PROV 2:18 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 2:16–19

This paragraph describes the second evil influence from which wisdom will protect a person. It will prevent him from being seduced by an adulteress.

2:18

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^18aFor her house sinks down to death,

^18band her tracks to the departed spirits.

There is an ellipsis in 2:18b. In some languages, the missing words will need to be supplied from 2:18a. For example:

^18band her tracks sink down to the departed spirits of the dead.

2:18a–b

(combined/reordered)

If you^(sing) go with this woman to her house, you are following a course of conduct that will lead you to your death.

For: This word introduces an explanation for the statement in 2:16 that wisdom will save the young man from getting involved with an adulteress. Verse 2:18 gives the severe consequences from which wisdom will save him. It does not introduce the reason why the woman ignored her marriage vows. In some languages, it may be clearer to leave the connection between these verses implied. For example:

Entering her house leads to death (NLT)

her house sinks down to…her tracks to: In Hebrew, the first phrase is more literally “she sinks down to death, her house.” Almost all versions understand her house to be the subject of the sentence.There is a grammatical problem here, because the word “house” is masculine. It does not agree with the verb “she sinks down,” which is a feminine form. Various solutions have been proposed, including emending “house” to read “path, followed by NRSV with “her way”; repointing “sinks down” so that it becomes “pit” (her house is a pit [leading] to death) (Whybray, page 56); and taking house to be in apposition to death, i.e., “she sinks down to death which is her house (Kidner, page 62). However, almost all versions conclude that “house” is the subject. Most scholars also understand sinks down to refer to paths that lead down to the world of the dead, not to a house that literally sinks down.

The parallel phrase her tracks to probably means here “the tracks that lead to her” rather than “the tracks that she takes.” Together, these parallel phrases indicate that men who choose to get involved with an adulteress are acting in a way that will lead to death. Other ways to translate these parallel lines are:

^18aHer house is on the way to death;

^18bthose who took that path are now all dead. (NCV)

^18aIf you go to her house, you are traveling the road to death. ^18bTo go there is to approach the world of the dead. (GNT)

death…the departed spirits: In this verse, death refers to an early or unexpected literal death, the consequence of adultery.A number of scholars mention the possibility that death refers figuratively to the miserable life of a social outcast, which is a “kind of death” (Whybray, page 56; Ross, page 915), but the majority view, followed by all versions, is that this refers to literal death. In view of the parallel “spirits of the dead,” it seems hard to justify a figurative interpretation. Death is a figure of speech (metonymy) that represents Sheol, the world of the dead. Sheol is regarded as being under the surface of the earth (also see the notes on 1:12a–b and 9:18b).

The parallel phrase that is translated by the BSB as the departed spirits is one word in Hebrew.This Hebrew word (rǝpaʾim) is translated here by the RSV and NJB as “shades.” In modern English, the word “shades” does not communicate the correct meaning (“spirits of the dead” or “ghosts.”) The RSV translates the same word as “the dead” in 9:18a and 21:16b. It refers to the spirits of the dead who inhabit Sheol, the place of the dead. Other ways to translate this Hebrew word are:

the world of the dead (GNT)

the grave (NLT)

General Comment on 2:18a–b

Because of the similar meaning of the parallel parts, it may be preferable in some languages to combine and/or reorder the parts. For example:

The road to her house leads down to the dark world of the dead. (CEV)

2:18a

For her house sinks down to death,

Those who go to her house to commit adultery with her travel/follow a path that leads to their death.

2:18b

and her tracks to the departed spirits.

Any path that goes to her leads ultimately to the place where the spirits of dead people are/stay.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

כִּ֤י

that/for/because/then/when

For here indicates that what follows is the reason why “discretion” and “understanding” rescue a man from an adulterous woman, as stated in [2:16](../02/16.md). Use the most natural way in your language to state a reason. Alternate translation: “Discretion and understanding will rescue you from her because”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

שָׁ֣חָה אֶל־מָ֣וֶת בֵּיתָ֑⁠הּ וְ⁠אֶל־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים מַעְגְּלֹתֶֽי⁠הָ

sinks_down to/towards death house_of,her and=near/to dead tracks_of,her

These two phrases mean similar things. The author is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “involvement with her will totally destroy you”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

שָׁ֣חָה & בֵּיתָ֑⁠הּ

sinks_down & house_of,her

Here, her house represents the woman herself and her activities. Alternate translation: “being involved with her takes you down”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שָׁ֣חָה אֶל־מָ֣וֶת

sinks_down to/towards death

Here Solomon speaks of death as a place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “results in a man dying” or “is a way to die”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וְ⁠אֶל־רְ֝פָאִ֗ים מַעְגְּלֹתֶֽי⁠הָ

and=near/to dead tracks_of,her

Solomon is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. If necessary, you could supply these words from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “and her tracks sink down to the spirits of the dead” or “and her tracks lead to the spirits of the dead”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מַעְגְּלֹתֶֽי⁠הָ

tracks_of,her

Here, Solomon speaks of the activities that a man would participate in with this woman as her tracks. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “becoming involved with her”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

רְ֝פָאִ֗ים

dead

Here, the spirits of dead ones refers to the place where people’s spirits go when they die, which was called “Sheol” in [1:12](../01/12.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the place where the spirits of dead people dwell” or “the place of the dead”

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 2:18

Hebrew word order