The Hebrew that is typically translated in English as “power” or “might” or “force” is translated in the English translation by Goldingay (2018) as energy or energetic.
complete verse (Proverbs 20:29)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 20:29:
- Kupsabiny: “Elders are honored due to their grey hair,
and/but the youth are praised because of their strength.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation) - Newari: “People praise the strength of young men,
and they honor the grey hair of the aged.” (Source: Newari Back Translation) - Hiligaynon: “(It is) pride of the young-ones their strength, and (it is) honor of the old-ones their being-old.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “That which is the cause-of- unmarried-men -being-praised is their strength, but the old-men, it is their gray-hair.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- English: “We honor/admire young people because they are strong,
but we respect old people more because they are wise.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
Translation commentary on Proverbs 20:29
The two lines of this verse are parallel and make a contrast between the most admirable qualities of people when they are young and when they are old.
“The glory of young men is their strength”: The Hebrew word rendered “glory” has the primary sense of beauty, and it is used here in the sense of what a person can be proud of or what others praise someone for (see 16.31 and 17.6). So New Jerusalem Bible has “The pride of the young. . .” and Good News Translation “We admire. . ..” “Young men” translates a term whose meaning in the singular is a young male in the prime of manhood; and since “strength” is the quality in focus in this line, to translate as Revised Standard Version does (and also New International Version and Revised English Bible) is quite appropriate here. However, the plural term can also have the general meaning of “youth” as a time of life; both men and women in that age range could then be referred to. So translations such as “We admire the strength of youth” (Good News Translation) and “The pride of the young is their strength” (New Jerusalem Bible) are also satisfactory.
“But the beauty of old men is their gray hair”: “But” in English indicates that the statement in this line is a contrast with the previous line. The Hebrew text has its normal connector, and this is rendered as “and” by some English versions (Good News Translation, Scott) and omitted by others (New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible). There is a case, however, for taking the second line of the parallel structure of the verse as expressing what is higher or greater or “more so” than the first line. Contemporary English Version understands the saying this way: “the gray hairs of wisdom are even more beautiful.” “Beauty” is the parallel term for “glory” in the first line. Its meaning is “splendid adornment,” something that people admire very much. Most English versions translate “gray hair” (rendered “hoary head” in 16.31) quite literally, without indicating for the reader the real quality that is in focus, namely, the wisdom that old people have acquired; the commentators mostly mention this as the real meaning, but few translations include it. In some cultures it goes without saying that the old are respected for their wisdom; where this is not the case, translators are advised to follow Contemporary English Version and say something like “the gray hair of wisdom,” or even “their wisdom.” “Wisdom,” after all, is the main theme of the book of Proverbs; and that also makes it more likely that the sense of this verse is that the wisdom of old age is more to be admired than the strength of youth.
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 .
SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 20:29
20:29
This proverb contrasts characteristics that people admire in men who are young and those who are old.
29a
The glory of young men is their strength,
29b and gray hair is the splendor of the old.
The Berean Standard Bible has used a chiasm to emphasize the contrast between the different characteristics. In Hebrew, the parallel parts occur in the same order, as in the English Standard Version:
29a
The glory of young men is their strength,
29b but the splendor of the old is their gray hair. (English Standard Version)
Notice that the English Standard Version has used the conjunction “but” to introduce the contrast. The Berean Standard Bible uses “and.” The New International Version does not use a conjunction. Connect the two lines of this verse in a way that expresses this kind of contrast effectively and naturally.
20:29a–b
The glory…the splendor: These parallel terms have almost the same meaning here. For glory, see 4:9a–b, where the Berean Standard Bible translates the word as “beauty.” For splendor, see 14:28a, where the Berean Standard Bible translates the word as “splendor.” In this context, both terms refer to a characteristic in which a person takes pride or which other people admire. Some other ways that English versions translate these terms are:
pride…ornament (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
glory…dignity (Revised English Bible)
-or-
We admire…respect (Good News Translation)
young men…the old: In Hebrew, the singular form of young men refers to a young man in the prime of life. The masculine plural form used here can refer to young women as well as young men. In the context of Proverbs, this verse refers primarily to young men and old men, as in the English Standard Version (quoted above).
If your language has gender-neutral terms for young people and old people, you may use those terms. Some languages use different terms for “young men” and “young women.” They also use different terms for “old men” and “old women.” If that is true in your language, it is probably better to use the set of terms that refers to men.
20:29a
The glory of young men is their strength: The word strength refers here to physical strength and energy. Some other ways to translate 20:29a are:
Young people take pride in their strength (New Century Version)
-or-
We admire the strength of youth (Good News Translation)
20:29b
gray hair: In Hebrew, gray hair is a single word. It is used here as a figure of speech (metonymy). It represents both old age and the wisdom and experience that accompany old age. Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:
• Use a similar figure of speech. For example:
their silver hair (God’s Word)
• Make the meaning explicit along with the figure of speech. For example:
the gray hair of experience (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the gray hairs of wisdom (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the gray hair of age (Good News Translation)
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
their old age
-or-
their wisdom/experience
Some other ways to translate 20:29b are:
and old men are honored for their gray hair (New Century Version)
-or-
and we respect old people for their age and experience
Compare this translation advice with the notes on 16:31a. The words used there are slightly different, and the context is also different.
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