steadfast love

The Hebrew that is translated as “steadfast love,” “lovingkindness” (Goldingay 2018: “commitment”) or similar in English is translated in a number of ways:

  • Vidunda: “love of enduring” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Bura-Pabir: “love which cannot be-changed” (hyirkur na a palidzi wa)
  • Hausa Common Language Bible “his love without changing” (kaunarsa marar canjawa) (source for this and above: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Elhomwe: “love that does not finish” (echikondi yoohisintheya) (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Nyamwezi: chelu, combining “love,” “faithfulness,” “loyalty,” and “kindness” (source: James Lundeen)
  • Newari: dayāmāyā (दयामाया), a compound word made from two Sanskrit-derived terms: dayā (दया) or “compassion, mercy, kindness” and māyā (माया) or “love, affection” (source: Newari Back Translation)

In Pijin tinghevi long or “think heavy about” is used. “The Pijin expression ‘think heavy about’ is very much within the domain of committed relationships. The relationship between father and child, husband and wife, God and His people. There is a very strong element of ‘loyalty’ in this expression.” (Source: Bob Carter)

In Latvian the term žēlastība is used both for “steadfast love” and grace.

In a number of languages, the terms for for “steadfast love” and mercy are used interchangeably.

mercy

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The Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, Ge’ez, and Latin terms that are typically translated as “mercy” (or “compassion” or “kindness”) in English are translated in various ways. Bratcher / Nida classify them in (1) those based on the quality of heart, or other psychological center, (2) those which introduce the concept of weeping or extreme sorrow, (3) those which involve willingness to look upon and recognize the condition of others, or (4) those which involve a variety of intense feelings.

While the English mercy originates from the Latin merces, originally “price paid,” Romance languages (Italian, Spanish, Corsican, Catalan, Friulian) and other Germanic languages (German, Swedish, Danish — Barmherzigkeit, barmhärtighet and barmhjertighed, respectively) tend to follow the Latin misericordia, lit. “misery-heart.”

Here are some other (back-) translations:

See also steadfast love and Seat of the Mind / Seat of Emotions.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 3:3

“Let not loyalty and faithfulness . . .”: “Loyalty and faithfulness” are a combination of qualities that occur in such passages as Gen 24.49; Exo 34.6; Deut 7.9; and Psa 25.10 and express the ideal relationship between people or between God and people. The two words overlap considerably in their meanings. In Gen 47.29 the word rendered “loyalty” (Hebrew chesed) is used of the relationship of Joseph to his father Jacob and in Exo 34.6 of the relationship of the Lord to his own people. An essential element in “loyalty” is love, and the word is sometimes translated as “love.” New Jerusalem Bible says “faithful love.”

The idea of being “loyal” is sometimes stated in figurative language, for example, “to keep every word spoken to someone” or “to follow faithfully in someone’s tracks.”

“Faithfulness” may be described as a state of trustworthiness or dependability. A person who is faithful is one in whom complete confidence may be placed.

“Let not . . . forsake you”: The two qualities of “loyalty and faithfulness” are somewhat personified in that the learner is told not to allow them to forsake or depart from him. In some languages these abstract nouns must be expressed in another form, with the real subject “you” as the subject of each sentence; for example, “Do not cease to be loving and faithful to others,” “Do not give up being a loyal and dependable person,” or “Always be loyal and reliable in everything you do.”

“Bind them about your neck”: It is apparent that “loyalty” and “faithfulness” cannot literally be tied around the neck. Therefore, the clause has a figurative sense, that is, “Wear them like something tied around your neck.” The image probably suggests a necklace as in 1.9 or a signet ring hung on a cord as in Gen 38.18. Contemporary English Version says “Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace.” Bible en français courant says “Keep those qualities like a precious ornament.” If it is not natural to say “Wear them like. . .,” it may be possible to say “Carry them with you like a precious jewel” or “Put them on like you put on a ring.”

“Write them on the tablet of your heart”: This line is lacking in some manuscripts of the Septuagint. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project considers it to be a line added by a copyist, gives it a “C” rating, and recommends that it be omitted. However, most modern translations keep it, and translators are advised by the authors of the Handbook to do the same.

