PROV 1:15 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:8–19: First lesson: Avoid evil companions

This first lesson may be summarized as follows:

Introduction: Pay attention to your parents’ advice, because it will improve your character (1:8–9).
Lesson: If robbers try to persuade you to do evil (1:10–14), refuse to join them (1:15), because they will destroy their own lives (1:16–18).
Conclusion: People who are greedy and try to obtain wealth illegally will die (1:19).This outline is based on “The Design of Lecture 1” in Fox (page 92).

Some other headings for this section are:

Warnings against Bad Friends (CEV)

Advice to a young man to not be tempted by evil people

Paragraph 1:15–19

In this paragraph, the father repeats his advice to the son to reject the sinners’ invitation (1:15). He then gives two reasons: (a) Criminals lead evil lives (1:16). (b) They are so foolish they will end up destroying themselves (1:17–18). The paragraph ends with a summary statement (1:19).

1:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^15amy son, do not walk the road with them

^15b or set foot on their path.

1:15a

my son, do not walk the road with them

¶ If that is what they ask you,^(sing) my son, do not go with them.
¶ My son/child, do not accompany^(sing) people like that

my son: For the meaning of my son, see the note on 1:8a. Here it indicates that the father has finished quoting the words that sinners might say. He is again advising his son. In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit that the father is no longer reporting the words of the criminals. For example:

If that is what they ask you, my son,

Your language may have a different way to make this clear.

do not walk the road with them: A more literal translation of this clause is: “Do not go/walk in the way with them.” The “way” of sinners, in the context of verses 11–14, means both the actual road leading to the intended place of ambush and also their way of life.Most scholars understand a figurative view, but Fox (page 87) says that both literal and figurative meanings apply. In light of the context of joining a gang to go ambush someone along a road, it makes sense that “way” would have a literal sense as well as a broader figurative one. If possible, choose an expression that can be understood either way. For example:

don’t go with people like that (GNT)

This translation can mean either “don’t go with them to the place where they have planned an ambush” or “don’t associate with them.”

1:15a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ If that is what they ask you,^(sing) my son, refuse. Do not join in with people like that.

1:15b

or set foot upon their path.

Do not even start^(sing) to follow the path they plan to take.
or associate with them in any way.

or set foot upon their path: The word foot is a figure of speech that refers to the whole person. This line, like 1:15a, may be understood literally as advice not to start walking on a certain path. For example:

Stay far away from their paths (NLT)

It may also be understood figuratively as advice to avoid a way of life. For example:

Do not do what they do (NCV)

General Comment on 1:15a–b

Both of the parallel lines can be understood literally and figuratively. However, in many languages, it will not be possible to express both meanings in each line. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use one of the following translation options:

Express the literal idea of not going with them (to the ambush) in one line and express the figurative idea of not associating with them or following their lifestyle in the other line. For example:
^15ado not go along with them; (NCV)
^15bdo not do what they do. (NCV)
Combine the ideas of both lines and use a verb that expresses both meanings. For example:
“My son, do not join in with people like that.”

Use an appropriate option for your language.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

בְּנִ֗⁠י

my_son_of,my

See how you translated the same use of this phrase in [1:8](../01/08.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

אַל־תֵּלֵ֣ךְ בְּ⁠דֶ֣רֶךְ אִתָּ֑⁠ם מְנַ֥ע רַ֝גְלְ⁠ךָ֗ מִ⁠נְּתִיבָתָֽ⁠ם

not walk in_[the],way with=them keep foot_of,your from,pathway_of,their

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases in a way that would show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “do not walk in the way with them; I am saying, restrain your foot from their path”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

אַל־תֵּלֵ֣ךְ בְּ⁠דֶ֣רֶךְ אִתָּ֑⁠ם מְנַ֥ע רַ֝גְלְ⁠ךָ֗ מִ⁠נְּתִיבָתָֽ⁠ם

not walk in_[the],way with=them keep foot_of,your from,pathway_of,their

Here Solomon speaks of walking with the sinners as a way to express associating with them, and he uses way and path to refer to the way that the sinners behave. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “have nothing to do with those sinners; keep yourself from behaving like them”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

רַ֝גְלְ⁠ךָ֗

foot_of,your

Solomon is using one part of a person, the foot, to represent the whole person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yourself”

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 1:15

Hebrew word order