joy

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The Greek, Latin, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is translated with “joy” or “gladness” in English is translated with various strategies:

  • Baoulé: “a song in the stomach” (see also peace (inner peace))
  • Bambara: “the spirit is made sweet”
  • Kpelle: “sweet heart”
  • Tzeltal: “the good taste of one’s heart”
  • Uduk: “good to the stomach”
  • Mískito: “the liver is wide open” (“happily letting the pleasures flooding in upon it”) (source for this and above: Nida 1952)
  • Mairasi: “good liver” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).

See also Seat of the Mind for traditional views of “ways of knowing, thinking, and feeling,” happiness / joy, and exceeding joy.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 15:23

This saying expresses the importance of mastering persuasive speech—not only the style of speaking, but the knowledge of knowing the right time to speak.

“To make an apt answer is a joy to a man”: This line says literally “There is joy to a man in the answer of his mouth.” It is probably assumed that the person who experiences joy from his response has given an appropriate reply to what the other person said. For “answer” see 15.1. For “joy” see “glad” in 15.13. We may render this line, for example, “It is pleasant to be able to give a good reply” or “It brings pleasure to a person who answers another person well.”

“And a word in season, how good it is!”: “Word” parallels “answer” and refers to a word, utterance, or saying. “In season” is literally “in its time” meaning “spoken at the right time” and refers to something said that is fully appropriate to the situation. “How good it is” may need to be placed at the beginning of the line, for example, “How effective it is when something is spoken at the right moment!” Alternatively “how good it is” may be expressed at the end of the line: “A word spoken at just the right moment is very effective.”

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 15:23)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 15:23:

  • Kupsabiny: “A word replied/answered in a right/adequate way pleases a person,
    and how good is a word/matter that is fulfilled in the right time/season.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “How people rejoice when the right answer
    is given at the right time.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A man rejoices if he can-give an appropriate reply. How very good (it is) if he can-reply at the right time.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Correct/proper words at the right time exceedingly make-happy.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “People rejoice when they are able to reply well to what others have asked them;
    truly, it is very delightful to be able to say the right thing at the right time.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 15:23

15:23

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

23a
A man takes joy in a fitting reply —

23b and how good is a timely word !

15:23a–b

A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a fitting reply is literally “the answer of his mouth.” Because of the parallelism with a timely word, it is implied that his answer is good, appropriate, or useful. The second line is literally “how good is a word in its time.” This means that a statement is good, useful, or effective when it is appropriate or fits the occasion.

takes joy…how good: The first line focuses on the joy that is experienced by someone who gives a good answer. The parallel how good in 15:23b focuses on the nature of the answer and on its usefulness to the listener. But it probably also implies that the speaker benefits from his good answer.

General Comment on 15:23a–b

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

Giving the right answer at the right time makes everyone happy. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion! (Good News Translation)

See 15:23a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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