PROV 17:3 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

17:3

This verse is a metaphor. In this metaphor, the LORD (17:3b) is compared to a crucible and a furnace (17:3a).

^3aA crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,

^3bbut the LORD is the tester of hearts.

Some versions, such as the BSB (quoted above), use the word “but” to indicate a contrast between the two lines. Other versions translate the comparison without an implied contrast.The two lines are connected with the Hebrew conjunction waw, which may be translated here as “and,” “but,” “also,” “likewise,” etc. English versions that translate it with “but” include the BSB, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, and REB. Versions that translate it as a simple comparison include the ESV, NET, RSV, and GNT. The CEV leaves the connection implied. Most scholars call attention to the similarity, not the contrast. These include UBS (page 376), Longman (page 343), Toy (page 336), and Murphy (page 128). For example:

Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person’s heart is tested by the Lord. (GNT)

The crucible is for refining silver and the furnace is for gold, likewise the Lord tests hearts. (NET)

Translate the relationship between the two lines in a way that clearly expresses the meaning of the comparison.

17:3a

A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold,

Just as silver and gold are tested when people melt them in a fire/furnace,
Silver and gold are melted in a fire to see if they are pure/clean,

17:3b

but the LORD is the tester of hearts.

so also a person’s thoughts are tested by Yahweh.
but it is Yahweh who examines the purity/cleanness of our^(incl) hearts/minds.

17:3a–b

A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts: A crucible is a container used for melting metals so that the impurities can be removed. A furnace is like a large oven where a fire is made to melt metals. It has the same function as a crucible.

silver and gold are melted in a crucible or furnace to test their purity or to refine/purify them. Similarly, the LORD tests or examines a person’s “heart” or mind/thoughts to find out whether they are pure. (For “heart,” see the note on 10:20b.)

A crucible and a furnace can be used for either testing or refining. Since 17:3b specifies that the LORD is the tester of the heart, the main point of similarity is probably testing.Toy, Delitzsch, UBS and Waltke all focus on the primary meaning of baḥan as “test/prove.” The BSB translates most of the 28 occurrences of this verb with a form of “test” or “try.” However, Whybray and Murphy both mention purification as an inevitable by-product of testing. NIDOTTE (H1043), Longman, and Fox all concur that God’s testing of the human heart involves not only evaluation but also purification.

Some languages may not have terms for crucible or furnace. Some other ways to translate these terms are:

Combine the two terms into one general term, such as “fire.” For example:
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold (NLT)
If it is not clear how fire would test these metals, you may need to add some implied information. For example:
People melt silver or gold in a very hot fire in order to see whether they are pure.

In some languages, a literal translation of this metaphor may be hard to understand. Some other ways to translate it are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
Just as the purity of silver and gold is tested by fire, so also a person’s thoughts are tested by the LORD.
Reorder the lines so that the topic of the simile comes first. For example:
The LORD is the one who tests people’s hearts/minds, just like fire is used to test silver or gold.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַצְרֵ֣ף לַ֭⁠כֶּסֶף וְ⁠כ֣וּר לַ⁠זָּהָ֑ב

crucible [is]_for,silver and,a_furnace [is]_for,gold

The terms The smelting-pot, the silver, the furnace, and the gold represent these things in general, not any specific things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any smelting-pot is for silver and any furnace is for gold”

Note 2 topic: translate-unknown

מַצְרֵ֣ף

crucible

A smelting-pot is a container in which metals are melted at a very high temperature so that impurities may be discovered and removed from the metal. Since the second clause mentions tests, most likely Solomon is referring to using the pot to discover impurities. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of container, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “The pot used for testing and refining metal”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַצְרֵ֣ף לַ֭⁠כֶּסֶף וְ⁠כ֣וּר לַ⁠זָּהָ֑ב

crucible [is]_for,silver and,a_furnace [is]_for,gold

Solomon assumes that his readers will understand that the smelting-pot and furnace are used to refine and test the purity of silver and gold. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “The smelting-pot is for testing and refining the silver, and the furnace is for testing and refining the gold”

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

וּ⁠בֹחֵ֖ן לִבּ֣וֹת יְהוָֽה

and_[is],testing hearts YHWH

Solomon uses and here to indicate that he is making a comparison between the first clause and the second clause. How Yahweh tests hearts is similar to how The smelting-pot and furnace are used to test silver and gold to see how pure they are. If this connection is not clear, you may want to use a connecting word to show how this statement relates to what came before it. Alternate translation: “likewise, Yahweh tests hearts”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וּ⁠בֹחֵ֖ן לִבּ֣וֹת יְהוָֽה

and_[is],testing hearts YHWH

Here Solomon speaks of Yahweh evaluating what people think as if their hearts were metal that he was testing to discover impurities. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yahweh evaluates peoples’ hearts”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לִבּ֣וֹת

hearts

See how you translated the same use of “heart” in [2:2](../02/02.md).

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.