The Hebrew that is translated as “the light of a king’s face” or similar in English is translated in Mbaï as “the king’s laughter.” (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
Translation commentary on Proverbs 16:15
“In the light of a king’s face there is life”: In contrast with verse 14, where the king’s anger can cause death, in this line the happy face of the king gives life. “The light of a king’s face” is an expression more commonly used in regard to the Lord. For examples, see Psa 4.6 (Hebrew verse 7); 44.3 (Hebrew verse 4); and 89.15 (Hebrew verse 16). The sense is a happy, smiling, pleasant face disposed or ready to grant favors. “Life” refers to a long and happy life or even prosperity. Bible en français courant says “A smile on the face of the king is the promise of life.” In some languages the relation between the king’s pleasant face and “life” must be expressed with an active verb, for example, “When the king’s face shines with happiness, he gives life to the people.” Good News Translation has dropped the image of the bright face, but in many languages it may be desirable to keep this image.
“And his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain”: For “favor” see 8.35 and 11.27. The king’s goodness is compared to “clouds” that cause it to rain in the spring, that is, during the months of March and April when the crops have been planted and depend on the rain to start their early growth. For another reference to the “spring rain” see Job 29.23. In some areas the equivalent of the “spring rain” is “the small rain,” “the rain from the west,” or “the rain after planting.” The meaning of the image of “the clouds” is that they bring life, growth, and refreshment. This may need to be brought out in translation; for example, “his favor refreshes like a gentle rain” (New Living Translation).
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 .
king
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:
(Click or tap here to see details)
- Piro: “a great one”
- Highland Totonac: “the big boss”
- Huichol: “the one who commanded” (source for this and above: Bratcher / Nida)
- Ekari: “the one who holds the country” (source: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
- Una: weik sienyi: “big headman” (source: Kroneman 2004, p. 407)
- Pass Valley Yali: “Big Man” (source: Daud Soesilo)
- 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.”
(Source: Faye Edgerton in The Bible Translator 1962, p. 25ff. )
See also king (Japanese honorifics).
SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 16:15
16:15
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
15a
When a king’s face brightens, there is life ;
15b
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring.
In contrast to the king’s wrath in 16:14, this verse describes the beneficial effects of the king’s approval.
16:15a
When a king’s face brightens, there is life: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When a king’s face brightens is literally “in the light of a king’s face” (New Revised Standard Version). This means that the king smiles, showing approval, delight, or good favor toward someone. The smile is a sign that the person concerned will enjoy a good and prosperous life. The New Living Translation (2004) expresses this meaning as follows:
When the king smiles, there is life (New Living Translation (2004))
16:15b
his favor is like a rain cloud in spring: This line is a simile. In this simile, the king’s favor is compared to a cloud that brings rain. The similarity between the two is that both result in life. A king’s smile is a sign that his subjects will have a good life. A cloud that brings rain is a sign that the crops will live and there will be a good harvest.
It is important to remember that a rain cloud in spring may indicate different things in different parts of the world. Some languages may have a term that refers specifically to rain that comes during the growing season or before the harvest. If there is no specific term, it may be better to use a term that refers to rain in general. The point of this simile is the beneficial effects of the rain, not the timing of the rain.
The New Living Translation (1996) omits the reference to the cloud and the season of the year. But it makes explicit the beneficial nature of the rain. It has:
his favor refreshes like a gentle rain
You will need to decide which parts of the simile can be left implied and which parts need to be made explicit.
his favor: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as his favor refers to the king’s kindness or goodwill. (See the note on 11:27a.) It describes the inner attitude that corresponds to the outward facial expression in 16:15a.
rain cloud in spring: In Israel, the spring rain comes in March or April, and provides the moisture necessary to ripen the grain harvest.
General Comment on 16:15a–b
A king’s smile and rain both result in life. So some versions have reordered the phrase about life so that it comes at the end of the verse. For example:
When a ruler is happy and pleased with you, it’s like refreshing rain, and you will live. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The king’s favor is like the clouds that bring rain in the springtime—life is there. (Good News Translation)
Both of these versions have omitted a specific reference to the king’s face/smile. They also differ in what they make explicit in 16:15b. You will need to decide what expresses the meaning most effectively in your language.
© 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.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.