broken up

In Gbaya, the notion of being broken up into small pieces is emphasized with the ideophone ndúkú-ndúkú.

In Habakkuk 3:16 “rottenness enters into my bones” is translated as “my bones have decomposed and broken up,” emphasized by ndúkú-ndúkú.

Ideophones are a class of sound symbolic words expressing human sensation that are used as literary devices in many African languages. (Source: Philip Noss)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 29:1

This saying is about the person who will not listen to advice; for other similar sayings see 13.18 and 15.10.

“He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck”: “He who is often reproved” is literally “a man of reproofs,” where “reproofs,” as in 1.23, refers to correction or warning. The Hebrew plural meaning “reproofs” is expressed by Revised Standard Version as “often reproved”. See Good News Translation “every time you are corrected.” “Stiffens his neck” is also used, for example, in Jer 7.26 and 17.23. To stiffen or harden your neck means to be stubborn, and in this context to oppose teaching or correction. See Good News Translation. In some languages the equivalent of “stiffens his neck” is “has a blind heart,” “hardens his head,” or “always says ‘No.'” Contemporary English Version translates this line “If you keep being stubborn after many warnings.”

“Will suddenly be broken beyond healing”: In Hebrew this line is identical to 6.15b. See there for comments.

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 29:1)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 29:1:

  • Kupsabiny: “A person who does not accept to be advised is destroyed
    the one who continues to have a dry head (be stubborn, not respond).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “People who are hostile towards all rebuke
    will suddenly be destroyed,
    no matter how hard they try to stop it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A man who causes- his heart -to-become even more -harder even-though how many times he has-been-rebuked already will- suddenly -be-destroyed and no longer can-rise-up.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who is always admonished but keeps-hardening his mind (i.e., keeps being stubborn), later indeed his destruction will arrive that has no remedy.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Some people remain stubborn even though they are often reproved/warned about doing what is wrong,
    but some day they will be crushed/ruined, and nothing will be able to heal them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)