PROV 9:11 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:1–18: Wisdom and Folly each urge people to follow them

This section summarizes the main themes of chapters 1–8. It contains parallel appeals by Wisdom (9:1–6) and Folly (9:13–18), both personified as women. Both Wisdom and Folly appeal to the same audience, inviting them to come and eat in their homes. Between these two appeals is a summary of two opposite ways to respond to Wisdom (9:7–12). In the center of this paragraph, 9:10 contains a restatement of the first line of 1:7. These key verses mark chapters 1 and 9 as the beginning and end of the first major division of the book.

Some other headings for this section are:

Invitations of Wisdom and of Folly (NIV)

Wisdom and Foolishness each give a feast

Being Wise or Foolish (NCV)

Paragraph 9:7–12

In this paragraph, the author or teacher contrasts the different ways in which a wise person and a mocker respond to advice. He also emphasizes that it is important to fear the LORD in order to become wise.

In Hebrew, the “you” pronouns used in this paragraph are singular. The Display will also use you^(sing). You may use whatever forms are natural in your language.

9:11

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^11aFor through wisdom your days will be multiplied,

^11band years will be added to your life.

There is an ellipsis in 9:11b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 9:11a. For example:

^11band through wisdom years will be added to your life

9:11a–b

(combined/reordered)

It is because of me, Wisdom, that a person will live long.
Wisdom will add years to your life. (GNT)
For it is through having wisdom that a person’s life will be long.

your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life: In these parallel clauses, the meaning is intensified from 9:11a (days) to 9:11b (years), but both lines have the same meaning. See the preceding example for one way to indicate the intensification of meaning.

9:11a

For through wisdom your days will be multiplied,

If a person is wise, his life will be long.
Wisdom will lengthen your^(sing) life.

For: The word For normally introduces the reason or motivation for a preceding statement. But here the logical connection with 9:10 is not clear.Fox (page 299) and Scott (page 76) suggest that 9:11 connects back to 9:5 or 9:6. Waltke (page 428) suggests that the conjunction be translated as “surely” rather than “because.” A number of versions leave the connection implied.

through wisdom your days will be multiplied: This statement indicates that a person who is wise will have a long life. Some other ways to translate this statement are:

If you live wisely, you will live a long time. (NCV)

You will live longer because of me (GW)

through wisdom: The phrase through wisdom may be understood either as means (by means of wisdom) or cause (because of wisdom).The NET has the following note: “The preposition בּ (bet) here may have the causal use…, although means could work as well.”

General Comment on 9:11a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel lines. For example:

Wisdom will add years to your life. (GNT)

See also 9:11a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

9:11b

and years will be added to your life.

In fact, he will live for many years.
It will cause you^(sing) to live for many years.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

כִּי

that/for/because/then/when

Indeed here indicates that Wisdom is emphasizing what follows in this verse. Use a connector in your language that makes that emphasis clear. Alternate translation: “Truly”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

כִּי־בִ֭⁠י יִרְבּ֣וּ יָמֶ֑י⁠ךָ וְ⁠יוֹסִ֥יפוּ לְּ֝⁠ךָ֗ שְׁנ֣וֹת חַיִּֽים

that/for/because/then/when by,me multiplied days_of,your and,they_will_add to,you years_of life(pl)

These two phrases mean very similar things. Wisdom is repeating the same idea with different words to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [Indeed, by me you will live a lot longer]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

יִרְבּ֣וּ יָמֶ֑י⁠ךָ

multiplied days_of,your

Here Wisdom speaks of people living for a long time as if the days that they are alive were something that could increase in number. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you will live many more days”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ⁠יוֹסִ֥יפוּ לְּ֝⁠ךָ֗ שְׁנ֣וֹת חַיִּֽים

and,they_will_add to,you years_of life(pl)

Here Wisdom speaks of people living for a long time as if the years that they are alive were something that could be added to their lives. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you will live many more years”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

שְׁנ֣וֹת חַיִּֽים

years_of life(pl)

See how you translated this idiom in [3:2](../03/02.md).

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

וְ⁠יוֹסִ֥יפוּ לְּ֝⁠ךָ֗

and,they_will_add to,you

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: “and … I will add to you”

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 9:11

Hebrew word order