wink the eye

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “wink(s) the eye” is translated in Chol as “signal that they have a secret with you” since a wink as a signal of a secret is not used in the Chol culture.

pointing the fingers

The Hebrew in Proverbs 6:13 that is translated as “pointing the fingers” or similar in English is translated in Low German as maakt allerhand Fisematenten mit den Fingern or “mess around with the fingers” (translation by Johannes Jessen, publ. 1937, republ. 2006).

Translation commentary on Proverbs 6:13

This verse continues the description of the wicked person’s actions.

“Winks with his eyes, scrapes with his feet”: “Winks” is also used in 10.10, where this gesture is linked with making trouble. This expression is used in Psa 35.19, where it is in parallel with “rejoice over me.” Good News Translation renders it there as “smirk with delight over my sorrow.” It is most likely a sign of insincerity and deceit. “Scrapes . . . feet” is not used elsewhere in the Old Testament but is an additional gesture similar in sense to the ones before and after it.

“Points with his finger”: This is a third gesture that the wicked person uses to communicate deceit.

Translators must pay particular attention to the significance of gestures and their meanings, as in different cultures these particular gestures may carry different meanings than what is intended here. The wicked person is here a deceiver, and as he says one thing he is busy making gestures to someone to show that he really means something different. In order to make this clear, it may be necessary to say, for example, “(12) A worthless and evil person goes around telling lies, (13) and while he does, he winks, and points with his foot or his finger.” We may also avoid naming these particular gestures by speaking more generally; for example, “and so he makes signs with his eyes, his foot, and his finger to hide his lies.”

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 6:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 6:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “blinking to people with his eyes and signaling/waving with the hands and legs/feet.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “They wink and signal with their hands to cheat people.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “They even wink and give-sign through their hand and feet to deceive others.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “He keeps-winking and keeps-signaling so-that he will deceive you (sing.).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:13

6:13a–c

winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers: There are two ways to interpret these three gestures:

(1) As the scoundrel deceives people, he makes gestures to his friends to indicate his true intentions. These gestures communicate his insincerity, mockery, and delight in making mischief. For example:

signaling their true intentions to their friends by making signs with their eyes and feet and fingers (New Living Translation (1996))

(2) The scoundrel makes these gestures to deceive those against whom he is planning evil. Here is another way to translate this:

They wink and make gestures to deceive you (Good News Translation)

Most versions, like the Berean Standard Bible and Revised Standard Version, leave the purpose of the gestures implicit. These versions do not specify the people to whom the gestures are made. If this information needs to be made explicit in your language, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Most scholars support that view and it better fits human experience. A scoundrel is more likely to make mischievous or mocking gestures to his fellow conspirators than to the person he is trying to deceive.

6:13b

speaking with his feet: The exact nature of the gesture speaking with his feet is not clear in Hebrew. That is probably why the New International Version and some other English versions translate this phrase with the general word “signals.” The New Jerusalem Bible has “shuffles,” the Revised English Bible has “nudge with the foot” and the New Century Version has “tapping with their feet.” But it is probably better not to specify a particular movement with the foot unless such a gesture is used in your language to indicate to a friend that you are being deceptive.

6:13c

and pointing with his fingers: The type of pointing that the person makes with his fingers is not clear in Hebrew, so most versions use a general expression, as in the Berean Standard Bible. For example:

making signs with their fingers (New Century Version)

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