Translation commentary on Proverbs 23:28

“She lies in wait like a robber”: In translations that retain the singular pronoun, it is not clear which of the women in the previous verse “She” refers back to. Both Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version render the pronoun as “They,” making it refer to both. Revised English Bible makes the two lines of the verse refer to each woman in turn by using the construction “the one . . . the other. . ..” For “lies in wait” see 7.12. The word for “robber” occurs only here in the Old Testament; the related verb is rendered “snatches away” in Job 9.12. The point of the comparison in the simile is that the woman is waiting with the deliberate intention of getting what the man has.

“And increases the faithless among men”: In English the term “faithless” may have the meaning of “without faith” or “without faith in God.” In Hebrew and in the context of this whole saying, however, the sense is more likely to be “unfaithful,” that is, “unfaithful to marriage vows.” “Increases” means to “add to the number” or “make a larger number”; the sense is that the prostitute or immoral woman causes many “men” to be unfaithful by her activity. New Revised Standard Version eliminates the word “men” in the interests of avoiding sexist language; but this is one place where that approach must be wrong! It is “men” who are made unfaithful in large numbers by the women described here. For translation of this line, Good News Translation is a good model, “and cause many men to be unfaithful,” as is New Living Translation, “looking for another victim who will be unfaithful to his wife.” In one Pacific translation this is expressed as “she pulls [seduces] many men and they break their marriage vows.”

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 23:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 23:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “That prostitute waits like a thief who robs people of their things on the road and makes men to commit adultery.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They lie in wait like bandits,
    and they corrupt people.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “She is like a robber who waits of her victim, and she is the reason of the unfaithfulness of the many husband from their wives.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They can-be-compared to a criminal who keeps-waiting and many are the men that they direct into sin.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 23:28

23:28

This verse continues the warning in 23:27. The first line describes the way that an immoral woman traps a man. The second line describes a result of her activities.

28a Like a robber she lies in wait,

28b and multiplies the faithless among men.

23:28a

In Hebrew, this verse begins with a word that introduces or emphasizes another aspect of what the woman does. For example:

Yes, like a brigand, she lies in wait (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Indeed, she lies in wait like a robber (NET Bible)

Most versions do not translate this word explicitly.

Like a robber she lies in wait: This is a simile. It compares the way that an immoral woman seduces a man to the way that a robber hides and waits in order to rob someone. Some similarities are:

(a) Both the woman and the robber have evil intentions. They both want to get the man’s money.

(b) In both situations, the victim does not suspect that he faces danger.

she: In Hebrew, this pronoun is singular. Many versions translate it as she. It may refer to any of the immoral women that are described in 23:27a–b. Some versions translate it as “they.”

lies in wait: This phrase is one word in Hebrew. It occurs in a similar context in 7:12b. There the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “lurks.” See the translation advice there.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

They wait for you like robbers (Good News Translation)
-or-
They ambush you like robbers (New Century Version)

23:28b

and multiplies the faithless among men: This clause describes what happens when an immoral woman seduces a man. She increases the number of men who are faithless or “unfaithful” (New International Version).

faithless: In Hebrew, this word probably refers here to men who are disloyal or break their promise to someone. It means that they lack faithfulness. It does not mean that they lack faith in God.

The verse does not specify the object of the word faithless. Men who have sex with a prostitute or an adulteress are:

(a) Unfaithful to their wives. They break their marriage vows.

(b) They are also faithless to God or God’s law. They break their promise to obey God and follow his laws.

If possible, translate in a way that allows either meaning. For example:

and cause many men to be unfaithful (Good News Translation)

If you need to specify one of these options in your language, specify option (a). For example:

and cause many men to be unfaithful to their wives (New Century Version)
-or-
As a result, she adds to the number of men who have broken their wedding vows.

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