PROV 20:25 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

20:25

The underlined parallel parts in this proverb refer to the same action.

^25aIt is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,

^25bonly later to reconsider his vows.

This proverb warns people not to make vows to dedicate something to the LORD without first thinking whether they will able to fulfill those vows. Once a person has made a vow, he is obligated to carry it out. So if he has made a sudden vow, he will be trapped. He will not be able to escape the consequences.Whybray (page 302).

20:25a

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly,

It is dangerous when a person hastily promises to give something to Yahweh,
You^(sing) will be like an animal caught in a trap if you say without thinking, “I promise to offer/dedicate this to Yahweh.”

It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly: This is a metaphor. It compares a person who makes a rash vow to an animal that gets caught in a trap. The similarity is that both are in a difficult or dangerous situation that will result in harm or other serious consequences. For other ways to translate this metaphor, see the General Comment on 20:25a–b after the note on 20:25b.

to dedicate something rashly: In Hebrew this phrase is literally “to say rashly, ‘(It is) holy/consecrated.’ ” By saying those words, a person made a solemn promise. He promised that the “holy/consecrated” item was set apart for the LORD from then on and belonged to him.According to Waltke (page 155), this is an example of a “performative speech-act.” In saying the words, the person performs the act of dedicating the item.

rashly: In Hebrew, “say rashly” is a single word. It probably means to speak unthinkingly, hastily, or impulsively, without carefully considering the consequences.

20:25a–b

(combined/reordered)

Do not promise to give an offering to Yahweh before you^(sing) think carefully about it. You may get caught in a trap.

20:25b

only later to reconsider his vows.

and he does not think first about how he will fulfill his promise.
After you^(sing) have made the promise, it is too late to think about the cost/consequences.

only later to reconsider his vows: This part of the verse further explains the meaning of “dedicate something rashly.” It indicates that the person makes the vow without thinking. He does not first consider whether he can fulfill what he promised to do or give.There are at least two ways to interpret what the person who made the vow “considers.” The view taken in the Notes is supported by UBS, Waltke, Fox, Whybray, McKane, and Murphy. The other interpretation is that the person considers how he can avoid fulfilling the vow. This view is supported by Ross, Hubbard, and Toy. Most versions, including the BSB, are ambiguous, so this has not been presented as an interpretation issue in the body of the Notes.

General Comment on 20:25a–b

Here are some other ways to translate the metaphor along with the further explanation in 20:25b.

Keep the metaphor. For example:
It is a snare for one to say rashly, “It is holy,” and begin to reflect only after making a vow. (NRSV)
Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. (NLT)
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
A person who suddenly promises to give something to the LORD is like an animal caught in a trap. It is dangerous to make a vow without carefully thinking about it first.
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
It’s dangerous to promise something to God too quickly. After you’ve thought about it, it may be too late. (NCV)

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine some parts of the verse. For example:

Do not vow suddenly to offer something to the LORD. You need to first think whether you will be able to fulfill the vow. If you do not do that, you will be like an animal that gets caught in a trap.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

מוֹקֵ֣שׁ אָ֭דָם יָ֣לַע

trap_of humankind say_rashly

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “A snare of a man is when he says rashly”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מוֹקֵ֣שׁ

trap_of

Here Solomon refers to something a person says that can cause him trouble as if what he says were a snare that traps him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. See how you translated the same use of snare in [18:7](../18/07.md). Alternate translation: “What is dangerous for”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

אָ֭דָם יָ֣לַע

humankind say_rashly

Although a man and he are masculine, Solomon is using the words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use phrases that make this clear. Alternate translation: “a person: that person says rashly”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

קֹ֑דֶשׁ

holy

Here Solomon implies that this person has dedicated something to Yahweh by declaring it to be holy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “I declare this thing to be holy”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

נְדָרִ֣ים

vows

Here, vows refers to declaring that something is holy and dedicated to Yahweh, which this person does in the previous clause. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “dedicating it to Yahweh” or “declaring it holy”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לְ⁠בַקֵּֽר

to,consider

Here Solomon implies that this person considers the rash vow he just made. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “considers what he just vowed”

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 20:25