holy ones

The Greek, Ge’ez, and Hebrew that is typically translated as “holy ones” in English is translated as “angels” in Purepecha and in Chichewa as “(people with a) white heart” since “white” is the word that is used in Chichewa for the translation of “holy.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also holy ones (Psalm 34:9) and saint.

wisdom ("heart wisdom")

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).

wisdom

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Ge’ez, Latin, and Greek that is translated as “wisdom” in English is rendered in various ways:

  • Amganad Ifugao / Tabasco Chontal: “(big) mind”
  • Bulu / Yamba: “heart-thinking”
  • Tae’: “cleverness of heart” (source for this and all above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Palauan: “bright spirit (innermost)” (source: Bratcher / Hatton)
  • 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)
  • Uma: “clearness” (source: Uma Back Translation)

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 Andrea Bokros):


“Wisdom” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

See also wisdom (Proverbs) and knowledge.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 30:3

This verse continues in the same tone as verse 2. Here, rather than being stupid or ignorant of things in general, the speaker claims to be lacking in wisdom and ignorant of God.

“I have not learned wisdom”: By saying this, the speaker may mean that he has not received teaching in a formal sense; this may be the sense intended by Good News Translation “I have never learned any wisdom.” On the other hand, it may simply mean that he has not become a wise person: “I never was wise” (Contemporary English Version). “Wisdom” is the main topic of the whole book of Proverbs. With “knowledge of the Holy One” as its matching expression in the next line, this verse is very similar to 9.10; in fact the speaker seems to be claiming that he does not have what is referred to there.

“Nor have I knowledge of the Holy One”: This line is parallel to the first line of the verse. For “knowledge of the Holy One” (literally “knowledge of the holy ones,” as in New Revised Standard Version), see 9.10. “Have knowledge of” is literally “know knowledge of,” and means simply “know about” or “understand.” Good News Translation “I know nothing at all about God” and Contemporary English Version “I don’t understand what God is like” are both good models in English.

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 30:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 30:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “I have not taught myself/studied wisdom and do not know the Holy God.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “I have never studied the matter of wisdom.
    I don’t know anything about God.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “I have- never -learned to become-wise,
    and I know nothing about God.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There-is-no wisdom that I have learned and I know nothing about God who is Holy.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “I have not learned how to become wise
    and I do not know much about God.” (Source: Translation for Translators)