complete verse (Proverbs 8:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 8:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “You who are immature/young, become wise, or/and the foolish ones, (they) should realize/understand.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Are you all still childish
    (behaving like children)? Get wise!
    Are you still fools? Get insight!” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “You (plur.) who have no wisdom, you (plur.) be-wise.
    You (plur.) who are fools, you (sing.) understand.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “It is possible for the one who knows nothing to become-wise/skilled/intelligent and for the fool to be-thinking/reflective.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Proverbs 8:5

In verse 4 Wisdom makes her appeal to people generally. However, in verse 5 she addresses a particular group, the simple and the foolish, as she did in 1.22.

“O simple ones, learn prudence”: For “O” see 4.1. “Simple ones” in the Hebrew is a masculine plural adjective and refers to people who are immature and inexperienced, as in 1.4 and 1.22. In some languages such people are described as “people whose thinking is like that of children.” “Learn” translates the word used for “understand” and “insight” in 1.2. “Prudence” is as in 1.4, and means “sound judgment,” good sense in practical matters.

“O foolish men, pay attention”: “Foolish men” renders a masculine plural noun (“fools”) as used in 1.32. Revised Standard Version has expressed the masculine form with the word “men”; however, see below. “Pay attention” translates an expression that is literally “understand heart.” The first of these words can mean by itself “pay attention”, but the addition of “heart” confuses the sense. The Septuagint translators seem to have changed one consonant to get “be in heart.” Others take “understand heart” to match “learn prudence” in the first line. Good News Translation provides a good model based on this. Bible en français courant says “You who are foolish, learn to have good sense. You, who are stupid, become intelligent.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “You who are greenhorns [immature], learn to be mature! You who are uneducated, be smart!”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 8:5

8:5

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

5a
O simple ones, learn to be shrewd ;

5b
O fools, gain understanding.

8:5a

O simple ones: In Hebrew, the word simple refers to inexperienced, naive people who allow themselves to be easily persuaded or led astray into foolish behavior.

The same word occurs in 1:4a.

learn to be shrewd: The word shrewd means “prudence” or “cleverness.” It refers to a person’s ability to make clever plans to achieve his goals.

8:5b

O fools: This word for fools refers to people who do what is stupid and wrong because they are mentally lazy and complacent. They do not see the need to change their own foolish behavior.

The same word occurs in 1:22c.

gain understanding: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gain understanding is literally “understand heart.” It means to acquire intelligence. Another way to translate this is:

Learn how to think.

General Comment on 8:5a–b

In some languages, it may be necessary to combine and/or reorder the parallel lines to avoid the impression that the “simple” and the “foolish” are distinct groups of people who are asked to gain different things. See the Display for 8:5a–b (combined/reordered) for one way to do this.

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