PROV 14:30 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

14:30

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^30a A tranquil heart is life to the body,

^30bbut envy rots the bones.

14:30a

A tranquil heart is life to the body,

A peaceful/contented mind/heart results in a healthy body,
If a person is content, he will be strong and healthy,

A tranquil heart: In Hebrew, the heart represents mainly the mind and intellect, though here the emotions may be more prominent. See the note on 10:20b.

The phrase translated here as A tranquil heart refers to a calm, contented state of mind. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

A heart at peace (NIV)

A calm disposition (NJPS)

A relaxed attitude (NLT96)

is life to the body: This phrase refers primarily to improving a person’s physical health. So you may specify body if it is natural in your language. For example:

Peace of mind makes the body healthy (GNT)

But this word also includes a person’s emotional/mental health,Delitzsch (p. 224) points out that the word “flesh” here is a rare plural form that denotes “bodily life in the totality of its functions.” Together, the combination “body” and “bones” refer to the whole person (Toy, p. 299). so a general expression is also very acceptable. For example:

A calm and contented attitude will improve a person’s health

14:30b

but envy rots the bones.

but envy is like bone disease that takes away his strength.
but if he is envious/jealous, his health will be steadily destroyed just as if he had cancer.

but envy rots the bones: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates here as envy can mean either “envy/jealousy” or “passionate zeal.” There are two interpretations:

The meaning here is “envy/jealousy.” It refers to a strong desire to have what belongs to someone else. For example:
but jealousy is like bone cancer (GW) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB, GNT)
The meaning here is “passionate zeal.” With this sense, it usually refers to a strong desire to do what is right or to defend a cause. That meaning does not fit this context, so versions that follow this interpretation use the more general term “passion.” For example:
but passion makes the bones rot (NRSV) (NASB95, NJPS, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. This is the most common sense of the word and forms a good parallel with 14:30a. Also, the word “passion” often has a sexual connotation. This connotation is quite different from the positive connotation of “passionate zeal.”

rots the bones: For this expression, see the note on the almost identical expression in 12:4b, which the BSB translates as “decay in his bones.” The bones were regarded as the source of the body’s health and strength. So this expression compares envy to a disease which slowly but steadily takes away a person’s health and strength. A modern equivalent of this condition might be cancer.

General Comment on 14:30a–b

In these parallel lines, the words “body” and “bones” function together to describe a person’s overall health. In some languages, it may be more natural and effective to make this explicit. For example:

^30aIf a person stays calm, it will improve his health.

^30bIf he is full of envious feelings, his health will steadily be destroyed, just as cancer destroys the bones.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

לֵ֣ב מַרְפֵּ֑א

heart_of tranquil

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe a heart that is characterized by healing. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “A healed heart” or “A sound heart”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לֵ֣ב מַרְפֵּ֑א

heart_of tranquil

Here Solomon uses heart to refer to a person’s inner being or mind. See how you translated the same use of heart in [2:2](../02/02.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [A peaceful liver] or [A tranquil mind]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

לֵ֣ב

heart_of

A heart of healing refers to people's hearts in general, not to a specific heart. If it would be helpful, you could use a more natural expression in your language. Alternate translation: “Any heart of … any body”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חַיֵּ֣י בְ֭שָׂרִים

life_of body

Here, life to bodies refers to a something being healthy for a person’s body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “is healthy for one’s body” or “causes one’s body to be healthy”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וּ⁠רְקַ֖ב עֲצָמ֣וֹת קִנְאָֽה

and_[is],rottenness_of bones passion

Here Solomon is saying that envy harms a person’s health like a disease that causes the decay of bones. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “but envy ruins a person’s health” or “but envy harms one’s health like disease decays one’s bones”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

קִנְאָֽה

passion

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of envy, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “being envious”

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.