PROV 12:3 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

12:3

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^3a A man cannot be established through wickedness,

^3bbut the righteous cannot be uprooted.

12:3a

A man cannot be established through wickedness,

The lives of people who are wicked are not safe/secure,
If a person does what is evil, his life will not be stable/safe,
It is not possible for a person to gain a secure/peaceful life by doing what is wrong,

A man cannot be established through wickedness: This clause means that a person cannot become secure, safe, or stable by doing what is wicked. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

No one finds security by wickedness (NRSV)

Wickedness never brings stability (NLT)

Doing evil brings no safety at all (NCV)

12:3b

but the righteous cannot be uprooted.

but those who are righteous are as secure as a tree that can never be uprooted.
but if a person does what is right, he will be like a tree with sturdy/deep roots.
but those who do what is right will have no reason to worry.

but the righteous cannot be uprooted: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “and/but the root of righteous people will not be moved.” It is an incomplete metaphor. It indicates that the life of righteous people will be stable and secure, like a firmly-rooted tree.

If a literal translation of this metaphor is hard to understand, some other ways to translate it are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
but righteous people are like a tree that cannot be uprooted
Use a simile. Make explicit the similarity between righteous people and a tree. For example:
But if you live right, you will be as secure as a tree with deep roots (CEV)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
but righteous people stand firm (GNT)
but a good person has safety and security (NCV)

This line is similar to 10:30a, where the same verb is used, although the BSB translates it there as “shaken” rather than uprooted. But in 10:30a, the contrast is between staying in the land and being removed from it. Here the contrast is more general.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

אָדָ֣ם

humankind

Although the term man is masculine, Solomon is using the word in a generic sense that could refer to either a man or woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: “A person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן & בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט

not established & never moved

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “will not establish himself … nobody will shake”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לֹא־יִכּ֣וֹן

not established

Here the word translated as established refers to having a stable and secure life. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “will not be made stable”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְּ⁠רֶ֑שַׁע

by,wickedness

See how you translated the abstract noun wickedness in [4:17](../04/17.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠שֹׁ֥רֶשׁ צַ֝דִּיקִ֗ים בַּל־יִמּֽוֹט

and_[the],root_of righteous never moved

Here Solomon refers to someone’s life remaining secure as if that person were a tree with a root that could not be shaken. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but the righteous will be fully secure” or “but the lives of the righteous will remain stable”

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.

OET interlinear PROV 12:3

Hebrew word order

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

12:3

12:3a

12:3b

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