The Greek, Latin, and Hebrew that is typically translated as “prostitute” in English (in some, mostly earlier translation also as “harlot” or “whore”) is translated in the 2024 revision of the inter-confessional LatvianJauna Pārstrādāta latviešu Bībele as netikle or “hussy.” This replaced the previous translation mauka or “whore.” Nikita Andrejevs, editor of the Bible explains the previous and current translations: “The translators at the time felt that this strong word best described the thought contained in the main text. Many had objections, as it seemed that this word would not be the most appropriate for public reading in church.” (Source: Updated Bible published in Latvia ).
Other translations include:
Bariai: “a woman of the road” (source: Bariai Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “a woman who sells her body” (source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Uma: “a woman whose behavior is not appropriate” or “a loose woman” (source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “a bad woman” (source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “a woman who makes money through their reputation” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “a woman who makes money with her body” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “a woman whose womanhood is repeatedly-bought” (source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Ixcatlán Mazatec: “with your best/biggest thinking” (source: Robert Bascom)
Noongar: dwangka-boola, lit. “ear much” (source: Portions of the Holy Bible in the Nyunga language of Australia, 2018 — see also remember)
Kwere “to know how to live well” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Dobel: “their ear holes are long-lasting” (in Acts 6:3) (source: Jock Hughes)
Gbaya: iŋa-mgbara-mɔ or “knowing-about-things” (note that in comparison to that, “knowledge” is translated as iŋa-mɔ or “knowing things”) (source: Philip Noss in The Bible Translator 2001, p. 114ff. )
Chichewa: nzeru, meaning both “knowledge” and “wisdom” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)
Highland Popoluca: “understand what God wants” (Source for this and five above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a hand gesture referring to God to indicate a human quality to communicate that wisdom does not originate from man but is linked to and connected with the fear of God (source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group):
In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” or “wise” in English. For the verses referenced here, it uses p’ijil-o’tanil or “heart wisdom.”
For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).
Noongar: koort-kwabba-djil or “heart very good” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “refreshed heart” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.).
HausaCommon Language Bible: farin ciki or “white stomach.” Other languages that use the same expression include Southern Birifor (pʋpɛl), Dera (popolok awo), Reshe (ɾipo ɾipuhã). (Source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
The language of this saying is similar to that of the Instructions in the poems in chapters 1–9. See, for example, 6.32; 8.17.
“He who loves wisdom makes his father glad”: “He who” is literally “a man who.” New Revised Standard Version has translated “A child who” as more appropriate in the context of pleasing a father. In some languages it is not possible to speak of loving an abstract such as “wisdom”. Accordingly, it is sometimes necessary to say “loves doing what is wise” or to use a figurative expression; for example, “If your heart is warm to wisdom” or “If wisdom causes your liver to move.” For “makes his father glad” see 10.1.
“But one who keeps company with harlots squanders his substance”: For warnings against adultery see chapter 5. “Keeps company with harlots” is literally “a friend of harlots.” For “harlots” see 6.26 and 7.10. Note that here association with harlots is condemned because it “squanders . . . substance”, which means “wastes wealth.” “His substance” is ambiguous since “his” might refer back to the father or the son. The meaning is given clearly in New Revised Standard Version: “to keep company with prostitutes is to squander one’s substance.” Note Good News Translation “It is a foolish waste to spend money on prostitutes.” Contemporary English Version goes further: “chasing after bad women will cost you everything.”
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 .
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 29:3:
Kupsabiny: “A person who loves wisdom makes his/her father happy, but (he) who follows/joins with prostitutes/adulteresses, is destroying/wasting his wealth.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “The one who pursues wisdom makes his parents glad. The one who goes to the place of prostitutes, will lose his property.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “A man who wants wisdom gives joy to his father. A man who keeps-on joining with the women who sell their body only wastes his money.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “The child who esteems wisdom, he makes-happy his father, but the one who spends on prostitutes, he merely uses-up in foolishness/senselessness his wealth.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
English: “Those who are eager to become wise cause their parents to be glad; those who spend their time with prostitutes will end up giving all their money to them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)
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