PROV 4:3 Interlinear View

1. Hebrew word
2. Hebrew lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strongs
6. Role/Morphology
7. Gloss
8. CAPS codes
9. OET tags
10. OET word #
1. כִּי
2. 388225
3. If/because
4. -
6. S-C
7. if/because
8. S
9. Y-1000
10. 270253
2. 388226
3. -
4. -
6. -x-maqqef
8. -
9. -
10. 270254
1. בֵן
2. 388227
3. a son
4. -
6. O-Ncmsa
7. a_son
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270255
1. הָיִיתִי
2. 388228
3. I was
4. -
5. 1961
6. V-Vqp1cs
7. I_was
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270256
1. לְ,אָבִ,י
2. 388229,388230,388231
3. to father of my
4. father's
5. 1
6. S-R,Ncmsc,Sp1cs
7. to,father_of,my
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270257
1. רַךְ
2. 388232
3. a tender
4. tender
5. 7390
6. P-Aamsa
7. a_tender
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270258
1. וְ,יָחִיד
2. 388233,388234
3. and only child
4. ≈and
5. 3173
6. P-C,Aamsa
7. and,only_[child]
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270259
1. לִ,פְנֵי
2. 388235,388236
3. to (the) face of/in front of/before
4. -
5. 6440
6. S-R,Ncbpc
7. to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270260
1. אִמִּ,י
2. 388237,388238
3. mother of my
4. mother's
5. 517
6. S-Ncfsc,Sp1cs
7. mother_of,my
8. -
9. Y-1000
10. 270261
2. 388239
3. -
4. -
6. -x-sof-pasuq
8. -
9. -
10. 270262

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–9: Fifth lesson: You will gain many benefits if you acquire and value wisdom

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)

4:3

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^3aWhen I was a son to my father,

^3b tender and the only child of my mother,

See the General Comment on 4:3a–b at the end of 4:3b for ways to combine and/or reorder these parallel parts.

4:3a

When I was a son to my father,

When I was still living at home with my father,

When I was a son to my father: The author uses this phrase to refer to the time when he was a child being taught by his father. For example:

When I was a boy learning from my father (GW)

4:3a–b

(combined/reordered)

When I was a boy, my father and mother loved me very much. I was their only child.
When I was young/small, I too lived with my parents, and my mother loved me as an only child.

4:3b

tender and the only child of my mother,

I was dearly loved as my mother’s only child/son.

tender: The word tender refers to his young age, though it does not necessarily refer to early childhood. The next verse clearly implies that he was old enough to receive instruction.

the only child of my mother: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as the only child of my mother is more literally “only/unique (Hebrew yaḥid) before my mother.” This phrase may indicate that he was literally an only child. However, the LXX translates yaḥid as “beloved.” Here the phrase may imply that his mother loved him as much as if he were an only child.Fox (page 173) and Delitzsch (page 76) both mention Genesis 22:2 as an example of Isaac being loved as an only child, though in reality he was not an only child. You may translate this phrase either way. One way to translate the implied meaning is:

tenderly loved by my mother as an only child (NLT96)

General Comment on 4:3a–b

The phrases “to my father” and “the only child of my mother” are parallel. They imply that:

The boy lived at home with both his parents.
Both his parents loved him as an only child.

Be careful not to imply that the boy lived with his father in a separate household from his mother. Also be careful not to imply that the boy’s father may have had other children by a different woman.

In some languages, it may be necessary to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts of this verse. For example:

When I was only a little boy, my parents’ only son (GNT)

When I was young, my father and mother loved me very much. I was like an only child.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

כִּי־בֵ֭ן הָיִ֣יתִי לְ⁠אָבִ֑⁠י

that/for/because/then/when son was to,father_of,my

When here indicates that what follows refers to the time when Solomon was a child and still lived under his father’s care. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “When I was still a boy learning from my father”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys

רַ֥ךְ וְ֝⁠יָחִ֗יד

tender and,only_[child]

This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with and. The word tender tells what the only one was like. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use and. Alternate translation: “the tender only one”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וְ֝⁠יָחִ֗יד

and,only_[child]

Here, only one could mean: (1) he was his mother’s only child. Alternate translation: “and only child” (2) he was a unique child of his mother. Alternate translation: “and unique one”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לִ⁠פְנֵ֥י אִמִּֽ⁠י

to=(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before mother_of,my

Here Solomon speaks of his mother considering him to be the tender and only one as if he were before her face. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “according to my mother” or “in my mother’s estimation”

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 4:3