OET interlinear PRO 15:1

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,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,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,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”