Translation commentary on Proverbs 13:3

The theme of this saying is being careful what you say. The contrast is between a person who keeps his mouth shut and someone who does not control his speech.

“He who guards his mouth preserves his life”: This saying is similar to 10.14 and 19. According to Scott, its conciseness and rhyme in Hebrew suggest it is a popular saying. “Guards his mouth” means to be careful what you say, to weigh your words. One translation expresses this as “thinks first and then speaks.” “Preserves his life” is to protect or save someone’s physical life, that is, to avoid being put to death. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “To guard one’s words is to guard one’s life.” Scott translates “One who guards his lips protects himself.”

Although the Hebrew forms are third person masculine singular, the intention is not exclusively masculine. Note, therefore, New Revised Standard Version “Those who guard their mouths preserve their lives.” Good News Translation, as it often does, switches to second person: “Be careful what you say. . ..”

“He who opens wide his lips comes to ruin”: “Opens . . . lips” is the opposite of “guards . . . mouth” in line 1 and means to speak without thinking or to say too much. “Comes to ruin” means to be destroyed, finished, or lost. We may render line 2, for example, “but the person who talks too much ruins himself” or “those who fail to control their speech destroy themselves.”

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 13:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 13:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who guards his mouth, guards his life,
    but he who goes around scattering words (without thinking), destroys himself.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Those who speak carefully,
    save themselves,
    Those who speak recklessly
    will be ruined.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The one-who-guards/watches what he says takes-good-care of his life, but the one who speaks quickly/rashly he destroys himself.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one-who-is-careful-with his words, he protects himself (lit. his body), but the one whose words are many, he will-be-ruined.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who are very careful about what they say will live a long life;
    those who talk without thinking/too much will ruin themselves.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 13:3

13:3

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

3a
He who guards his mouth protects his life,

3b but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

13:3a

He who guards his mouth: In this context, the word mouth is a figure of speech. It represents the words spoken by the mouth. A person who guards his mouth is careful about what he says. He thinks before he speaks, and he avoids speaking too much. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Use a different figure of speech with the same meaning. For example:

Those who control their tongue (New Living Translation (2004))

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

Those who think before they speak

English versions use different pronouns to translate this line:

• Some use “he/his.” For example:

He who guards his mouth preserves his life (New King James Version)

• Some use “those/their.” For example:

Those who guard their lips preserve their lives (New International Version (2011))

• Some use a command with “you.” For example:

Be careful what you say (Good News Translation)

You should use whatever pronouns are natural in your language for a proverb like this.

protects his life: This phrase means “preserves or guards his life from trouble or death.” One implication may be:

will have a long life (New Living Translation (2004))

However, that does not seem to be the main meaning.

13:3b

but the one who opens his lips: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as opens his lips is literally “opens wide his lips.” This idiom may refer to a person who is talkative or who speaks carelessly/rashly. When you translate this idiom, you may express either or both of these two meanings.

invites his own ruin: This phrase means that the person’s careless words will result in his destruction or ruin. This may refer to his reputation being destroyed or to suffering financial loss. It may even refer to losing his life. If possible, you should use an expression that can refer to any of these.

Some ways to translate this line are:

A careless talker destroys himself. (Good News Translation)
-or-
but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined (New Century Version)
-or-
one who talks too much faces ruin (Revised English Bible)

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