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 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 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:
8a Prize her, and she will exalt you;
8bif you embrace her, she will honor you.
Here wisdom is spoken of as if it were a woman that a person should esteem and embrace.
(combined/reordered)
If you(sing) love and value wisdom, you will gain great honor.
Prize her…embrace her: The word Prize probably means:
value (CEV)
esteem (NIV)
cherishThe translation “cherish” is suggested by Fox (page 175) and Waltke (page 281). See Waltke for a discussion of various meanings of this word.
The parallel word, embrace, often refers to putting one’s arms around someone as a gesture of affection. It is used of friends and relatives, and also of lovers. Another way to translate the meaning in this context is:
hold tightly to her (CEV)
she will exalt…honor: To exalt a person means to raise him in status. Personified wisdom exalts/honors someone in the following way: If a person receives and values wisdom, wisdom will help him to develop a good character. Because of this good character, other people will honor him.This process is suggested by Ross (page 923).
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:
If you value Wisdom and hold tightly to her, great honors will be yours. (CEV)
Prize her, and she will exalt you;
If you(sing) value/cherish wisdom, it will make you great.
if you embrace her, she will honor you.
Hold tightly to it, and it will honor you(sing).
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
סַלְסְלֶ֥הָ וּֽתְרוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּ תְּ֝כַבֵּ֗דְךָ כִּ֣י תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה
esteem,her and,she,will_exalt_you she,will_honor_you that/for/because/then/when you,will_embrace_her
In this verse, Solomon speaks of wisdom as if it were a woman. See the discussion of this in the Chapter Introduction. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “Wisdom is like a woman who raises you up when you cherish her; wisdom is like a woman who honors you when you embrace her”
Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result
סַלְסְלֶ֥הָ וּֽתְרוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּ
esteem,her and,she,will_exalt_you
Here, and introduces the result of obeying the command stated in the previous phrase. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate result. Alternate translation: “If you cherish her, then she will raise you up” or “Cherish her, and it will result in her raising you up”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
וּֽתְרוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּ
and,she,will_exalt_you
Here Solomon speaks of a wise person receiving honor as if wisdom were raising that person up. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and she will cause you to be honored”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
תְּ֝כַבֵּ֗דְךָ
she,will_honor_you
Here Solomon speaks of a wise person receiving honor as if wisdom were honoring that person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “wisdom will cause people to honor you”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה
you,will_embrace_her
Here Solomon speaks of someone valuing wisdom as if he were embracing a woman. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you value wisdom”
4:7-8 Wisdom often, though not always, brings relational and material prosperity.
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.