Translation commentary on Proverbs 18:7

“A fool’s mouth is his ruin”: This saying reverses the order of the terms “lips” and “mouth” used in verse 6. “Mouth” again refers to talk. “Ruin” renders a word translated by Revised Standard Version as “destruction” in 10.29. This verse makes clear that the fool causes his own destruction through his senseless talk.

“And his lips are a snare to himself”: “Lips” is again an image of speech. “A snare to himself” is literally “snare of his soul [life].” “Snare” translates the same word used for “snares of death” in 13.14. The idea expressed here is that the fool is caught or trapped by his own talk. In some languages it may be necessary to adjust this line to say, for example, “his lips are like a trap that catches him” or “what he says lays a trap for him.”

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 18:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 18:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “A foolish person is destroyed by his own mouth (words),
    and his words are like a trap he himself has fallen into.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The way fools speak out leads to their own destruction
    and entangles them in their own words.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “What a foolish man speaks/says can-harm himself.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “His words can-be-illustrated by an animal-pit in which he-is-trapped and ruined.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “What foolish people say causes them to be ruined;
    their own words are like a trap that catches/seizes them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 18:7

18:7

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7a
A fool’s mouth is his ruin,

7b and his lips are a snare to his soul.

For the underlined parallel phrases, see the notes on the parallel phrases in 18:6a and 18:6b. All four phrases have the same meaning. The parallel phrases in bold print refer to the intensifying consequences of the fool’s words.

18:7a

A fool’s mouth is his ruin: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as his ruin often refers to the destruction caused by war. Here it refers to the terrible things that happen to a fool as a result of what he says. These things ruin or destroy his life. Some ways to translate this line are:

The words of fools will ruin them (New Century Version)
-or-
When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself (Good News Translation)

18:7b

and his lips are a snare to his soul: This clause is a metaphor. The metaphor compares the fool’s words (Berean Standard Bible: lips) to a snare or trap in which an animal or bird is caught and killed. The implied similarity is that both the fool’s words and a snare result in death.

his soul: This phrase represents either the fool himself or his life. In the context of a deadly trap, there is little difference between the two. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

their own words will trap them (New Century Version)

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

His words are like a deadly trap which catches him.
-or-
What he says is like a trap which leads to his death.

The metaphor of a snare also occurs in 12:13a, 13:14b, and 14:27a–b. See the notes there. The contexts of these metaphors differ, so you may not be able to translate them the same way.

General Comment on 18:7a–b

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

Saying foolish things is like setting a trap to destroy yourself. (Contemporary English Version)

Reordering or combining the parallel lines in this way will affect the chiastic structure as well as the progression of meaning. (See the note on 18:6–7.) So it is better to use this option in situations where a chiasm and intensification of meaning are not effective. See 18:6a–b and 18:7a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display for ways to keep the intensification of meaning.

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