PROV 15:4 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

15:4

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^4a A soothing tongue is a tree of life,

^4bbut a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

As in 15:2, the “tongue” is a figure of speech (metonymy). It represents the words that a person speaks.

15:4a

A soothing tongue is a tree of life,

Words that heal/soothe a person’s mind/heart are like the fruit of a tree that gives life to his body.
When we^(incl) speak kind words to another person who is discouraged, we greatly encourage him. It is as if he has eaten fruit from a tree that gives life.

A soothing tongue: There are different ways to interpret the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as soothing:The Hebrew word that is used here (marpeʾ) may be derived either from the root rpʾ “heal” or the root rph “soft/gentle” (Fox, p. 590; McKane, p. 482).

The Hebrew word means “healing” or “remedy.” This phrase refers to words that have a healing/soothing effect. For example:
A soothing word is a tree of life (REB) (BSB, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NJPS, REB)
The Hebrew word means “calm/gentle.” This phrase refers to gentle, calm words. For example:
A gentle tongue is a tree of life (RSV) (ESV, NLT, RSV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) or a combination of both interpretations. The Hebrew word most frequently means “healing.” That is clearly the meaning in the similar statement in 12:18b as well as in 4:22b.

However, it is also clear that the type of words that soothe another person are gentle or kind words. These two meanings do not conflict with one another.Waltke (p. 615) brings out the value of gentle words to “heal hurtful speech.” UBS (p. 329) also comments that a “gentle tongue” (RSV) is literally “a healing tongue” and that it refers to “kind or comforting words.” Fox (p. 590) suggests that there may be a play on words here and that the two Hebrew roots are easily confused. So you may be able to include both interpretations in your translation. For example:

Kind words that restore a person’s mind are a tree that gives life

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit what is healed by A soothing tongue, that is, by words that soothe another person. It may also be necessary to express the idea of emotional healing in different terms. For example:

Words that comfort/restore a person

Speech that encourages/strengthens a person’s thoughts/heart

is a tree of life: A “soothing tongue” is similar to a tree of life in that both give renewed vigor and health. Soothing words give renewed vigor and health to a person’s mind/heart. Similarly, a tree whose fruit gives life gives renewed vigor and health to a person’s body.

If a literal translation of this metaphor is not clear in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Speech that heals is like a life-giving tree (NET)
Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit some of the implied information. For example:
Gentle words heal/soothe a person’s painful thoughts just as a tree that gives life strengthens a person’s body
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Healing words bring life

A tree of life is a metaphor that occurs several times in Proverbs. It also occurs elsewhere in Scripture. So you are encouraged to keep the figure of speech if possible. Other verses where this metaphor occurs are 3:18, 11:30, and 13:12. In each of these verses, the topic of the metaphor is different.

15:4b

but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

But words that deceive another person cause him great pain in his thoughts/heart.
If we^(incl) tell lies to another person, we will cause him to be totally discouraged.

but a perverse tongue: The phrase that the BSB translates as a perverse tongue comes from a word that means “twisted” or “crooked.” In 11:3b, the BSB translates it as “perversity.” It refers to saying things that are untrue or that deceive others.

crushes the spirit: The word that the BSB translates as crushes is literally “fractures” or “breaks” (like a bone or a jar). To break a person’s spirit means to destroy someone’s morale. This causes them severe inner pain or causes them to be discouraged and in despair.

General Comment on 15:4a–b

This proverb implies that soothing words can heal the pain caused by a person who tells lies. Pain logically precedes healing. So in some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of 15:4a and 15:4b. For example:

^4bIf someone tells a lie and deceives his fellow man, he will cause him extreme mental/emotional pain,

^4abut if you speak to him gently, your words will heal his pain. It will be as if you have given him fruit from the tree that gives life.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַרְפֵּ֣א לָ֭שׁוֹן & וְ⁠סֶ֥לֶף בָּ֝֗⁠הּ שֶׁ֣בֶר בְּ⁠רֽוּחַ

gentle_of tongue & and,perverseness with,it breaks in,spirit

A healing tongue, it, and a breaking in the spirit do not refer to specific things but represent these things in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any healing tongue … but crookedness in any such tongue is what breaks spirits”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

מַרְפֵּ֣א לָ֭שׁוֹן

gentle_of tongue

A healing tongue refers to what someone says that soothes the listener. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar use of tongue in [6:17](../06/17.md). Alternate translation: “The comforting thing someone says”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

עֵ֣ץ חַיִּ֑ים

tree/message life(pl)

See how you translated a tree of life in [3:18](../03/18.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠סֶ֥לֶף בָּ֝֗⁠הּ

and,perverseness with,it

Here Solomon refers to deceitful speech as if it were a crooked tongue. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but the deceitful thing someone says”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

שֶׁ֣בֶר בְּ⁠רֽוּחַ

breaks in,spirit

The phrase a breaking in the spirit is an idiom that refers to making a person despair. If it would be helpful, you could use an equivalent idiom from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “makes a person feel down in the dumps” or “makes a person despair”

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.