soul

The Hebrew, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).

The Mandarin Chinese línghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )

In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also heart, soul, mind.

complete verse (Proverbs 3:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 3:22:

  • Kupsabiny: “If you do like that, you will receive life and be honored.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They will give you a pleasant life.
    and will be an ornament for your neck.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For this can-give you (sing.) a long and beautiful life.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They will give you (sing.) long life and are-like jewelry that cause- you (sing.) -to-be-lovely.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 3:22

“They will be life for your soul”: “They” refers again to sound wisdom and discretion in verse 21. “Life for your soul” is another way of expressing long life, which is promised in verse 16. “Soul” translates the Hebrew nefesh, which refers here to the person’s physical existence. The sense of this line is “They will give you a long life” or “Because of them you will have a long life.”

“Adornment for your neck”: In 1.9 the instruction given the child by its parents is said to be like a necklace. In 3.3 the learner of wisdom is advised to bind loyalty and faithfulness about the neck. In this context the “adornment” is expressed by the term “fair” in 1.9. See there for comments. Verse 22 affirms again that the person who possesses true wisdom will be granted not only long life but graciousness, an attractive and desirable characteristic. Some modern translations avoid the two-line parallelism and say, for example, “They will give you a long and pleasant life.” Contemporary English Version has “They will help you to live a long and beautiful life.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 3:22

3:22

Notice the parallelism. Each line of this verse (as well as 3:23–24) expresses a positive result of obeying the commands in 3:21.

22a They will be life to your soul

22b
and adornment to your neck.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make this connection more explicit at the beginning of 3:22a. For example:

Then they will mean life for you (God’s Word)
-or-
⌊If you do them,⌋ they will give you life

In some languages, the connection can be left implicit. Use a natural way in your language to indicate that the statements in 3:22a–b are the result of obeying the commands in 3:21.

3:22a

They will be life to your soul: In the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as life to your soul, the word soul represents the whole person. The word They refers to “sound judgment and discernment” in 3:21a. This line indicates that these qualities (personified) will give the son life. It is implied that his life will be long. Other ways to translate this line are:

They will give you ⌊a long⌋ life
-or-
They will provide you with life (Good News Translation)

Some ways to translate this line without using personification are:

Your obedience to these commands will result in your having a long life.
-or-
Because of your common sense and good planning, you will live a long time.

3:22b

and adornment to your neck: The meaning of this metaphor is that the virtues mentioned in 3:21 will make a person’s character attractive in the same way that an adornment/necklace makes a person look attractive. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

They will give you…beauty like a necklace around your neck. (New Century Version)

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

They will beautify your character.

Similar metaphors occur in 1:9a–b. See the note there for other translation options.

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