PROV 21:31 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

21:31

This proverb is a specific military example that is related to the general truth of 21:30.Murphy (page 162), Garrett (page 185). It contrasts human preparations for battle with the ultimate source of victory—the LORD.

^31a A horse is prepared for the day of battle,

^31bbut victory is of the LORD.

21:31a

A horse is prepared for the day of battle,

For example, even if soldiers prepare their horses to be used in battle,
Soldiers may prepare to fight and have many weapons,

A horse is prepared for the day of battle: This clause refers to a situation in which soldiers rode in war chariots that were pulled by horses. Soldiers prepared the horses for the fight by fastening protective armor on them and harnessing them to the chariots.Cohen (page 144). An army with horses had a definite advantage over an army that had only soldiers on foot.

A horse was literally prepared for battle. In this proverb, the word horse is also a figure of speech (synecdoche). It represents all the other human plans, preparations, and equipment that were intended to help the army win the battle. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

Refer literally to preparing horses for battle. For example:
You can get horses ready for battle (GNT)
Refer more generally to other preparations for battle. For example:
An army may be well trained and have many weapons

If the significance of preparing horses for battle is not well understood, you may want to add a footnote that gives additional information. For example:

At that time, some soldiers rode in chariots/carts that were pulled by horses. Armies that had many horses and chariots were hard to defeat in a battle.

21:31b

but victory is of the LORD.

they will not win unless that is what Yahweh decides.
but it is only Yahweh who causes an army to defeat their enemies.

but victory is of the LORD: In Hebrew, this clause has no verb. It is literally “but to the LORD the victory.” The contrast with the preceding line is that an army cannot depend on its weapons or training to give them victory. Rather, it is the LORD who causes an army to defeat its enemies. Some other ways to emphasize this contrast are:

but it is the Lord who gives victory (GNT)

but the LORD is the one who causes an army to win the battle

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

ס֗וּס & לְ⁠י֣וֹם מִלְחָמָ֑ה

horse & for,a_day_of battle

A horse and the day of battle refer to these things in general, not a specific horse or day of battle. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any horse … for any day of battle”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ס֗וּס מ֭וּכָן

horse prepared

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: “Someone makes a horse ready”

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

ס֗וּס

horse

A horse is a large animal that armies used to pull carts from which soldiers would fight. Armies with horses were usually more powerful than armies without horses. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of animal, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term for something that soldiers use for fighting. Alternate translation: “An animal used for fighting” or “Fighting equipment”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

לְ⁠י֣וֹם מִלְחָמָ֑ה

for,a_day_of battle

Here, day refers to a point in time when something happens. It does not refer to a 24-hour length of time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “for the time of battle”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

הַ⁠תְּשׁוּעָֽה

the,victory

Here, the salvation refers to being saved from defeat in battle, which is another way of saying “the victory.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the victory” or “being saved from defeat”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וְ֝⁠לַֽ⁠יהוָ֗ה

and_[belongs],to,Yahweh

Here Solomon uses the possessive form to indicate that Yahweh is the source of the salvation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “but … is from Yahweh”

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 21:31

Hebrew word order

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

21:31

21:31a

21:31b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)