PROV 2:1 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–22: Second lesson: Wisdom will spare you from the dangers of crime and adultery

Here is a summary of the advice in this section: If you accept what I teach and seek to become wise (2:1–4), you will indeed become wise, and because of your wisdom, you will know how to revere the LORD and how to do what is right. You will also be protected (2:5–11). Wisdom will protect you from wicked men (2:12–15) and from adulterous women (2:16–19). Consequently, you will follow a righteous lifestyle and enjoy a long life in your own land, but the wicked will be forced to leave their land (2:20–22).

Some other headings for this section are:

The Benefits of Wisdom (NLT)

The Rewards of Wisdom (GNT)

The rewards/benefits that wisdom gives to people

Paragraph 2:1–4

The speech by Wisdom ends in 1:33. The father’s second lesson begins in 2:1. Verses 1–4 contains a series of “if” clauses. These clauses give the conditions for the desired results that begin in 2:5. The function of this paragraph is to give advice. The father wants his son to become wise.

In some languages, it may not be natural to have one long sentence with a series of “if” clauses. Another way to translate this information is to change the “if” clauses into commands. For example:

My child, listen to me and treasure my instructions (NLT96)

The series of result clauses beginning with 2:5 can then be introduced with:

Then you will understand… (NLT)

If you do all these things, you will understand…

2:1–4

It is common in Hebrew parallelism for the meaning to intensify from one poetic line to the next. In the eight parallel statements in 2:1–4, each statement implies a greater degree of involvement or effort than the statement that precedes it. You should try to maintain this poetic intensification if it is meaningful in your language.

2:1

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^1aMy son, if you accept my words

^1band hide my commandments within you,

The meaning of the term “commandments” in the second line is stronger or more intense than the meaning of the parallel term “words” in the first line. The verb “hide” (“treasure”) also implies greater effort than “accept.”

2:1a

My son, if you accept my words

¶ My child, accept what I tell you^(sing);
¶ My son/child, you must believe that my words/advice are true,

My son: See the note on My son in 1:8a.

if you accept my words: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as accept often means “take” or “acquire.” In this context, to “take/acquire” the father’s words means to believe that they are true or valid. It also implies that the son should learn them and make them a part of his thoughts. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

learn what I teach you (GNT)

if you take my words to heart (NJB)

my words: The phrase my words should be understood as authoritative advice or teaching, because it is parallel with the phrase “my commandments” in 2:1b.

2:1a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ My child, accept/believe^(sing) my words/advice and my commands. Value them and always remember them.

2:1b

and hide my commandments within you,

store in your^(sing) mind/heart/liver what I command you.
and you must not forget the valuable things that I command/instruct you.

and hide my commandments within you: The verb that the BSB translates as hide usually means “to hide,” “treasure” or “store up.” In the context of “hiding” commands, it probably means “to memorize.” It is the same word that is used in Psalm 119:11. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

never forget what I tell you to do (GNT)

remember what I command you (NCV)

The verb hide also implies that the father’s commands are valuable. Many English versions use the verb “treasure” to make this idea explicit. To treasure something means to regard it as precious or valuable. For example:

treasure my commandments deep within you (REB)

my commandments: This phrase refers here to the father’s authoritative instructions to his son in chapters 2–9.

General Comment on 2:1a–b

In languages that use parallelism, it may be possible to retain the intensification of meaning between 2:1a and 2:1b. In other languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel terms. For example:

My child, you must follow and treasure my teachings and my instructions. (CEV)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

בְּ֭נִ⁠י

my_son_of,my

See how you translated the same use of this phrase in [1:8](../01/08.md).

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical

אִם

Here, if indicates the beginning of a conditional sentence that extends from this verse to [2:5](../02/05.md). This is the first of three if clauses in this long sentence. If it would be clearer in your language, you could divide this long sentence into shorter sentences and indicate the condition along with the result in [2:5](../02/05.md), as in the UST.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וּ֝⁠מִצְוֺתַ֗⁠י תִּצְפֹּ֥ן אִתָּֽ⁠ךְ

and,commandments_of,my store_up with,you

Valuing the father’s commandments is spoken of as if the commandments were a treasure and the person were a safe place to store that treasure. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and consider my commandments to be as valuable as a treasure”

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 2:1

Hebrew word order