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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Prov C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31
Prov 20 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30
OET (OET-LV) one_who_curses his/its_father and_mother_of_his it_will_be_extinguished lamp_of_his in_a_time_of[fn] darkness.
20:20 OSHB variant note: ב/אישון: (x-qere) ’בֶּ/אֱשׁ֥וּן’: lemma_b/380 morph_HR/Ncmsc id_20hMA בֶּ/אֱשׁ֥וּן
OET (OET-RV) The one who curses their father and mother,
⇔ → will have their lamp extinguished in deep darkness.
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
The second line of this proverb describes the severe consequences of the wicked action in the first line.
20aWhoever curses his father or mother,
20bhis lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
In the law of Moses, the penalty for a person who cursed his parents was death. If you use footnotes, you may want to add a footnote that gives this information, along with the references (Exodus 21:17, Leviticus 20:9, Deuteronomy 27:16).
Whoever curses his father or mother,
If a person curses his parents,
Anyone who insults/reviles his father or mother
Whoever curses his father or mother: The word curses refers here to words, not to sorcery. A person who curses his parents insults or belittles them. He says bad things about them and may even wish them harm.Fox (page 672), UBS (page 428). Some other ways to translate this line are:
Children who curse their parents (CEV)
If you insult your father or mother (NLT)
One who reviles his father or mother (NJPS)
his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness.
his life will end like a lamp that is snuffed out in extreme darkness.
will be like a candle/light that is put/blown out in the middle of the night.
his lamp will be extinguished in deepest darkness: This clause is a metaphor that refers to a sudden and premature death. It compares the person’s life to a lamp that will be extinguished in the middle of the night. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:
Keep the metaphor. For example:
his lamp will be extinguished in the blackest darkness (NET)
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
your life will end like a lamp that goes out in the dark (GNT)
See the note on 13:9b, where similar wording occurs.
in deepest darkness: In Hebrew, this phrase may refer to either the middle of the night or to the blackest/deepest darkness.Waltke (page 150), UBS (page 428).
In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder some of the verse parts. For example:
The lamp of the person who curses his father and mother will be snuffed out in total darkness. (GW)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun
מְ֭קַלֵּל אָבִ֣יו וְאִמּ֑וֹ & נֵ֝ר֗וֹ
curses his/its=father and,mother_of,his & lamp_of,his
One who curses and his 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. Alternate translation: “Any person who curses that person’s father and mother, that person’s lamp”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
יִֽדְעַ֥ךְ נֵ֝ר֗וֹ
go_out lamp_of,his
If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Yahweh will extinguish his lamp”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
יִֽדְעַ֥ךְ נֵ֝ר֗וֹ
go_out lamp_of,his
See how you translated the same use of lamp and will be extinguished in [13:9](../13/09.md).
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
באישון חֹֽשֶׁךְ
in,a_time_of darkness
Here Solomon refers to a very dark place as if it were in the pupil, which is the dark circle in the center of an eye. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in the darkest darkness” or “in the deepest dark place”
OET (OET-LV) one_who_curses his/its_father and_mother_of_his it_will_be_extinguished lamp_of_his in_a_time_of[fn] darkness.
20:20 OSHB variant note: ב/אישון: (x-qere) ’בֶּ/אֱשׁ֥וּן’: lemma_b/380 morph_HR/Ncmsc id_20hMA בֶּ/אֱשׁ֥וּן
OET (OET-RV) The one who curses their father and mother,
⇔ → will have their lamp extinguished in deep darkness.
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.