OET interlinear PROV 19:27

19:27

The second line of this verse gives the result of the first line.

^27aIf you cease to hear instruction, my son,

you will stray from the words of knowledge.

In the Hebrew, 19:27a is a warning that implies an “if” statement. The BSB and the NET makes the “if” statement explicit. For example:

^27a If you stop listening to instruction, my child, (NET)

^27byou will stray from the words of knowledge. (NET)

In the Hebrew text, this verse is literally:

^27aCease, my son, to listen to instruction,

^27b to stray from words of knowledge.

It seems to be a command that the son stop listening to instruction in order to stray from words of knowledge. This is not a reasonable command. So most scholars think that the author is using irony. He is saying the opposite of what he intends the son to understand.These scholars include Longman, Ross, Whybray, Garrett, and McKane.

However, this kind of irony is not used elsewhere in Proverbs.Whybray (page 286) mentions this specifically, though he supports irony in this verse. Fox (page 661) rejects “irony” as a credible interpretation, based on his understanding that the two infinitives “to listen” and “to stray” both connect to the command “cease.” He gives an excellent summary of at least five ways that scholars or ancient versions have tried to make sense of what is clearly a very difficult text. Waltke (page 124) understands the author’s strategy to involve “sarcasm,” since the command obviously contradicts what is taught elsewhere. He says that both the Vulgate (“do not cease listening…”) and the NIV (conditional statement) express the author’s intention. Murphy (page 141) allows a possible “conditional” interpretation of the imperative, but Ross (page 1038) and Garrett (page 173) reject a conditional sense. These Notes have not attempted to list all the textual variants or to treat this as an interpretation issue. It is also difficult to understand this kind of irony correctly, because nothing else in the context implies it.

Scholars agree that the purpose of this verse is to emphasize to the son the serious consequences of not listening to instruction. Some ways to express this meaning are:

• Use an “if” statement, as the BSB has done.

• Use a command that means to not stop listening. For example:

  ^27aDon’t stop listening to correction, my child, ^27bor you will forget what you have already learned. (NCV)

• Use irony or sarcasm. For example:

  So, my son, you want to ignore all the useful things that you have learned, do you? Go ahead, then, block your ears! Be sure that you do not listen to wise advice!

19:27a

hear instruction: For the word instruction, see discipline in the Glossary. Here it refers to wise moral teaching.

19:27b

you will stray from the words of knowledge: The phrase that the BSB translates as words of knowledge is parallel to “instruction.” It also refers to teaching from a wise teacher. The whole clause implies that this is wisdom or knowledge that the son previously learned. To stray from this knowledgeHALOT (#9368) and BDB (#7686) list this verse under the sense “go astray” rather than the specific sense “commit inadvertent sin.” However, TWOT (#2325) understands that the main emphasis of the root word is on “sin done inadvertently…not willfully.” NIDOTTE (H8706) also understands the verb to refer here to “wandering away from the Lord.” as a result of no longer listening to instruction implies that:

• The son will no longer think about what he has learned, so he will forget it. For example:

  you will forget what you already know (CEV)

• The son will neglect wise conduct in his life and actions and will wander off the path of right behavior. For example:

  you will soon neglect what you already know (GNT)

  you will turn your back on knowledge (NLT)

See the note on 5:23b, where the same Hebrew verb is used.