phrase king of Israel refers here to Solomon. In some languages, it may be necessary to change the order or wording of these phrases to make this meaning clear. For example:
King Solomon of Israel, the son of David (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Solomon, son of David and king of Israel (Good News Translation)
son of David: In many other verses the phrase son of David refers to a descendant of David. Here it refers to an actual son of David. In languages that do not use specific terms for “son” or “daughter,” you may use a general term. For example:
child of David
See the note on “son” in 1:8a.
king of Israel: If the title king is not known in your language, you may:
• Use a similar title. For example:
chief of Israel
-or-
highest ruler of the Israelites
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