wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • 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)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma 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):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

wisdom ("word wisdom")

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).

See also buy wisdom.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 18:4

“The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters”: There is no verb in either line of this saying. Interpreters vary greatly in their understanding of it. Line 1 appears to be closely related to the idea expressed in 20.5, where what a person thinks with his mind (expressed in Hebrew as “heart”) is compared with “deep waters”. This thought is supported by 16.23. It is not entirely clear if “deep waters” is to be taken here as “profound thoughts” or “obscure thoughts” that a person expresses in his or her “words”. Whybray understands this image to mean that a person’s character is like “deep water” in that it is not easily observed.

“The fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream”: Revised Standard Version takes the subject of this verbless clause to be “the fountain of wisdom” that is compared with a flowing, running or “gushing stream” (of water). The expression “fountain of wisdom” is used here for the first time in Proverbs. It is similar to “fountain of life” used in 10.11. It is a figure of speech that may be expressed, for example, “They are like a fountain that gives wisdom” or “. . . a source flowing with wisdom.”

Translators may follow the pattern of Revised Standard Version or that of Good News Translation. In the case of Good News Translation, the translators have supplied the verb “can be” in order to avoid saying whether “The words of a man’s mouth” in line 1 are “words of wise people” or “any words spoken by a person.” Good News Translation has then adjusted the metaphor “fountain of wisdom” to “a source of wisdom” and used the link words “can be” to show that this describes “The words of a man’s mouth”. “Deep waters” from line 1 and “gushing stream” are then made to serve as similes for wisdom. Another model that translators may use is that of Contemporary English Version: “Words of wisdom are a stream that flows from a deep fountain.”

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 18:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 18:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “Words of wisdom are like,
    water that gives life.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Words of insight are like a fountain of water
    which comes up from the depths.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A word of a wise man can-give wisdom to others; it is like water that flows from the deep spring.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The words of the wise can-be-illustrated by a deep river that never-dries-up.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “What wise people say is like a deep ocean that you can never get to the bottom of ,
    and it refreshes us like water from a rapidly flowing stream.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 18:4

18:4

4a
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters,

4b
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

In Hebrew, there is no conjunction, such as “and,” connecting 18:4a and 18:4b. There are also no verbs (“are/is”). There are at least two ways to interpret the parallel lines along with the two metaphors:

(1) Verse 18:4b continues the thought of 18:4a. Both lines describe the words of wise people. Their words are both profound (“deep waters”) and plentiful (“flowing brook”). For example:

The words of a person’s mouth are like deep waters, and the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook. (NET Bible)

(2) Verse 18:4b contrasts with 18:4a. Verse 18:4a describes the words of an average person. His words are obscure and hard to understand (“deep water”). By contrast, the words of a wise person in 18:4b are an unending source of wisdom (“bubbling brook”). For example:

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. (New International Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most scholars. There are several reasons:

(a) When parallel lines contrast, they are usually connected with a conjunction (waw). There is no conjunction here in Hebrew.

(b) The metaphors used in this verse usually refer to the words of wise people.

(c) The idea that the words of ordinary people are hard to understand does not fit well with other teaching in Proverbs.

See the General Comment on 18:4a–b for ways to translate the parallel lines.

18:4a

The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters: This clause is a complex figure of speech. The word mouth represents the person himself. The phrase words of a man’s mouth refers to the words that a person says. It is implied from 18:4b that this person is wise.

This clause is also a metaphor. In this metaphor, The words of a man’s mouth are compared to deep waters, such as the water in a well. They are similar, because they are profound and full of meaning. They are also plentiful.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

Wise words are like deep waters. (New Living Translation (2004))

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the similarity between wise words and deep water. For example:

The words of a wise person ⌊are profound⌋ . They are like the deep water in a well.

18:4b

the fountain of wisdom: This phrase is a metaphor. It compares the words of a wise person to a spring or other source of plentiful water. The Good News Translation translates this phrase without using a figure of speech. It has:

a source of wisdom

A similar phrase “fountain of life” occurs in 10:11a.

a bubbling brook: In Hebrew, this phrase usually refers to a stream or wadi that gushes with swiftly flowing water in the rainy season. But it becomes a dry stream bed in the dry season.

In this context, the point of this metaphor is that wise words are like a plentiful supply of fresh water. They are a great blessing. There is no emphasis here on the temporary nature of the stream. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

a gushing torrent (Revised English Bible)
-or-
an overflowing stream (God’s Word)

General Comment on 18:4a–b

There are several acceptable ways to understand the relationship between the metaphors in these two lines:

• The metaphors occur in two parallel clauses, as in the NET Bible (quoted above). If it is natural in your language, you may omit the conjunction, as in the Hebrew. For example:

Wise words are like deep waters;

wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook. (New Living Translation (2004))

• The three metaphors occur in a single clause. They all refer to the words of a wise person. For example:

The words a man speaks are deep waters,

a flowing stream, a fountain of wisdom. (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

• The metaphors overlap in meaning. In some languages, it may be better to combine and/or reorder the two lines. For example:

Words of wisdom are a stream that flows from a deep fountain. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
A person’s words can be a source of wisdom, deep as the ocean, fresh as a flowing stream. (Good News Translation)

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