Translation commentary on Proverbs 30:8

“Remove far from me falsehood and lying”: This literal rendering is not quite natural in English, although many versions keep the expression “far from. . ..” The essential meaning is “keep me from lying” (Good News Translation); and this also may be expressed in a positive way: “Make me absolutely honest” (Contemporary English Version). The two expressions rendered “falsehood” and “lying” are literally “vain speech” and “words of deception”; they have practically the same meaning in this context.

“Give me neither poverty nor riches”: For “poverty” see 6.11; for “riches” see 3.16. The construction “give me neither . . . nor” means that these are two conditions the person prays not to be in. It is clear from what follows that this line speaks of “poverty”, “being poor,” and “riches”, “being rich,” as two extremes. The prayer is to have neither too little nor too much: “don’t let me be too poor or too rich” (Contemporary English Version).

“Feed me with the food that is needful for me”: “Feed me” means “provide me with food” (see Revised English Bible). The request is for the happy middle situation, “just enough to meet my needs.” See Contemporary English Version “Give me just what I need” and Good News Translation “So give me only as much food as I need.” “The food that is needful for me” is literally “food of my prescribed portion”; this is reflected in Scott “food that is my portion” and New Jerusalem Bible “only my share of food.”

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 30:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 30:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “My God, as long as I live, deny/protect/prevent me from lying. Do not let me become rich or poor,. but give me what is fitting/needful for me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Keep me far from falsehood.
    [Make] me neither poor nor rich,
    just give me enough to eat.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “First, help me that I will- not -lie. Second, do- not -let- me -become-rich or become-poor, but just give me what I need.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Make- me -become trustworthy so I will absolutely not tell-lies and do not excessively make- me -rich or make- me -poor. May what you (sing.) give be exactly what-I-need,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Help me never to lie or deceive people
    and do not cause me to become poor or to become rich.
    Just give me the food that I need;” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Japanese benefactives (tōzakete)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, tōzakete (遠ざけて) or “distance” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Japanese benefactives (yashinatte)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between. One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, yashinatte (養って) or “provide/sustain” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )