someone who is hasty in speech

In Gbaya, the notion of someone who is quick to speak in Proverbs 29:20 is emphasized with the ideophone putum-putum, which refers to the collapse of a hole, or falling into a hole hidden under the grass. Here the talker goes putum-putum into an obscured hole (i.e. fails) because they spoke to quickly.

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 29:20

This verse is nearly identical to 26.12. See there for comments. However, in 26.12 the person is “wise in his own eyes” and in the present verse the person is “hasty in his words” or, as Good News Translation translates, “speaks without thinking.”

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 29:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 29:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “Even a foolish person has something to hope for/trust in,
    more than one who jumps into issues (makes too hasty decisions.)” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “There is more hope for fools
    than for those who tend to speak out wrecklessly.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Better is the end-result of a foolish man than a man who only speaks harshly/without-thinking.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Better as a cause-for-hope/expectation is a person who is mindless than the one who is quick to speak who does not think-about-it first.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “God can help/bless foolish people more easily
    than he can help/bless people who speak without thinking first.” (Source: Translation for Translators)