PROV 17:25 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

17:25

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^25aA foolish son brings grief to his father

^25band bitterness to her who bore him.

This proverb is similar to other proverbs that deal with the effect of a child on his parents. No contrast is intended between the “father” and “her who bore” the fool (his mother). The two terms function as a single unit. They refer to the fool’s parents. For similar proverbs, see 10:1, 15:20, and 17:21.

17:25a

A foolish son brings grief to his father

A foolish son/person grieves and angers his father
If children are foolish, their father will be sad and irritated.

A foolish son brings grief to his father: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates here as grief has a slightly different meaning from the word that is used in 17:21a and 10:1c. In those two verses, the word means “sorrow,” “grief,” or “sadness.” Here the word includes the meaning “grief,” but it refers more to vexation, irritation, or anger.NIDOTTE (H4088), TWOT (#1016a), Hubbard (page 257), Fox (page 636), Waltke (page 63). Some ways to express this meaning are:

A stupid son exasperates his father (REB)

A stupid son is vexation for his father (NJPS)

For the word foolish, see fool 2 in the Glossary.

17:25a–b

(combined/reordered)

A foolish child will cause his father and mother bitter grief and anger.

17:25b

and bitterness to her who bore him.

and greatly saddens the one who gave birth to him.
Their mother will experience/feel intense grief.

and bitterness to her who bore him: The word that the BSB translates as bitterness occurs only here in the OT. It indicates that the foolish child causes his mother intense grief and distress. It probably does not imply “resentment.”Waltke (page 63).

her who bore him: The phrase her who bore him is a literal translation of the Hebrew. It refers to the mother of the fool. In some languages, it may be appropriate to use a term that has to do with giving birth. In other languages, it may be more natural to use a word such as “mother.”

Some ways to translate this line are:

and bitterness to the one who gave them birth (NLT)

and bitter grief to his mother (GW)

General Comment on 17:25a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this verse in terms of (plural) children and parents. For example:

Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers. (GNT)

In some languages, it may be clearer to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

A foolish child exasperates his parents and brings them much grief.

See also 17:25a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

לְ֭⁠אָבִי⁠ו בֵּ֣ן כְּסִ֑יל & לְ⁠יוֹלַדְתּֽ⁠וֹ

to,father_of,his son foolish & to,[the_of,one_who]_bore_him

A stupid son, his, her, and him represent types of people in general, not specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. See how you translated a stupid son in [10:1](../10/01.md). Alternate translation: “Any stupid son … to that person’s father … to the person who bore that person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

כַּ֣עַס לְ֭⁠אָבִי⁠ו

provocation to,father_of,his

Here Solomon speaks of a son causing his father to feel grief as if that son himself were that grief. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “causes grief for his father” or “causes his father to feel grief”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

כַּ֣עַס & וּ֝⁠מֶ֗מֶר

provocation & and,bitterness

See how you translated the abstract nouns grief in [10:1](../10/01.md) and bitterness in [14:10](../14/10.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וּ֝⁠מֶ֗מֶר לְ⁠יוֹלַדְתּֽ⁠וֹ

and,bitterness to,[the_of,one_who]_bore_him

Here Solomon speaks of a son causing his mother to feel bitterness as if that son himself were that bitterness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and causes bitterness for her who bore him” or “and causes her who bore him to feel bitter”

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 17:25