PROV 15:1 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

15:1

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^1a A gentle answer turns away wrath,

^1bbut a harsh word stirs up anger.

This proverb gives advice on good and bad ways to respond to an angry person.

15:1a–b

There are two pairs of words with similar meanings within the contrasting parallel parts:

answer…word: The words answer and word both refer to what someone says in response to an angry person. No contrast is intended between these two words.

wrath…anger: No contrast is intended between the words wrath and anger. Both refer here to feelings of anger that a person expresses in some way.Waltke (p. 613) differentiates wrath (“anger’s inner emotional heat and excitement”) from anger (“its outward expression”). But in light of the parallelism, this is probably not a distinction that needs to be made explicit. In both lines, it is clear that the person’s anger is expressed in some way.

Many languages have idioms that refer to calming or increasing anger. Use an expression that is appropriate and natural in your language.

15:1a

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

Answering an angry person gently/soothingly will calm his angry feelings,
If you^(sing) respond to an angry person with gentle/calm words, you will cause his anger to go away,

A gentle answer turns away wrath: A gentle answer refers to a response that is mild or soft. The meaning of gentle may also be expressed in terms of its effect: it is soothing or peacemaking. Such an answer turns away another person’s anger. This means that it calms or takes away the anger. Some other ways to translate this line are:

A kind answer soothes angry feelings (CEV)

A gentle answer quiets anger (GNT)

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger (NCV)

15:1b

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

but speaking harshly/hurtfully will only make him more angry.
but if your^(sing) words are hurtful/sharp, you will cause his anger to increase/explode.

but a harsh word stirs up anger: The contrasting word harsh is literally “painful” in the sense that it causes emotional pain. A hurtful response stirs up anger (literally “causes anger to go up”). In other words, it increases a person’s anger or makes it worse. Some other ways to express this meaning are:

but a sharp word makes tempers rise (REB)

but an unkind answer will cause more anger (NCV)

General Comment on 15:1a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine the similar word pairs into one term. For example:

A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up. (GNT)

In some languages, it is natural to say that words/answers have an effect on anger. In other languages, it is more natural to use a pronoun to refer to people who answer an angry person. For example:

^1aIf we^(incl) respond to an angry person with gentle words, we will cause his anger to decrease,

^1bbut if our^(incl) words are hurtful, we will cause his anger to increase.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַֽעֲנֶה־רַּ֭ךְ יָשִׁ֣יב חֵמָ֑ה וּ⁠דְבַר־עֶ֝֗צֶב יַעֲלֶה־אָֽף

answer gentle turns_away severe_anger and,a_word_of harsh it_will_ascend anger

In this verse, Solomon implies that the gentle answer and word of pain are spoken to an angry person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “A gentle answer spoken to an angry person turns back that person’s heat, but a word of pain spoken to an angry person lifts up that person’s nose”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַֽעֲנֶה־רַּ֭ךְ & וּ⁠דְבַר־עֶ֝֗צֶב

answer gentle & and,a_word_of harsh

A gentle answer and a word of pain refer to types of things people say, not to a specific answer or word. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any gentle answer … but any word of pain”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

יָשִׁ֣יב חֵמָ֑ה

turns_away severe_anger

The phrase is an idiom that refers to decreasing a person’s anger as if that anger were heat that someone turns back. The word heat means “anger” by association with the way that an angry person’s body increases in heat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “decreases anger” or “causes an angry person to become calm”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וּ⁠דְבַר־עֶ֝֗צֶב

and,a_word_of harsh

The phrase a word of pain refers to something that is spoken harshly, as if what is spoken would cause pain to the listener. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but what is spoken harshly” or “a hurtful word”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

יַעֲלֶה־אָֽף

it_will_ascend anger

The phrase is an idiom that refers to increasing a person’s anger. The word nose means “anger” by association with the way that a person who is angry breathes heavily through his nose. Your language and culture may also associate anger with a particular part of the body. If so, you could use an expression involving that part of the body in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “increases anger” or “causes an angry person to become angrier”

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 15:1