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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 8 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30 V31 V32 V33 V34 V35 V36
In contrast to the previous section describing the adulterous woman, this section describes personified Wisdom. The public setting for Wisdom’s speech is described in 8:1–3. In 8:4–11, she addresses all mankind and describes her own character. In 8:12–21, she provides reasons why people should choose her. Additional motivation is given in 8:22–31: Wisdom was with the LORD when he created the world. The section ends with Wisdom appealing to mankind to follow her teaching (8:32–36).
This section is a speech by personified Wisdom. As in Wisdom’s speech in 1:20–33, the Notes have used a capital letter for Wisdom in most verses. However, in her speech, Wisdom sometimes refers to “wisdom” as an ability that people have or use or should try to obtain. In some of these contexts, the Notes have used small letters for “wisdom.” The Display will often give more than one option. You may use either option in your language, depending on what is appropriate in each context.
Some other headings for this section are:
Wisdom’s Call (NIV)
Listen to Wisdom (NCV)
The good qualities of Wisdom
Wisdom’s second invitation to people
In this paragraph, personified Wisdom invites all mankind to become shrewd and intelligent (4–5). She then describes the good qualities of her words as motivation to heed her invitation (6–9). She ends with another appeal that is based on her high value (10–11).
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
10aReceive my instruction instead of silver,
10band knowledge rather than pure gold,
There is an ellipsis in 8:10b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing verb from 8:10a. For example:
10band receive knowledge rather than pure gold
Receive my instruction instead of silver,
Consider(plur) my instruction to be more valuable than silver.
Decide to learn what I am able to teach you(plur) rather than trying to accumulate silver.
Receive my instruction instead of silver: This clause is an appeal to Receive the moral instruction that Wisdom offers rather than choosing silver. In Hebrew, the word Receive is literally “take.” It includes the idea of accepting and heeding Wisdom’s advice. For the word instruction, see the note on 1:2a. See discipline in the Glossary.
In some languages, the comparison in this verse may be wrongly understood as a command not to accept silver or gold. One way to avoid this problem may be to translate as follows:
Consider my instruction to be more valuable than silver; consider knowledge to be more valuable than pure gold.
(combined/reordered)
So you(plur) should prefer to follow my advice and to have knowledge instead of seeking for silver or gold.
and knowledge rather than pure gold.
Consider(plur) knowledge to be more valuable than pure gold.
Think about adding to what you(plur) know rather than looking for the finest gold.
and knowledge rather than pure gold: The phrase pure gold refers to the purest and most valuable gold. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
finest gold (GNT)
choice gold (NIV)
the most expensive gold
This verse is similar to 3:14, but in 3:14, the comparison is between the profits produced by wisdom and those produced by silver and gold. Here in 8:10, the comparison is between the value of wisdom and the value of silver and gold.
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel lines. For example:
Choose to receive my instruction and knowledge rather than to accumulate silver and gold.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
קְחֽוּ־מוּסָרִ֥י וְאַל־כָּ֑סֶף וְ֝דַ֗עַת מֵחָר֥וּץ נִבְחָֽר
take discipline_of,my and,not silver and,knowledge more,than_gold choice
The author is leaving out a word in the second clause that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply this word from the first clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Take my instruction and not silver, and take knowledge rather than choice gold”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
קְחֽוּ־מוּסָרִ֥י וְאַל־כָּ֑סֶף וְ֝דַ֗עַת מֵחָר֥וּץ נִבְחָֽר
take discipline_of,my and,not silver and,knowledge more,than_gold choice
These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second clause emphasizes the meaning of the first clause by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the phrases with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “Take my instruction and not silver, yes, take knowledge rather than choice gold”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
קְחֽוּ
take
Here, Wisdom speaks of acquiring instruction and knowledge as if they were objects that a person can Take. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Acquire”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
מוּסָרִ֥י & וְ֝דַ֗עַת
discipline_of,my & and,knowledge
See how you translated the abstract nouns instruction in [1:2](../01/02.md) and knowledge in [1:4](../01/04.md).
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
וְאַל־כָּ֑סֶף
and,not silver
Here, and not means the same as rather than in the next clause. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “rather than silver”
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
מֵחָר֥וּץ נִבְחָֽר
more,than_gold choice
Here, choice gold refers to gold that is the best quality. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “rather than the best gold”
8:10-11 Choose: An ethical choice must be made between seeking money or valuables and seeking wisdom, which is far more valuable.
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.