PROV 27:25 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 27:23–27

This paragraph advises the reader to take good care of his sheep and goats (27:23). The reason is that accumulated wealth and a stable government do not last (27:24). When he does the work to provide food for the animals (27:25), they will provide a continuing source of clothing, income, and food for his family (27:26–27).

27:25

This verse describes the work of harvesting grass and other vegetation.

Notice the parallelism. The underlined parts refer to kinds of grass and other vegetation that grow naturally in the fields and hills. The parts in bold print refer together to the process of cutting the grass, letting new grass grow, and storing all the harvested grass to be used later to feed the animals.

^25aWhen the hay is removed and new growth appears

^25band the grass from the hills is gathered in,

It is implied that if/when this work is done at the right seasons of the year, the flocks of sheep and goats (27:23) will have enough food to eat.

In Hebrew, this verse is literally “The grass disappears, the grass appears, the vegetation(s) of the mountains are gathered.” In some languages, the implied meaning may be clear from these short statements.

In many other languages, it may be necessary to make explicit some of the implied information. It may also be necessary to change passive verbs to active verbs and/or to use command forms. For example:

So harvest the tall grass and wait for it to grow again. Also gather the grass from the hills. When you have stored all this grass, your animals will have enough to eat…

27:25a–b

(combined/reordered)

When the tall grass has been cut/harvested and grows again, including the grass in the mountains, you^(sing) will have enough food for your animals.
So do what is necessary to feed your animals. Cut and gather the grass and other plants that grow in the fields and hills. Soon it will sprout/grow again.

hay…new growth…grain: Some other ways to translate these three terms are:

the grass…new shoots…the green growth (REB)

the grass…the aftergrowth…the hay (NJB)

the grass…the new growth…the vegetation (ESV)

In some languages, it may be more natural to use more or fewer terms. See the General Comment on 27:25a–b after the note on 27:25b.

27:25a

When hay is removed and new growth appears

So harvest the grass/hay. It will sprout again.
You^(sing) should gather the hay from the fields so your flocks/animals have enough to eat. While you wait for the next crop of hay to grow,

When hay is removed and new growth appears: The word that the BSB translates as hay refers to various kinds of grass that grow vigorously after the rains have come. When it is tall, people cut it and it is removed to be stored as food for the animals. The clause new growth appears refers to the new grass that grows after people have removed the old grass. It is implied that this new grass is also cut and gathered at the appropriate time.

In contrast to 27:25b, these clauses do not specify where the grass is located. It could be in fields or wilderness areas in the lowlands. It could also be in the hills, as in 27:25b. If possible, leave the location implied. If it is necessary to make a location explicit, use a general term. For example:

in the fields

Some other ways to translate these clauses are:

When the grass is taken away and the aftergrowth appears (NAB)

After the hay is harvested and the new grass grows again

27:25b

and the grain from the hills is gathered,

Gather the grass/vegetation from the hills.
also cut/harvest the grass that is in the mountain areas and put it in the place where you store food for the animals.

and the grain from the hills is gathered: This clause refers to the grass that grows in fields in the hills and mountain areas. It is also cut and stored as fodder for the animals. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

and when the vegetation/grass that grows in the hills is harvested

and the mountain grasses have been cut and brought to the storage places

General Comment on 27:25a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine some of the parallel parts. For example:

When the tall grass has been harvested from the fields and hills and it grows again

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

גָּלָ֣ה חָ֭צִיר

gone grass

Here Solomon implies that the grass disappears because the farmer harvested it in order to feed it to livestock. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “Then grass disappears when you harvest it”

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-time-sequential

וְ⁠נִרְאָה־דֶ֑שֶׁא

and,it_appears new_growth

The word translated and at the beginning of this phrase indicates that this event happened after the event described in the previous phrase. Use a natural form in your language for introducing the next event in a series of events. Alternate translation: “and next, fresh grass is seen”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠נִרְאָה־דֶ֑שֶׁא וְ֝⁠נֶאֶסְפ֗וּ עִשְּׂב֥וֹת הָרִֽים

and,it_appears new_growth and,they_are_gathered herbs_of mountains

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and you see fresh grass, and you gather the herbs of the mountains”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

עִשְּׂב֥וֹת הָרִֽים

herbs_of mountains

Here Solomon uses the possessive form to describe the herbs that grow on the mountains. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “the herbs that grow on the mountains”

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 27:25

Hebrew word order