OET interlinear PRO 25:20

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / infostructure

מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד ׀ בְּ⁠י֣וֹם קָ֭רָה חֹ֣מֶץ עַל־נָ֑תֶר וְ⁠שָׁ֥ר בַּ֝⁠שִּׁרִ֗ים עַ֣ל לֶב־רָֽע

takes_off garment in/on=day cold vinegar on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in soda and,sings in/on/at/with,songs on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in heart_of heavy

If it would be helpful in your language, you could change the order of these clauses. Alternate translation: “One who sings with songs to a heart of misery is like one who removes a garment on a cold day, vinegar on natron”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד & וְ⁠שָׁ֥ר & לֶב־רָֽע

takes_off garment & and,sings & heart_of heavy

One who removes a garment, one who sings, and a heart of misery refer to types of people and hearts in general, not specific people or a specific heart. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Any person who removes a garment … so is any person who sings … any heart of misery”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

מַ֥עֲדֶה בֶּ֨גֶד

takes_off garment

Here Solomon implies that a garment is removed from someone’s body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “One who removes a garment from someone’s body”

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

חֹ֣מֶץ עַל־נָ֑תֶר

vinegar on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in soda

The words vinegar and natron refer to things that cause a violent chemical reaction when they are mixed. Therefore, this clause refers to two things that should not be put together. If your readers would not be familiar with these two materials, you could use the names of similar things in your are, or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “chemicals that don’t mix well with each other”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וְ⁠שָׁ֥ר בַּ֝⁠שִּׁרִ֗ים עַ֣ל לֶב־רָֽע

and,sings in/on/at/with,songs on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in heart_of heavy

Solomon is saying that one who sings with songs to a heart of misery is like One who removes a garment on a cold day and like vinegar on natron, because all of these are inappropriate and unhelpful when put together. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “so also is one who sings with songs to a heart of misery inappropriate”

Note 6 topic: writing-poetry

וְ⁠שָׁ֥ר בַּ֝⁠שִּׁרִ֗ים

and,sings in/on/at/with,songs

Here, sings with songs is an emphatic construction that uses a verb and its object that come from the same root. You may be able to use the same construction in your language to express the meaning here. Alternatively, your language may have another way of showing the emphasis.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

לֶב־רָֽע

heart_of heavy

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe a heart that is characterized by misery. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “a miserable heart”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

לֶב

heart_of

Here, heart refers to the whole person. See how you translated the same use of heart in [14:10](../14/10.md).