PROV 19:24 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

19:24

This proverb humorously contrasts what a lazy person is willing and unwilling to do. He is willing to put his hand down into a dish of food. But he is unwilling to bring his hand up to his mouth.

^24aThe slacker buries his hand in the dish;

^24bhe will not even bring it back to his mouth .

In Hebrew, the parallel parts form a chiasm. The word order is more literally:

^24b to his mouth he will not even bring it back!

In some languages, a chiastic word order may emphasize the contrast more effectively.

The setting of the proverb is a typical meal in the Middle East. At such a meal, a person normally dipped a piece of bread into a dish containing a vegetable stew or sauce. He then scooped the food into his mouth.Hubbard (page 155). The proverb uses exaggeration to make fun of a lazy person. Because of his extreme laziness, he fails to complete even a simple task like eating.

19:24a

The slacker buries his hand in the dish;

A lazy person buries/plunges his hand in the dish of food,
Some people are extremely lazy! They will reach out their hand to get a piece of food,

19:24b

he will not even bring it back to his mouth.

but he does not even lift the food to his mouth to eat it!
but they will not even bother to put it in their mouths.

19:24a–b

The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth: The word that the BSB translates as buries often refers to hiding something, such as treasure, by burying it in the ground. Here the word is used figuratively to exaggerate the action of the lazy person or slacker. This person is so lazy that he allows his hand to lie hidden or buried in the bowl of food. He does not even lift his hand back to his mouth to eat the food.

There are several ways to translate the exaggerated cultural situation described here:

In some areas, it may be possible to use the same kind of exaggeration. For example:
The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl;
he will not even bring it to his mouth. (NJPS)
The sluggard plunges his hand in the dish,
and he will not even bring it back to his mouth! (NET)
In areas where people do not dip their hands into a dish, it may be clearer to use more general terms. For example:
Lazy people take food in their hand
but don’t even lift it to their mouth. (NLT)
Another option is to use terms that are appropriate in your own culture. For example:
A lazy person puts his fork in his food.
He doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth. (GW)

If you substitute a culturally appropriate way of eating, it is suggested that you add a footnote that describes the original cultural context. A possible footnote is:The suggested material for this footnote is taken from Hubbard (page 155), UBS (page 409), and King & Stager (page 67).

In Israel at that time, the main meal was often a thick sauce or stew made of vegetables. It sometimes contained meat. This food was put in one dish in the center of the people who were eating together. Each person would dip a piece of bread into the dish and then scoop some food into his mouth.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

עָצֵ֣ל יָ֭ד⁠וֹ & גַּם־אֶל־פִּ֝֗י⁠הוּ לֹ֣א יְשִׁיבֶֽ⁠נָּה

sluggard his/its=hand & also/yet to/towards mouth_of,his not bring_back,brings_it_back

A lazy one, his, and he refer to a type of person in general, not a specific person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. See how you translated this A lazy one in [10:26](../10/26.md). Alternate translation: “Any lazy one … that person’s hand … that person will not even return it to that person’s own mouth”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

טָ֘מַ֤ן & יָ֭ד⁠וֹ בַּ⁠צַּלָּ֑חַת

buries & his/its=hand in,bowl

In Solomon’s culture, people usually ate with their hands and put their hands in a dish in order to pick up food and eat it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “puts his hand in the dish in order to pick up food”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

גַּם־אֶל־פִּ֝֗י⁠הוּ לֹ֣א יְשִׁיבֶֽ⁠נָּה

also/yet to/towards mouth_of,his not bring_back,brings_it_back

Here Solomon implies that A lazy one does not return his hand to his mouth because he is too lazy to do so. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “he is too lazy to even bring his hand up to his mouth to feed himself”

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.