This expression is found elsewhere only in 7.3 and in Jer 17.1, but the same thought is found in Deut 30.14 and Jer 31.33. In Deut 6.9 the commandments of the Lord were to be written on the doorposts of the houses and on the gates to remind people of them as they went in and out. In ancient times tablets were made of stone or clay. The term “tablet” would have led Jewish readers to think of the tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were written (Deut 5.22).

The expression is used here figuratively and is a graphic way of saying “Keep them in your memory” or “Don’t forget them.” Some languages use the literal expression “to write something on the heart.” If this is not a natural way of speaking in your language, it may be best to keep the expression more general with, for example, “Keep them fresh in your memory” or “Put them into your mind.”

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 3:3)

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

  • Kupsabiny: “Cling to love and truth, clothe yourself with those things like a cloth and hammer (them) into the head/remember (them).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Never abandon devotion and faith
    Keep hanging them around your neck,
    keep them written in your heart.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “[You (sing.)] remain/stay nice/kind/good and faithful; do- not -lost that but-rather you (sing.) keep it well in your (sing.) heart.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Show these behaviors like jewelry that is necklaced and store it also in your (sing.) thoughts.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 3:3

3:3

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

3a
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you ;

3b
bind them around your neck,

3c
write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3b and 3:3c use metaphors to restate and reinforce the meaning of 3:3a.

3:3a–c

These three parallel lines all have a similar meaning. They indicate that the son should make “loving devotion” and “faithfulness” a permanent part of his character, so that he will always demonstrate these qualities in his actions and thoughts.

3:3a

Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you: In Hebrew, this command is more literally “Love and faithfulness, may they not leave you.” This command is an indirect way to say that the son should not stop loving and being faithful. Another way to translate this command is:

Do not stop showing true love and loyalty.

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this as a positive command. For example:

Always be loving and trustworthy.

loving devotion or faithfulness: The word pair loving devotion and faithfulness occurs in three other verses in Proverbs (14:22b, 16:6a, 20:28a). Most scholars agree that in all these verses loving devotion and faithfulness are qualities that people show, rather than qualities that God shows.

English versions do not specify whether people show these qualities to God or to other people. It is recommended that you maintain the same ambiguity if that is possible in your language.

If your language requires that you specify the object of love and faithfulness, then it is recommended that you specify other people. Throughout Proverbs, qualities such as love, kindness, trustworthiness, and justice are directed toward other people, especially toward those who are poor or oppressed. This interpretation also fits better with the result in 3:4, winning favor with both God and man.

loving devotion: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as loving devotion has several aspects of meaning:

(a) steadfastness, loyalty

(b) love

(c) kindness, mercy

A number of English versions translate one aspect of the meaning. For example:

love (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
loyalty (Good News Translation)
-or-
kindness (New Century Version)

The New Jerusalem Bible has two aspects:

faithful love (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages, it may be possible to express all three aspects. For example:

consistent/unchanging love and kindness

Translate this term in a way that fits naturally in the context.

faithfulness: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as faithfulness has two main senses. When it refers to speech, it usually means “truth” or “truthfulness,” but here it refers to the character quality of “trustworthiness” or “reliability.”

3:3b

bind them around your neck: This command is a metaphor. In this metaphor, love and faithfulness are compared to a necklace or to a signet ring that is hung on a chain around the son’s neck. A person who wears a ring or necklace has it with him wherever he goes. In the same way, the son is supposed to display these qualities in his character at all times. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change it to a simile. For example:

Wear them like a necklace. (New Century Version)

• Change it to a simile and make one or more points of similarity explicit. For example:

Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace (Contemporary English Version)

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

Make sure that these qualities/things are always part of your character.

In some cultures, a ring or necklace implies an ornament that can be taken off at any time. If that is true in your culture, it may be better to translate the meaning directly or to use a figure of speech with the correct meaning in your language.

3:3c

write them on the tablet of your heart: This is another metaphor. The person addressed should permanently keep these virtues within his heart/mind. He should make them an unchanging part of his character just as the ten commandments were permanently engraved on a stone tablet.

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