PROV 6:33 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:20–35: Ninth lesson: If you commit adultery, you will be severely punished

This lesson may be summarized as follows: The son should heed his parents’ teaching, because it will keep him from the dangers of adultery (6:20–24). He should strictly avoid being tempted by another man’s wife. An affair with such a woman will have inevitable and disastrous consequences (6:25–33), resulting from the jealous fury of the husband (6:34–35).

Some other headings for this section are:

Warning Against Adultery (NIV)

Avoid adultery

More Advice About Avoiding Adultery (GW)

The terrible consequences of committing adultery

Paragraph 6:20–35

In these notes, this section forms a single paragraph (as in the NRSV). If a long paragraph like this is not natural in your language, you may want to make paragraph breaks as in the section summary above. Some other ways to divide the paragraphs are:

6:20–26, 27–35 (GNT)
6:20–22, 23–29, 30–35 (CEV)
6:20–29, 30–35 (NIV)

Divide the paragraphs in a way that fits the natural patterns of your language.

6:33

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning. The second line intensifies the thought of the first by describing the man’s disgrace/shame as permanent.

^33a Wounds and dishonor will befall him,

^33band his reproach will never be wiped away;

6:33a–b

dishonor…reproach: the terms dishonor and reproach are synonyms. Both refer to the public humiliation, contempt, or disgrace that the adulterer will suffer in the community as a result of the husband’s action.

6:33a

Wounds and dishonor will befall him,

He will be beaten and disgraced publicly.
The husband of that woman will beat you^(sing) and cause you to be shamed/humiliated publicly.

Wounds and dishonor will befall him: The word translated here as Wounds can also mean “blows” (NIV) or other injuries. In this context, it probably refers to blows. The phrase will befall him is literally “he will find/get.” Other ways to translate this clause are:

All he will get is blows and contempt (NJB)

He will face/suffer blows and shame

He will be beaten up and disgraced (NCV)

If your language requires you to specify who did the beating, it was probably the wronged husband. However, others may have been involved, so a more general term would be preferable. For example, in some languages, it is natural to say:

There is/are someone/people who will beat him and publicly shame him.

6:33b

and his reproach will never be wiped away.

And that disgrace will be permanent.
There is nothing you^(sing) can ever do to remove your shame/disgrace.

his reproach will never be wiped away: In Hebrew, the verb wiped away also means “blotted out” (NJB) or “erased” (NLT). These figurative expressions indicate here that his shame will never be removed. Other ways to translate this clause are:

he will be permanently disgraced (GNT)

his shame will never go away (NCV)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

נֶֽגַע־וְ⁠קָל֥וֹן יִמְצָ֑א וְ֝⁠חֶרְפָּת֗⁠וֹ לֹ֣א תִמָּחֶֽה

wounds and,shame get (Some words not found in UHB: wounds and,shame get and,reproach_of,his not wiped_away )

Solomon implies that these things will happen to the adulterous man because he committed adultery. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [Because he committed adultery, he will find a wound and disgrace and his shame will not be wiped out]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

נֶֽגַע־וְ⁠קָל֥וֹן יִמְצָ֑א

wounds and,shame get

Here Solomon speaks of the adulterous man receiving a wound and disgrace as if they were objects that a person would find. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [He will receive a wound and disgrace] or [He will become wounded and disgraced]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וְ⁠קָל֥וֹן & וְ֝⁠חֶרְפָּת֗⁠וֹ

and,shame & (Some words not found in UHB: wounds and,shame get and,reproach_of,his not wiped_away )

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of disgrace and shame, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: [and be disgraced, and how shameful he is]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

לֹ֣א תִמָּחֶֽה

not (Some words not found in UHB: wounds and,shame get and,reproach_of,his not wiped_away )

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [he will never wipe out]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / litotes

לֹ֣א תִמָּחֶֽה

not (Some words not found in UHB: wounds and,shame get and,reproach_of,his not wiped_away )

Solomon is using a figure of speech here that expresses a strongly positive meaning by using a negative word, not, together with an expression that is the opposite of the intended meaning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the positive meaning. Alternate translation: [will always remain]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לֹ֣א תִמָּחֶֽה

not (Some words not found in UHB: wounds and,shame get and,reproach_of,his not wiped_away )

Here Solomon refers to the adulterous man’s shame never ceasing as if shame were a stain that could not be wiped away. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [will not cease]

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 6:33

Hebrew word order

Section 6:20–35: Ninth lesson: If you commit adultery, you will be severely punished

Paragraph 6:20–35

6:33

6:33a–b

6:33a

6:33b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)