PROV 12:8 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

12:8

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^8a A man is praised according to his wisdom,

^8bbut a twisted mind is despised.

12:8a

A man is praised according to his wisdom,

A person is praised because of his insight,
If you^(sing) have good sense, people will speak well of you.

A man is praised according to his wisdom: The Hebrew word śekel, which the BSB translates here as wisdom, refers to the good sense, practical insight, or wise conduct that results from carefully evaluating a situation. A person who has śekel can understand the different aspects of a problem and think of a helpful solution. See wise dealing in the Glossary.

according to: A person is praised according to, in proportion to, or based on the amount of, the intelligence that he has.NIDOTTE (H7023), TWOT (#1738), and BDB (#6310) all define this Hebrew idiom (literally “to the mouth of”) as “according to.” The footnote on this idiom in the NET says that the point of this line is that “praise is proportionate to wisdom.” Another way to translate this line is:

A person will be praised based on his insight (GW)

The relationship “in proportion to” is difficult to express in many languages. If that is true in your language, you may want to translate this line in a more general way, as many English versions have done. For example:

One is commended for good sense (NRSV)

If you are sensible/prudent, people will say good things about you

Good sense is worthy of praise (CEV)

12:8b

but a twisted mind is despised.

but those who have twisted minds are belittled by their fellowmen.
But if you^(sing) are not able to think clearly, others will look down on you.

but a twisted mind is despised: There is a textual issue here for the phrase that the BSB translates as a twisted mind:

The Masoretic Text (MT) has “crooked/twisted of heart.” This refers to a person who is not able to think clearly or make good decisions. For example:
but whoever has a twisted mind will be despised (GW) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB)
The LXX has “sluggish in heart,” so some scholars think that the original text was an expression that means “thick-headed.” For example:
if you are stupid, people will look down on you (GNT) (CEV, NCV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), along with most versions and scholars.According to Whybray (pp. 192–193), the Hebrew verb on which the LXX is presumably based occurs only twice in the OT, and in those places it means “to be fat” rather than “to be stupid.” McKane (p. 441) also prefers the MT. He says that the proposed difference in the text does not provide a better meaning.

is despised: For despised, see the note on 11:12a, where the BSB translates the same verb as “shows contempt.”

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

לְֽ⁠פִי

to,the_mouth_of

For the mouth of is an idiom that means “According to.” If this phrase does not have that meaning in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “In proportion to”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

שִׂ֭כְל⁠וֹ & אִ֑ישׁ

his_insight_of,his & (a)_man

Although his and man are masculine, Solomon is using these words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: “that person’s insight that person”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

שִׂ֭כְל⁠וֹ

his_insight_of,his

See how you translated the abstract noun insight in [1:3](../01/03.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

יְהֻלַּל־אִ֑ישׁ

praised (a)_man

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you could state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “people will praise that man”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠נַעֲוֵה־לֵ֝֗ב

and,[one_who_is]_perverted_of mind

Here Solomon is speaking of people who think wrongly, as if they have a twisted heart. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but one who thinks wrongly”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יִהְיֶ֥ה לָ⁠בֽוּז

will_belong (into),contempt

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of contempt, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “will be considered contemptible” or “will be despised by people”

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 12:8

Hebrew word order

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

12:8

12:8a

12:8b

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