PROV 24:16 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 24:15–16 Saying 27

In this saying, the teacher advises his son not to be involved in robbing or destroying the house and property of a righteous man (24:15). He then gives a reason or motivation for obeying this advice (24:16).

24:16

The reason for obeying this advice is that a righteous person always recovers from a disaster. When wicked people experience a disaster, they do not recover. Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^16aFor though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up;

^16bbut the wicked stumble in bad times.

The verbs “fall” and “stumble” are similar in meaning. The contrast is that the righteous person “gets up.” The lack of a similar verb in 24:16b implies that wicked people do not rise again.

24:16a–b

a righteous man…the wicked: In Hebrew, the first phrase is singular. The second phrase is plural. But each phrase refers to a group of people who share a common trait, either righteousness or wickedness. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

24:16a

For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up;

For even though a person who obeys Yahweh trips and falls seven times, he gets/stands up again each time.
For righteous people may experience trouble/disaster repeatedly, but their lives always become good again.

may fall…he still gets up: In some contexts, these words have literal meanings. The word fall can mean “fall over” or “fall down,” as a person who trips and falls. The phrase gets up can mean “rise” or “stand up.”

However, in this context, both have figurative meanings. The word fall means “experience disaster or severe trouble.” The phrase gets up means “recovers from the disaster” or “regains his prosperity.”

In some languages, these words have the same figurative meaning as in Hebrew. If that is true in your language, you may be able to translate them literally. For example:

Though a righteous person trips and falls seven times, he stands up again.

Seven times the righteous man falls and gets up (NJPS)

In other languages, it will be clearer to translate the figurative meaning. Use natural expressions in your language. For example:

Even though trouble catches a righteous person again and again, he will defeat it every time.

seven times: In this context, the number seven has a figurative meaning. It means “many times” or “repeatedly.”Several commentaries mention that the number “seven” signifies completeness. There is widespread agreement that in this context, it means “any number of times” (Ross, page 1075), “again and again” (McKane, page 404), or “often” (Cohen, page 162). The point is that “every time” the righteous person falls down, he get up again (UBS, page 525). If you translate this number literally, it is recommended that you add a footnote to explain the figurative meaning. For example:

In this verse, “seven times” means “many times.”

If you translate the meaning figuratively, it is recommended that you add a footnote that gives the literal number. For example:

In Hebrew, what is written here is “seven times.”

24:16b

but the wicked stumble in bad times.

But when trouble makes a wicked person trip and fall, he does not get up.
In contrast, when something terrible happens to wicked people, their lives are ruined permanently.

but the wicked stumble in bad times: The verb that the BSB translates as stumble is passive in Hebrew. It means “are tripped” or “are caused to stumble.” This verb is different from the verb “fall” in 24:16a, but it has a similar meaning. Some other ways to translate this passive clause are:

Use a different passive verb. For example:
the wicked are tripped by one misfortune (NJPS)
the wicked are overwhelmed by trouble (NCV)
Use an active verb as the BSB has done. For example:
disaster destroys the wicked (GNT)
in a disaster wicked people fall (GW)

In contrast to the righteous, it is implied that the wicked do not recover after they experience bad times. In contrast to “seven times,” it may also be implied that even one disaster or misfortune is enough to destroy the wicked. The NLT makes this implied information explicit in order to emphasize the contrast. It has:

But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. (NLT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שֶׁ֨בַע

seven

Here, seven times is used to refer to multiple occurrences in general, not specifically seven. In Hebrew, seven often symbolizes the idea of completion. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “numerous times”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

צַדִּ֣יק

law-abiding/just

See how you translated a righteous one in [9:9](../09/09.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִפּ֣וֹל & וָ⁠קָ֑ם

falls & and,he_will_rise

Here, the writer speaks of someone experiencing disaster as if that person falls, and he speaks of recovering from that disaster as if that person rises up. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will experience disaster and recover from it”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִכָּשְׁל֥וּ בְ⁠רָעָֽה

stumble in,trouble

Here, the writer speaks of someone experiencing calamity as if that person stumbled into it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “experience calamity”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

בְ⁠רָעָֽה

in,trouble

See how you translated the abstract noun calamity in [1:26](../01/26.md).

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 24:16