PROV 13:4 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

13:4

This proverb contrasts the appetite/desire of the lazy person with that of the diligent person. The lazy person is never satisfied, but the diligent person is completely satisfied.

^4a The slacker craves yet has nothing,

^4bbut the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

13:4a

The slacker craves yet has nothing,

A lazy person may want something, but he will not get it.
The desires of a lazy person will never be satisfied,
If you^(sing) are too lazy to work, you will never obtain what you want to get.

13:4b

but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.

By contrast, an industrious person will get everything he desires.
but those of a hard-working person will be completely satisfied.
But if you^(sing) work hard/diligently, you will gain everything you desire.

13:4a–b

The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent: The Hebrew text refers literally to the “soul of the lazy” and the “soul of the diligent.” Some versions show that the word “soul” is being used twice by representing it in both parts of the verse. For example:

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied (NIV11)

See the note on 13:2b, where the BSB translates the word “soul” as “desire.”

In this context, the appetite or desires of lazy and diligent people probably include the physical hunger for food and sexual satisfaction as well as other desires. So it is recommended that you translate these parallel terms in a general way that does not refer only to one kind of desire. Here is one way to express this meaning:

^4aNo matter how much a lazy person may want something, he will never get it.

^4bA hard worker will get everything he wants. (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

נַפְשׁ֣⁠וֹ עָצֵ֑ל

appetite_of,his sluggard

A lazy one and his do not refer to a specific person, put to a type of person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: “Anyone who is lazy, that one’s appetite”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

נַפְשׁ֣⁠וֹ & וְ⁠נֶ֖פֶשׁ

appetite_of,his & and_[the],appetite_of

See how you translated the abstract noun appetite in [6:30](../06/30.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מִתְאַוָּ֣ה & נַפְשׁ֣⁠וֹ

craves & appetite_of,his

Here, craving describes the appetite of a lazy person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “he has a craving appetite” or “he craves”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וָ֭⁠אַיִן

and,there_[is]_not

Here Solomon implies that there is nothing to satisfy the lazy person’s craving. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “and there is nothing to satisfy that craving”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

וָ֭⁠אַיִן

and,there_[is]_not

Solomon says there is nothing as an overstatement for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: [and often gets nothing]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

תְּדֻשָּֽׁן

richly_supplied

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “will become fat”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

תְּדֻשָּֽׁן

richly_supplied

Here Solomon refers to the appetite of the diligent ones being satisfied as if the appetite were a person who could be fattened. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will be satisfied”

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.