PROV 3:35 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:21–35: Fourth lesson: Be a good neighbor and do not behave like a wicked person

The father started this lesson by exhorting his son to always use sound judgment, because then he would have nothing to fear (3:21–26). He then told his son what to avoid in order to be a good neighbor. He advised him to not follow the behavior of wicked people (3:27–31). The lesson ends with a series of contrasts between the way that the LORD will treat the righteous and the wicked (3:32–35).

Another heading for this section is:

How to be a good neighbor

3:35

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning.

^35a The wise will inherit honor,

^35bbut fools are held up to shame.

3:35a

The wise will inherit honor,

Those who are wise will be praised/honored,
If people are wise, someone will honor them,

The wise will inherit honor: In this context, the word inherit means “gain” or “obtain.” In some languages, only possessions or property can be “inherited,” so inherit honor may not be a natural expression. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

will gain an honorable reputation (GNT)

will be praised (CEV)

shall obtain honor (NJPS)

3:35b

but fools are held up to shame.

but those who are fools will be shamed/disgraced.
but if people are fools, someone will shame them.

but fools are held up to shame: The meaning of the Hebrew word that the BSB translates here as are held up is uncertain. But many scholars agree that in this context the meaning of this word is similar to the meaning of “inherit” in 3:35a.In Hebrew, verse 3:35b is literally “and/but-fools^(plur) lifting-up^(sing) shame. One of the difficulties in understanding this line is that the plural noun “fools” does not agree with the singular participle “lifting-up.” This may be why the NIV translates this line as “he holds up…” Another difficulty is that scholars do not agree on the derivation of “lifting-up.” Some of the translations that have been proposed are: “acquire,” “inherit,” “earn,” and “exalt.” See Waltke (pages 254–255) and Fox (page 169) for further discussion.

Other ways to translate this clause are:

but fools will be disgraced (NCV)

all that fools inherit is contempt (NJB)

fools: In Hebrew, this word for fools (kǝsilim) refers to someone who does what is stupid and wrong because he is mentally lazy and self-satisfied. See fool 2 in the Glossary.

General Comment on 3:35a–b

In both of these parallel clauses, the text does not say who will honor the wise or who will shame the fools.Garrett (page 84) says that the wise not only earn the respect of other people but also share in God’s glory. Toy (pages 82–83) says that the theme of 3:35 is similar to other proverbs in which men of integrity receive honor from their fellows (11:2, 12:8, 13:5, 14:19), but he concludes, “The ignominy and the honor, it is to be supposed, are assigned by God.” Waltke (page 274) mentions that fools earn “public shame.” It is likely that the proverb is intentionally indefinite. As a general principle, in this life wise men are honored by their fellows, while fools are disgraced. Ultimately, of course, it is God who will also honor the wise and shame the fools. If it is necessary in your language to say who will do these things, use a general term such as “people” or “someone.” For example:

^35aIf people are wise, someone will honor them,

^35bbut if people are fools, someone will shame them.

In some languages, it may be more natural to use a phrase such as “there are” to introduce a general subject. For example:

^35aIf you are wise, there are people who will praise you,

^35bbut if you are a fool, there are those who will disgrace you.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִנְחָ֑לוּ

inherit

Here Solomon speaks of wise people receiving honor as if honor were property or wealth that they could inherit from a family member. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will receive”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

כָּ֭בוֹד & יִנְחָ֑לוּ

honour & inherit

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of honor, you could express the same idea in another way. See how you translated honor in [3:16](../03/16.md). Alternate translation: “will be honored” or “will be respected”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מֵרִ֥ים

stubborn

Here Solomon speaks of stupid people being dishonored as if their dishonor was lifted up for everyone to see. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will receive”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מֵרִ֥ים קָלֽוֹן

stubborn disgrace

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of dishonor, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “will be dishonored” or “will be shamed”

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.