Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Prov C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28 C29 C30 C31
Prov 4 V1 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27
This lesson begins with an introduction (4:1–4a) that exhorts the listeners to pay attention to their father’s words. It is followed by the main part of the lesson (4:4b–9) about the benefits of acquiring wisdom. This main part is unusual, because it quotes the words that the speaker’s father taught him when he was a boy.
Some other headings for this section are:
A Father’s Wise Advice (NLT)
The Benefits of Wisdom (GNT)
Wisdom Is Important (NCV)
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning. The first line gives the reason to obey the command in the second line.
2aFor I give you sound teaching;
2bdo not abandon my directive.
For I give you sound teaching;
For what I teach you(plur) is good.
The teaching that I pass on to you is useful,
For: In the Hebrew, 4:2a begins with a conjunction that the BSB translates literally as For. It explains the reason why the father’s children should listen to his commands in 4:1.
I give you sound teaching: The word teaching comes from a Hebrew root that means “receive.” In the context of 4:3–4, the whole clause implies that the teacher is passing on advice that he received from his own father when he was a child.
sound teaching: The phrase translated as sound teaching is literally “good learning/teaching.” It is parallel with “my directive” in the second clause. In this context, “good” probably means “true” and “accurate” as well as “useful.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
My advice is useful (CEV)
good guidance (NLT)
good instruction (NET)
In some languages, the phrase “sound teaching” or “good teaching” may be expressed more naturally as a verb. For example:
What I am teaching you is good (GNT)
do not abandon my directive.
Do not abandon(plur) it.
so follow it closely.
do not abandon my directive: The command do not abandon my directive indicates that the listeners should not abandon or turn away from what the father instructs or teaches them. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this clause as a positive command. For example:
so remember it all (GNT)
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
כִּ֤י
that/for/because/then/when
For here indicates that what follows is a reason for the commands in the previous verse. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a reason for what came before. Alternate translation: “Hear these instructions because”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / you
לָכֶ֑ם
to/for=you(pl)
Here, you is plural and refers to the “sons” referred to in the previous verse.
Note 3 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
תּֽ֝וֹרָתִ֗י אַֽל־תַּעֲזֹֽבוּ
instruction_of,my not abandon
This clause is the result of what came before in the previous clause. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that what follows is a result of what came before. You may need to start a new sentence. Alternate translation: “this is why you must not forsake my law”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes
אַֽל־תַּעֲזֹֽבוּ
not abandon
See how you translated this phrase in [1:8](../01/08.md).
Note 5 topic: grammar-collectivenouns
תּֽ֝וֹרָתִ֗י
instruction_of,my
See how you translated the collective noun law in [1:8](../01/08.md).
4:2 Wise people navigate life’s difficulties successfully because they have heeded good guidance.
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.