PROV 13:1 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

13:1

The underlined parallel parts and the parts in bold print contrast in meaning.

^1a A wise son heeds his father’s discipline,

^1bbut a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

The parallel parts in italics are similar in meaning, but “rebuke” has a stronger and more specific meaning than “discipline.” This may imply that a wise son pays attention to any kind of instruction or correction, whereas a mocker ignores even a strong rebuke.

13:1a

A wise son heeds his father’s discipline,

A son who is wise will follow/accept his father’s advice/teaching,
Wise children listen carefully when their parents advise/correct them,

A wise son heeds his father’s discipline: For the phrase A wise son, see the notes on 10:1b. In some languages, the way to specify a “son” in contrast to a daughter is to say “male child.” But it may be awkward or unnatural to refer to a son in this way. If that is true in your language, it is recommended that you use a general term for child. For example:

A wise child (NJB)

Wise children (GNT)

heeds: In Hebrew, there is no verb in 13:1a. English versions supply a verb that contrasts with the parallel part in 13:1b. The BSB supplies the verb heeds. Some verbs that are used in other versions are:

loves (NRSV)

listens to (NJB)

accepts (NLT)

father’s: Proverbs focuses on a father instructing his son. But this line does not imply that a wise son will not listen to his mother’s instruction (see, for example, 1:8 and 6:20). It also does not imply that a wise daughter will not pay attention to advice from her father and mother. If a literal translation of this line implies one of these wrong meanings, consider using a general term such as “parents.” See the versions quoted in the following note.

discipline: The Hebrew word musar, which the BSB translates here as discipline, refers to moral instruction or training. It usually involves some form of correction by someone in authority. This correction may range from warning or rebuke to punishment. Here the focus is probably on verbal instruction or correction. See discipline in the Glossary.

Here are some ways to translate 13:1a in languages that use general terms for “son” and “father”:

Wise children take their parents’ advice (NCV)

Wise children pay attention when their parents correct them (GNT)

13:1b

but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

but someone who mocks other people will not pay attention when he is rebuked/scolded.
but children who make fun of their parents refuse to listen when someone scolds them for doing wrong.

but a mocker: The word mocker refers to a person who scoffs at or makes fun of someone or something. A mocker is arrogant as well as scornful. But the focus of this word is on the disdainful way that a mocker treats other people. It is not mainly on the mocker’s feeling of pride.

The Hebrew text does not specify what these people mock. If it is necessary to make explicit what they mock, some options are:

someone who mocks other people

a child who mocks his parents

See mocker in the Glossary.

does not listen to rebuke: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as rebuke is a stronger word than the parallel word “discipline” that is used in 13:1a.Ross (p. 974). In synonymous parallelism, the term in the second line often has a more specific or intense meaning than its parallel in the first line. Here it refers to verbal rebuke or correction.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit who does the rebuking. For example:

his father’s rebuke

anyone’s rebuke

The first example is a specific contrast with 13:1a. The second example is a more general contrast.

See rebuke 2 in the Glossary.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם מ֣וּסַר אָ֑ב

son wise discipline_of father's

Solomon is leaving out words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “A wise son listens to the instruction of a father”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם

son wise

See how you translated the same use of son in [1:8](../01/08.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מ֣וּסַר & גְּעָרָֽה

discipline_of & rebuke

See how you translated the abstract nouns instruction in [1:2](../01/02.md) and rebuke in [1:25](../01/25.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

אָ֑ב

father's

Here, father refers to the father of the son mentioned earlier in the clause. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “his father”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

וְ֝⁠לֵ֗ץ

and,a_mocker

Here, a mocker refers to this type of person in general, not a specific mocker. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: “but any mocker”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

וְ֝⁠לֵ֗ץ

and,a_mocker

Solomon is using the adjective mocking as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [but a mocker]

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 13:1

Hebrew word order

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

13:1

13:1a

13:1b

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