PROV 25:9 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 25:1–29:27: This is Hezekiah’s collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the second collection of Solomon’s proverbs. These proverbs were organized and copied by men who served King Hezekiah. Most scholars divide this section into two groups. These groups differ in several ways.

The first group (chapters 25–27) has many more comparisons and admonitions. In Hebrew, most of these comparisons are metaphors in which one or more illustrations precede the topic. Some English versions change the order so that the topic precedes the illustration(s). You should follow the order that expresses the meaning naturally and effectively in your language.

In the first group, many proverbs are one verse long. As with the individual proverbs in the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs (Section 10:1–22:16), they are not related to the proverbs around them. Other proverbs in this group are two or more verses long. Still others are one-verse proverbs that are closely related in theme. Proverbs in all three categories will be marked as separate paragraphs.

The second group (chapters 28–29) has more contrastive proverbs. The proverbs in this group are each one verse long. They will not be marked as separate paragraphs.

Some other headings for this section are:

More Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

Proverbs of Solomon Collected by Hezekiah (NET)

These are also wise things that Solomon said

Paragraph 25:9–10

The context of this proverb is a disagreement with another person. The proverb is a warning about the danger of revealing confidential information.

25:9

The first line describes the context. The second line is a warning.

^9aArgue your case with your neighbor

^9bwithout betraying another’s confidence

25:9a

Argue your case with your neighbor

¶ If you^(sing) have an argument with a friend/neighbor,
¶ If you and another person disagree about something, the two of you should discuss/settle it

Argue your case with your neighbor: In Hebrew, this line is literally “Argue your argument with your neighbor.” It indicates that a person should discuss a conflict or cause of disagreement directly with the neighbor involved. For example:

Argue your case with your neighbor directly (NRSV)

This command implies a situation in which two people have a personal disagreement.The Hebrew words for “argue” and “argument” that are used here are different forms of the same word (rib) that was used in 25:8a. Waltke (page 318) understands both verses to refer to a court case. Most scholars (including UBS, Longman, Toy, Hubbard, Whybray, Ross, and Cohen) understand 25:9a to refer to a disagreement that two people are advised to discuss or settle privately. Some other ways to translate this line are:

If you have an argument with your neighbor (NCV)

If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion (GNT)

25:9b

without betraying another’s confidence,

do not make known secret/private information about that friend/neighbor to other people.
without telling anyone else what you^(dual/plur) have discussed/learned.

without betraying another’s confidence: In Hebrew, this line is literally “Do not reveal the secret of another person.” This command is a warning not to tell private information. The verse does not specify whose information should be kept secret. It probably refers to information that you learned from the “neighbor during the argument.UBS, Longman, Hubbard, and Cohen think that it is personal information about the neighbor. But it could also be information about someone else that would help the addressee to win his argument with the neighbor (McKane, Ross). You should not gossip about this information to other people.

Another way to translate this command is:

do not reveal any secrets (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-poetry

רִֽ֭יבְ⁠ךָ רִ֣יב

case_of,your_own argue

Here, Dispute your dispute is an emphatic construction that uses a verb and its object that both 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 2 topic: figures-of-speech / imperative

רִֽ֭יבְ⁠ךָ רִ֣יב

case_of,your_own argue

This is an imperative, but it communicates a hypothetical situation. Use a form in your language that communicates this, as in the UST.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠ס֖וֹד אַחֵ֣ר אַל־תְּגָֽל

and_[the],secret next/another not disclose

See how you translated the similar phrase “uncovering a secret” in [11:13](../11/13.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ⁠ס֖וֹד אַחֵ֣ר אַל־תְּגָֽל

and_[the],secret next/another not disclose

Here, another could refer to: (1) someone other than your neighbor, which would indicate telling someone else’s secret to win the dispute against one’s neighbor. Alternate translation: “and the secret of another person” (2) your neighbor. Alternate translation: “and the secret of that neighbor”

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.