The connector “for” renders the Hebrew word that marks this verse as the reason for avoiding the temptation described in verse 25.
“A harlot may be hired for a loaf of bread”: Note that Revised Standard Version follows the Septuagint; for the literal Hebrew see the Revised Standard Version footnote. The sense of this line seems to be that a prostitute costs no more than a piece of bread. “A harlot” is “a prostitute” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and most versions), a woman who exchanges sex relations with a man for goods or money. A word for “prostitute” should be carefully chosen so that the reading of the word in public does not cause embarrassment. In some languages “prostitute” is expressed by expressions such as “woman who takes men to her house,” “woman they all sleep with,” or “woman who sells herself.”
“May be hired” is not in the Hebrew text but is understood, according to Revised Standard Version. Note, however, that New Revised Standard Version says “for a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread.” The word rendered “loaf” is literally “a round,” which refers to the small round pieces of Middle Eastern bread, sometimes called “pocket bread.” This is because the two sides of the bread form a pocket when torn open. Where such shapes of bread are unknown, it is better to say “a piece of bread.” New Jerusalem Bible has “a hunk of bread.” Where “bread” is not used it is advisable to shift to a more general word such as “a bit of food” or to use a bit of the most commonly eaten food in the area where the language is spoken.
“But an adulteress stalks a man’s very life”: “But” introduces the contrast between the two kinds of women the man is entangled with. “Adulteress” is literally “a man’s wife.” Revised Standard Version “stalks” translates the word for hunt as the activity of a hunter. It means to approach the prey or victim silently. “A man’s very life” is literally “the precious soul,” where “precious” in regard to material things means “highly prized” or “costly.” The costly, valuable life in the second line is contrasted to the almost worthless scrap of bread in the first line.
There are two ways to interpret this verse:
(1) a prostitute costs little compared to what a man will pay for having relations with another man’s wife, or
(2) a man having sex with a prostitute is reduced to nearly nothing, but having sex with another’s wife will cost him his life.
Some translations that follow the first interpretation are Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “For a prostitute you pay no more than for bread, but for another man’s wife you will pay with your life”; Contemporary English Version “A woman who sells her love can be bought for as little as the price of a meal. But making love to another man’s wife will cost you everything”; and Bible en français courant “It is the case that for a prostitute one gives up a little bread, but for a married woman one risks his whole life.”
Following the second interpretation are translations such as La Bible du Semeur “Because of a wicked woman, one can be reduced to a scrap of bread, and the adulterous woman puts at risk a precious life” and Traduction Œcuménique de la Bible “For a prostitute a man is reduced to a crumb of bread, but a married woman catches a precious life in a trap.”
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 .
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