PROV 13:16 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

13:16

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^16a Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

^16bbut a fool displays his folly.

13:16a

Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

All sensible/shrewd people think about a situation before they act.
People with good sense all base what they do on what they know.

Every prudent man acts with knowledge: There are two ways to interpret the connection of the word Every:

The natural meaning of the Hebrew text is that Every modifies “prudent man.” For example:
Anyone of discretion acts by the light of knowledge (NJB) (BSB, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS)
The Syriac and Vulgate translations understand that Every modifies what a prudent man does. For example:
The clever do all things intelligently (NRSV) (ESV, NRSV, REB, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.

Every prudent man: The word that the BSB translates as prudent man refers to someone who is shrewd, sensible, clever, or prudent. A person who is prudent is able to make clever plans to achieve his goals. See prudence in the Glossary.

acts with knowledge: This phrase indicates that a sensible person acts only when he knows the relevant facts of a situation. In other words, he considers the circumstances before he acts.

Another way to translate 13:16a is:

Sensible people all think before they act

13:16b

but a fool displays his folly.

But a fool shows/displays how foolish he is by his words and actions.
But fools say and do things that publicly/openly show their foolishness.

but a fool: In Hebrew, this word for fool refers to someone who does what is stupid and wrong because he is mentally lazy and self-satisfied. See how you translated the same word in 12:23. Also see fool 2 in the Glossary.

displays his folly: The verb that the BSB translates as displays is literally “spreads out.” In this context, it is used figuratively. It may describe the action of the fool as if he were a seller in the marketplace. A seller publicly “spreads out” or “exposes” the things that he is selling.NIDOTTE (H7298), TWOT (#1832), HALOT (#7766), and BDB (#6566) all give “spreads out” as the meaning of this verb. The most common objects of the verb are a person’s hands, a piece of clothing, a net, and wings. BDB says that the verb means “displays” in this verse. HALOT has “to put on a show of folly.” Similarly, the fool openly displays his own foolishness by the things that he says or does.Scholars who support the comparison to a peddler in the marketplace include Waltke, McKane, Toy, UBS, and Hubbard. Waltke, Longman, Whybray, and Hubbard say that the fool’s foolishness includes both words and deeds. Murphy and Fox think that this refers primarily to the fool’s words.

See folly in the Glossary.

Some other ways to translate 13:16b are:

but fools show how foolish they are (NCV)

but fools display their foolishness by what they say and do

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְ⁠דָ֑עַת & אִוֶּֽלֶת

with,knowledge & folly

See how you translated the abstract nouns knowledge in [1:4](../01/04.md) and folly in [5:23](../05/23.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִפְרֹ֥שׂ אִוֶּֽלֶת

displays folly

Here Solomon refers to a stupid person allowing other people to know how foolish he is as if his folly were objects that he could spread out for other people to see. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “makes it obvious that he is foolish”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יִפְרֹ֥שׂ אִוֶּֽלֶת

displays folly

Here Solomon implies that a stupid one displays folly by how he acts. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “displays his folly by what he says and does”

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 13:16

Hebrew word order

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

13:16

13:16a

13:16b

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