Translation commentary on Proverbs 7:8

“Passing along the street near her corner”: The young man is walking along the street. His walking is described from two perspectives: he is near the corner and is headed for a certain house. “Corner”, in reference to streets, is the place where two roads or streets join or intersect.

“Taking the road to her house”: We may need to make clear what “her house” refers to. No reference has been made to a woman since verse 5, and there it was not a particular woman who was being spoken of but any adulterous female. Accordingly, it may be necessary to identify “her house”. Good News Translation does this with “where a certain woman lived.” Bible en français courant says “where one of his women lived.”

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 7:8)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 7:8:

  • Kupsabiny: “They were going down on the way/path near the house of a certain woman.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “That boy was going along the road
    leading to that woman’s house.
    He arrived in front of that woman’s house.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He was-walking on the road going to a corner where the house of a bad woman is.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “On one-occasion which was night, there-I-was looking-down from the window of my house and there were those whom I peered-out-at who were young-unmarried-men who knew nothing (= little knowledge/experience). One of them who was not thinking/reflective, he was walking approaching the corner of the street which was the location of the house of a certain woman who committed-adultery (lit. does-with-men).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:8

7:8

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

8a
crossing the street near her corner,

8b
strolling down the road to her house

7:8a–b

This verse focuses on what the unthinking youth did. There is no mention in this or the following verses of his companions. It is implied that he left them and is now walking along by himself.

crossing…strolling down: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crossing is a general word that means “passing along” (New Revised Standard Version) or “going along” (New Jerusalem Bible). The parallel term, strolling down, is more specific in Hebrew. It means “striding” or “marching.” Together, these two terms indicate that the young man was walking along the street, heading toward the woman’s house.

the street near her corner…the road to her house: These two phrases describe the young man’s location. They indicate that he was near the corner or intersection where the woman’s house was located.

her: The pronoun her must refer to the woman described in 7:10, since the last reference to a woman (7:5) described adulteress women in general, not a particular woman. In many languages, a pronoun cannot be used until the noun to which it refers has been introduced. If this is true in your language, you may want to introduce the woman here in 7:8. For example:

He was walking along the street near the corner where a certain woman lived. (Good News Translation)

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