PROV 26:20 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 26:20–21

Both these proverbs are warnings about people who cause quarrels with their words. The first verse is about people who gossip. The second verse is about people who quarrel.

Both proverbs use illustrations that describe the effect of wood on a fire. The first verse speaks about a lack of wood. The second verse speaks about the effect of adding wood.

26:20

The topic of this implied comparison is that quarrels stop if there is no one who gossips (26:20b). The illustration (26:20a) is that fires stop burning if there is no more wood. The three parts of the illustration are exactly parallel to the three parts of the topic.

^20a Without wood, a fire goes out;

^20b without gossip, a conflict ceases.

26:20a

Without wood, a fire goes out;

¶ A fire goes out when there is no fuel/wood.
¶ If no one adds more fuel/wood to the fire, it dies/stops.

Without wood, a fire goes out: Some other ways to translate this line are:

No wood, and the fire goes out (NJB)

For lack of wood, a fire dies down (REB)

In areas where wood is not used for fires, you may use a local material. You may also use a general word or phrase. For example:

Where there is no fuel, a fire goes out (CEV)

If there is nothing to add to the fire, it is extinguished.

If no one feeds a fire, it will stop burning.

26:20b

without gossip, a conflict ceases.

Similarly, a quarrel stops when there is no one to gossip.
If no one slanders/gossips, people will no longer argue.

without gossip: The word that the BSB translates here as gossip occurs four times in Proverbs. In three of those verses (16:28, 18:8, and 26:22), the BSB translates it as “a gossip,” referring to a person. A gossip does not want the person he criticizes to know who spread the false information. So some versions use the word “whisperer.” Here, the BSB translation refers to the words that the person speaks.

Your translation may refer to either the person or his words. For example:

where there is no whisperer (NRSV)

when there is no talebearer (NAB)

when gossip stops (NLT)

if no one spreads slander

See the note on “a gossip” in 18:8a for more information about this word.

a conflict ceases: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates here as ceases refers elsewhere to the sea becoming calm.NIDOTTE (H9284), Waltke (page 360). Some other ways to translate this clause are:

quarreling ceases (NRSV)

quarrels disappear (NLT)

arguments come to an end (CEV)

people will stop arguing

Use a word or phrase that is natural in your language.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בְּ⁠אֶ֣פֶס

with,not_of

Here, end refers to a lack of wood pieces. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. See how you translated the similar use of With the end of in [14:28](../14/28.md). Alternate translation: “With the lack of”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠בְ⁠אֵ֥ין

and,when,there_[is]_not

Here, and indicates that Solomon is comparing what follows to what he said in the previous clause. In the same way that a fire goes out when there are no more wood pieces, a quarrel stops when there is no murmerer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “and similarly, when there is no”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

יִשְׁתֹּ֥ק מָדֽוֹן

dies_down quarrelling

Here Solomon speaks of a quarrel ceasing as if it were a person who becomes silent. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a quarrel ceases”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מָדֽוֹן

quarrelling

See how you translated the abstract noun quarrel in [15:18](../15/18.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.