PROV 15:24 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

15:24

The second line gives either the purpose or the result of the first line:

^24aThe path of life leads upward for the wise,

^24bthat he may avoid going down to Sheol.

15:24a–b

The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol: In Hebrew, the second line of this proverb indicates the intended result of the first line. This implies that the wise person deliberately follows The path of life. It also implies that as a result of this choice, he is kept from going down to Sheol.

In many languages, it will not be possible to express both purpose and result at the same time. You may translate either way:

The second line expresses purpose. For example:
The wise follow the path of life upwards in order to avoid Sheol below.
The second line expresses result. In the second example, the result is only implied. For example:
For the prudent, the path of life leads upwards, thus avoiding Sheol below. (NJB)
The path of life leads upward for the wise. They avoid whatever would bring them down to the world of the dead.

The first meaning line in the Display for 15:24b indicates purpose. The second indicates result.

path of life…Sheol: Some scholars feel that this proverb at least implies the idea of eternal life in heaven. Others feel that it expresses the usual contrast in Proverbs between a long, good life and a premature death. It is recommended that you translate in such a way as to allow either meaning.

15:24a

The path of life leads upward for the wise,

Wise people follow a road that leads upward to life
The path that a wise person walks on goes upward. It leads to life.

the wise: The Hebrew word maśkil, which the BSB translates here as the wise, refers to a person who is wise, prudent, or sensible. See wise dealing in the Glossary.

15:24b

that he may avoid going down to Sheol.

in order to escape going downward to the world/place of the dead.
As a result, he does not go downward to Sheol, the place of the dead.

Sheol: As elsewhere, the word that the BSB translates as Sheol refers to the world/place of the dead. It was regarded as being under the earth.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

אֹ֣רַח חַ֭יִּים לְ⁠מַ֣עְלָ⁠ה לְ⁠מַשְׂכִּ֑יל

path_of life(pl) [is],upward,upwards for,[one_who]_acts_prudently

The path of life and the insightful one represent paths and insightful people in general, not a specific path or insightful one. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “The paths of lives are upward for those who are insightful”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אֹ֣רַח חַ֭יִּים לְ⁠מַ֣עְלָ⁠ה

path_of life(pl) [is],upward,upwards

Here Solomon speaks of a lifestyle that results in a long life as if it were a path that goes upward. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The lifestyle results in a long life”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חַ֭יִּים

life(pl)

Here, life refers to a long life. See how you translated the same use of life in [10:16](../10/16.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

לְמַ֥עַן ס֝֗וּר

in_order_to turn_away

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “in order for the insightful one to turn away”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לְמַ֥עַן ס֝֗וּר מִ⁠שְּׁא֥וֹל

in_order_to turn_away from,Sheol

Here Solomon speaks of avoiding Sheol as if Sheol were a place that a person could turn away from. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in order to avoid going to Sheol”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ⁠שְּׁא֥וֹל מָֽטָּה

from,Sheol below

The Israelites referred to dying as going down to Sheol, which is the place where people’s spirits go when they die. Here Solomon refers to Sheol as if it were below the place where living people are. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. See how you translated Sheol in [1:12](../01/12.md). Alternate translation: “from the place where the spirits of dead people dwell” or “from the place of the dead”

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.