“As in water face answers to face, so the mind of man reflects the man”: There are no verbs in either line of this saying. It says literally “Like water, a face to face, so the heart of man to man.” As it stands the meaning is not clear. It is generally agreed, however, that “face to face” in relation to “water” refers to a reflection. If we assume a physical reflection is to be understood in the first line, it is possible that the second line refers to character.

The problem in the second line is “man to man.” Is the second man the same as the first or different? Revised Standard Version takes these to be one and the same person. Scott also has “so a man’s thoughts are reflected in the man,” and Good News Translation agrees with this: “it is your own self that you see in your heart.” On the other hand, however, Contemporary English Version takes the second “man” to refer to others: “You see your face in a mirror and your thoughts in the mind of others.” Both Revised Standard Version and Contemporary English Version are possible interpretations of this difficult saying.

One possible model for this verse is: “If a person looks down into water, he sees his own face. And if a person thinks carefully about his thoughts and actions, he will know what kind of person he is.”

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 .