PROV 14:15 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

14:15

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^15a The simple man believes every word,

^15bbut the prudent man watches his steps.

14:15a

The simple man believes every word,

A naïve/inexperienced person believes whatever he hears.
If you^(sing) have little experience, you will believe anything that people say,

The simple man believes every word: The word that the BSB translates as simple refers to someone who is inexperienced, naïve, or easily deceived. Such a person is immature and tends to believe anything that he hears. Some other ways to translate this word are:

naive/gullible person

someone with little experience

a person who is easily deceived

people who don’t know anything

See simple in the Glossary.

14:15b

but the prudent man watches his steps.

A sensible person carefully evaluates his conduct.
but if you^(sing) have intelligence, you will think about what you do.

but the prudent man watches his steps: For the words translated here as prudent and watches, see the notes on 14:8a, where the BSB uses the terms “prudent” and “discern.” The phrase his steps is a figure of speech with the same meaning as “his way/path.” It refers to a person’s conduct or way of life.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

פֶּ֭תִי & וְ֝⁠עָר֗וּם

simple & and,a_sensible_[person]

A naive one and a prudent one refer to types of people in general, not to specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. See how you translated a prudent one in [12:16](../12/16.md). Alternate translation: “Any naive person … but any prudent person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

דָּבָ֑ר

message

See how you translated the same use of word in [12:25](../12/25.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לַ⁠אֲשֻׁרֽ⁠וֹ

(to),step_of,his

Here, step refers to a person’s behavior. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his behavior” or “his actions”

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 14:15

Hebrew word order

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

14:15

14:15a

14:15b

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