PROV 27:4 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 27:4

The topic of this comparison is jealousy (27:4b). The two similar illustrations are wrath and anger (27:4a). The similarity between the topic and the two parallel illustrations is that all three emotions have damaging results.

^4a Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood,

^4bbut who can withstand jealousy?

In this kind of comparison, the second line is worse or more severe than the first line. Jealousy causes even more destruction than wrath or anger. No contrast is intended between the two parallel illustrations.

27:4a

Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood,

¶ An angry person is cruel/merciless. His rage is like a flooded river.
¶ When a person is very angry, he shows no mercy to others. He is like a flood that destroys everything in its path.

Wrath is cruel and anger is like a flood: In Hebrew, this line is literally “cruelty of wrath/fury and flood of anger.” The Hebrew words for “wrath/fury” and “anger” often occur as a pair. They both describe an intense emotion that often results in a physical response. Here that response is described as cruel and like a flood.

The more commonly used Hebrew word (“anger”) occurs in the second phrase.

Wrath…anger: In both Hebrew and English, these synonyms are abstract emotions. In Hebrew, they have no difference in meaning. Some other ways to translate them are:

Change the order or use similar words. For example:
Anger…fury (NIV)
Anger…wrath (NLT)
fury…anger (NJPS)
Use one word or phrase instead of two. For example:
Anger (GNT)
Refer to a person who is angry rather than to an abstract emotion (anger). For example:
An angry person (CEV)
When a person is full of rage

cruel…like a flood: The first word refers here to an angry person who shows no mercy.NIDOTTE (H425) uses the term “ruthless.” TWOT (#971c) says that this term is twice defined as “merciless” in Jeremiah. This person makes every effort to harm someone else. Most English versions translate it as “cruel,” as the BSB does. Another way to translate the first phrase is:

Wrath is ruthless/merciless

A furious person shows no mercy to others

In Hebrew, the second word is a metaphor. It compares anger to a flood that destroys everything in its path. Its force is too strong to resist. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
wrath is like a flood (NLT)
Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the point of similarity. For example:
Anger…destroys like a flood (NCV)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Anger is…overwhelming (NIV)
An angry person causes much damage/harm

In some languages, the parallelism in this line (27:4a) may cause one or more translation difficulties:

There may not be appropriate synonyms for “wrath” and “anger.”
The use of parallel synonyms may sound redundant.
The use of parallel synonyms may wrongly imply that the destruction caused by wrath contrasts with the destruction caused by anger.

If any of these difficulties occur in your language, you may want to combine the first pair and/or make other adjustments. For example:

Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood (NCV)

An angry person has no mercy on others. His rage is like a flood. It causes terrible harm.

27:4b

but who can withstand jealousy?

But jealousy causes even more destruction. Who can resist its strength?
But a jealous person is even more dangerous. No one can escape the consequences of his strong feelings.

but who can withstand jealousy: This is a rhetorical question. It emphasizes that no one can withstand jealousy. This statement means that no one can resist the force of jealousy and escape its consequences. In the context of the previous line, it implies that jealousy causes even more harm than great anger.

Some other ways to translate this rhetorical question are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
but who can survive jealousy? (GW)
but who can resist jealousy? (NJPS)
As a statement. For example:
but jealousy is even more dangerous (NLT)
but a jealous person causes even more destruction

jealousy: This word probably refers to the jealousy of a spouse rather than to envy of material things. As with the parallel emotions in 27:4a, it is an abstract idea. Here is another way to translate jealousy that may be more natural in some languages:

a jealous person (CEV)

General Comment on 27:4a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate the comparison from a different viewpoint. For example:

Anger is cruel and destructive, but it is nothing compared to jealousy. (GNT)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

אַכְזְרִיּ֣וּת חֵ֭מָה וְ⁠שֶׁ֣טֶף אָ֑ף

cruel_of severe_anger and_[the],flood_of anger

Here Solomon uses the possessive form to describe heat that is characterized by Cruelty and nose that is characterized by a flood. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “Heat is cruel and nose is a flood”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

חֵ֭מָה & אָ֑ף

severe_anger & anger

Here, heat and nose refer to anger. See how you translated the same use of heat and nose in [15:1](../15/01.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠שֶׁ֣טֶף אָ֑ף

and_[the],flood_of anger

Here Solomon speaks of the destructive power of anger as if it were a flood. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and anger destroys like a flood”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

וּ⁠מִ֥י יַ֝עֲמֹד לִ⁠פְנֵ֥י קִנְאָֽה

and,who? stand to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before jealousy

Solomon is using the question form to emphasize how dangerous jealousy is. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “but surely no one can stand before the face of jealousy!”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

יַ֝עֲמֹד לִ⁠פְנֵ֥י

stand to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before

Here, stand before the face of means “resist.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “can oppose”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

קִנְאָֽה

jealousy

See how you translated the abstract noun jealousy in [6:34](../06/34.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.