PROV 23:21 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 22:17–24:22: Here are thirty sayings of wise people

This section follows the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs (10:1–22:16). It differs in significant ways from this preceding section:These differences were summarized from a number of commentaries, including UBS (page 472), Waltke (2004, page 22), and Hubbard (page 351).

The preceding section has mostly two-line proverbs that are one verse in length. This section has proverbs of a different form. They are sayings that range from one to seven verses. Most of the sayings are two or three verses in length. Each saying will be marked as a separate paragraph in the Notes.
Many of the proverbs in the preceding section express a general principle. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. Most of the sayings here contain direct commands. They advise the reader or listener either to follow wise behavior or avoid foolish behavior. Most of the sayings also give a reason or motive for following the command.
As in chapters 1–9, the author addresses his reader or listener as a father who advises his son. He uses second person commands and pronouns (you^(sing)). See the note on 23:15 for a list of verses where the words “my son” occur.

Some other headings for this section are:

Thirty Wise Sayings (CEV)

Words of the Wise (ESV)

Thirty Sayings of the Wise (NIV11)

Verse 22:20 mentions “thirty sayings,” but the Hebrew text itself does not number the sayings. Some versions that use the word “thirty” in the section heading also give a number as a separate heading for each saying. The GNT and CEV start numbering the sayings at 22:22. They have a total of thirty-one paragraphs. In these versions, the first paragraph (22:17–21) serves as an introduction to the thirty sayings (22:22–24:22).Scholars who identify 22:17–21 as the first saying include Hubbard (page 352), Fox (page 707), and Waltke (2004, page 22). Scholars who identify these verses as an introduction to the sayings that follow include Whybray (page 325) and Murphy (page 170). See also the NET footnote (b) on 22:16. Whether these introductory verses form the first saying or simply introduce the following sayings, all scholars agree that they function as an introduction to the whole section. Other versions, such as the NIV, NCV, and NLT, divide the paragraphs in the same way but do not have separate headings for each section. You may use either option in your translation.The NIV11 gives a number as a separate heading for each saying. But it counts the first paragraph as the first saying, and has a total of thirty paragraphs. Other versions have more or fewer paragraphs. For example, the ESV and NRSV have fifteen paragraphs. The NJB has thirty-four. Still other versions, such as the RSV, NET, and NJPS, do not group the verses into sayings or paragraphs.

For the convenience of those who decide to identify the number of each saying in their translation, the Notes will put the number in the paragraph headings, using the same numbering system as the GNT or CEV. These numbers will not be used in the Display.

Paragraph 23:19–21 Saying 15

This saying warns the son not to participate in excessive drinking and eating. Verse 23:19 exhorts the son to pay attention to the teacher’s advice. Verse 23:20 gives the actual warning. Verse 23:21 explains why the son should heed the warning.

23:21

The reason the son should heed the warning in 23:20 is that such behavior leads to poverty. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^21aFor the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

^21band drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

23:21a

For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

Because drunkards and gluttons become poor.
Because people like that will lose their possessions.

For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty: When people eat, drink, and sleep too much, they are not able to work, so they come to poverty. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

for the drunkard and glutton impoverish themselves (NJB)

Those who eat and drink too much become poor. (NCV)

will come to poverty: In Hebrew, the verb that the BSB translates as will come to poverty is literally “be dispossessed” or “be impoverished.” It indicates that they lose their possessions and live in poverty.NIDOTTE (H3769), UBS (page 500).

23:21a–b

(combined/reordered)

People like that just lie there and sleep. Their money will soon be gone, and what they have to wear will be torn and patched.

23:21b

and drowsiness will clothe them in rags.

They always feel sleepy. As a result, they will have only rags to wear.
It will not be long until all their clothes are ragged and torn, because they do nothing but feast and sleep.

and drowsiness will clothe them in rags: This line is a figure of speech (personification). In this figure of speech, drowsiness is compared to a person who puts ragged clothing on poor people. It means that when people sleep too much, they will have only old, tattered clothes to wear. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

They sleep too much and end up wearing rags. (NCV)

If all you do is eat and sleep, you will soon be wearing rags. (GNT)

drowsiness: The word that the BSB translates as drowsiness refers here to the sleepy feeling that people have after they get drunk or eat too much food.

will clothe them in rags: The expression clothe them in rags describes their poverty more specifically in terms of the clothes that they wear. As a result of their behavior, they will have nothing to wear except rags.

General Comment on 23:21a–b

In some languages, the order of the parallel lines may wrongly imply that drunkards and gluttons first become poor. After that, they sleep and end up wearing ragged clothes.

The correct logical order is that drunkards and gluttons become sleepy. They end up becoming poor and wearing ragged clothes. The CEV has reordered the parallel parts to reflect the logical order. It has:

It will make you feel drowsy, and you will end up poor with only rags to wear.

See 23:21a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display for another example of reordering.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

סֹבֵ֣א וְ֭⁠זוֹלֵל

drunkard and,a_glutton

Here, one who drinks much and one who eats gluttonously refer to types of people in general, not to specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “any person who drinks much and any person who eats gluttonously”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

סֹבֵ֣א וְ֭⁠זוֹלֵל

drunkard and,a_glutton

The writer implies that these people drink too much wine and gluttonously eat too much meat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. See how you translated the similar phrases “drinkers of much wine” and “gluttonous eaters of flesh” in the previous verse. Alternate translation: “one who drinks too much wine and one who gluttonously eats too much meat”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

וּ֝⁠קְרָעִ֗ים תַּלְבִּ֥ישׁ נוּמָֽה

and,rags clothe drowsiness

Here, the writer refers to people becoming poor because they sleep too much as if slumber were a person who clothes those people with rags. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they will be clothed with rags because they slept too much”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וּ֝⁠קְרָעִ֗ים תַּלְבִּ֥ישׁ נוּמָֽה

and,rags clothe drowsiness

Here, clothe with rags indicates that a person is so poor that they only have rags for clothing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and slumber will make one so poor that he only has rags to wear”

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 23:21

Hebrew word order