Translation commentary on Proverbs 4:16

Verses 16 and 17 describe characteristics of evil people and provide a reason why the learner should avoid them.

“For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong”: Unlike the psalmist, who sleeps soundly because the Lord protects him (Psa 4.8), the kind of evil people described here cannot rest unless they have done wrong to someone. The sense, as is shown from the parallel line, is not that they stay up and avoid sleep in order to commit some crime, but rather that their evil consciences will not let them be at peace until they have done something evil. For a model rendering see Good News Translation.

“They are robbed of sleep unless they have made some one stumble”: This line almost repeats the first line. “Robbed” translates the passive form of a verb meaning to seize or tear away. It is used in a literal sense in Gen 21.25 of a well that Abimelech’s servants had violently taken from Abraham’s men. In Hebrew, as in English, people said that someone was robbed of sleep if thoughts or worries prevented sleep. In languages where “rob” or “steal” are not used in this way, it will be necessary to use an expression of the meaning in plain terms; for example, “They are unable to sleep unless they have made. . ..” To avoid the misunderstanding that the evildoers are using the night to commit their crimes, some translations say, “If they have not . . . they lie on their beds but can’t sleep.” “Stumble” translates the same word as used in verse 12 and has the same sense as there. Contemporary English Version brings together the two uses of the word “sleep”: “They can’t sleep or rest until they do wrong. . ..”

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 4:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 4:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “Those people do not sleep until they see that they have done evil, and sleep does not catch (them) until they see that they have destroyed a person.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The wicked are not able to sleep
    until they have harmed someone.
    Sleep does not come to them
    until they cause someone to fall.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “For they could- not -sleep if they could- not -do evil/bad or destroy/downfall others.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “For they will-not-sleep if they don’t do evil and if there is no person that they will-treat-cruelly/maliciously.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 4:16

4:16

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

16a For they cannot sleep unless they do evil ;

16b
they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

4:16a–b

For: The word For introduces the reason for the commands in 4:14–15 that the young man should avoid evil behavior. The reason is that evil behavior is addictive. Some English versions leave this word implied. For example:

Wicked people cannot sleep… (God’s Word)

Introduce this reason in a natural way in your language.

they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall: These two parallel statements are examples of hyperbole—deliberate exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. Both lines emphasize that wicked people are very addicted to doing wrong. They even find it difficult to fall asleep at night if they have not recently committed an evil deed.

they cannot sleep…they are deprived of slumber: The phrase they are deprived of slumber is a figurative way of saying they cannot sleep. The second expression adds emphasis to the first. If there is a figurative expression in your language for sleeplessness, you may want to use it, if it will add emphasis. Otherwise, you may want to rearrange the parallel items in these two lines (see the General Comment for 4:16a–b) or use a single expression for sleeplessness.

unless they do evil…until they make someone fall: The second expression gives a specific example of what it means to do evil. The phrase make someone fall or “stumble” (New Revised Standard Version) is a figurative expression that means “hurt someone” (Good News Translation).

General Comment on 4:16a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

They cannot sleep or rest until they do wrong or harm someone.

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.