PROV 11:13 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.

In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.

In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.

Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.

Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you^(sing), you^(plur), we^(dual), or we^(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.

Some other headings for this section are:

Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)

Here are many wise things that Solomon said

11:13b

but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

but you^(sing) can depend on a person who is trustworthy to keep private information in his own thoughts.
but if someone is trustworthy, you can depend on him not to spread the matter to others.

11:13

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^13a A gossip reveals a secret,

^13bbut a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

11:13a

A gossip reveals a secret,

A person who gossips/slanders cannot be trusted with a secret,
You^(sing) cannot trust a gossip/slanderer to keep quiet about something that he should not tell to others,

A gossip reveals a secret: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates here as gossip is literally “one who goes about as a slanderer.” This term is probably used as an idiom for committing slander.Whybray (p. 181), Waltke (p. 494), Ross (p. 961), and TWOT (#2165b) all say that this expression refers to malicious slander, not merely careless gossip. A “slanderer” is someone who deliberately intends to harm someone or cause trouble by what he says. So you should use a term in your language that indicates slander or malicious gossip, not just idle talk.

reveals a secret: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “uncovers an intimacy” (see 3:32b, where the BSB translates “intimacy” as “is a friend”). In this context, “intimacy” refers to a secret or a conversation between friends that should not be shared with others.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

The one who goes about slandering others reveals secrets (NET)

Gossips can’t keep secrets (NCV)

No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret (GNT)

General Comment on 11:13a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder these two parallel lines. For example:

^13bYou can rely on a trustworthy person to keep a secret,

^13abut a person who slanders others goes around making everything known.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מְגַלֶּה

telling

Here Solomon refers to revealing secret information as if that information were a hidden object that someone uncovers. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “reveals”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וְ⁠נֶאֱמַן־ר֝֗וּחַ

and,[one_who_is]_faithful_of spirit

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe someone whose spirit is characterized by being faithful. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “but a faithful person”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מְכַסֶּ֥ה

keeps

See how you translated the same use of covers in [10:6](../10/06.md).

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.