Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
For purchasing artworks by Kateryna Shadrina go to IconArt Gallery .
“She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her”: “Tree of life” is a traditional image referring to health and long life. It may be taken from Gen 2.9 and 3.22 (see also Rev 2.7 and 22.2), or it may be just a commonly used image. The same expression is used in 11.30 and in 15.4. “Tree of life” is not just a “living tree.” It picks up the idea of long life as a gift of wisdom expressed in verse 16. “Lay hold” means to seize or grasp, usually in the physical sense, but the term is used here in the sense of grasping with the mind or holding firmly in the heart.
“Is a tree of life” may have to be adjusted in translation to say, for example, “is like a tree of life,” “is a tree that gives long life”; or it may be necessary to replace the figure of the tree and say, for example, “She gives life” or “Wisdom gives life to.” There is no suggestion that this carries the idea of an existence after death. If something more than the word life by itself is needed, it is sufficient to say “long life” or “many years of life.”
“Those who hold her fast are called happy”: “Hold . . . fast” renders another word with a very similar meaning to “lay hold” in the first line. The repetition of thought serves to emphasize the idea of getting or holding firmly to wisdom. “Called happy” in the Hebrew is literally “are blessed,” “happy,” or “fortunate.” It uses a form of the same word that begins this poem in verse 13. This happiness is a result of people’s attachment to wisdom. As Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says: “Wisdom is life for those who get it; happy are those who keep hold of it!”
We may also translate, for example: “Wisdom is like a tree that gives people long life. Fortunate are those who hold on to it.”
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 3:18:
Kupsabiny: “Wisdom is a tree of life for those people who welcomes (it) and (it) blesses those people who hold firmly to that wisdom.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “Wisdom is a tree of life for those who accept it. Those who hold it tightly will rejoice forever.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “Blessed is the man who remain/stay wise; wisdom can-make-good and prolong his life.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “Wisdom, it is compared to a tree that gives life and is a source of happiness for the person who keeps-clinging to it.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning. They form a chiasm. The parts in 3:18a occur in the opposite order from the parallel parts in 3:18b.
18a She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,
18b and those who lay hold of herare blessed.
3:18a–b
She is a tree of life: The phrase tree of life may be a reference to Genesis 3:22. It means “tree that gives life” or “tree that is a source of life.” (The same phrase occurs in Proverbs 11:30, 13:12 and 15:4.) In this metaphor wisdom is compared to a life-giving tree because wisdom also gives life and happiness to people who are wise.
those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as embrace means “to grasp” or “to hold on to.” The second verb has essentially the same meaning. Drawings of people or animals grasping a sacred tree were common in the ancient Near East. In this verse, people are described as figuratively grasping or holding on to wisdom. In some languages, it may be necessary to translate the meaning without using the figure of speech. For example:
those who consistently use wisdom
-or-
those who are consistently wise
3:18b
are blessed: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as are blessed is a different form of the word translated “blessed” in 3:13a. It may mean “will be considered happy.” This meaning is brought out by the Revised Standard Version:
those who hold her fast are called happy (Revised Standard Version)
But most versions do not specify “called” or “considered.” Here is another way to translate this:
will be happy (New Century Version)
The New Jerusalem Bible expresses the same meaning in different words:
live happy lives (New Jerusalem Bible)
General Comment on 3:18a–b
In some languages, it may be preferable to combine and/or reorder the parallel lines. For example:
Wisdom is a life-giving tree, the source of happiness for all who hold on to her. (Contemporary English Version)
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