OET interlinear PROV 9:13

9:13

Most English versions divide this verse into two lines, but it actually contains three phrases that describe personified Folly. Each phrase will be treated separately in the notes.

9:13a

The woman named Folly is loud: In Hebrew, the word Folly is a feminine form of the word that was translated as “fool” in 1:22b. Folly is the foolishness or stupidity of a fool who is mentally lazy and complacent. See fool 2 in the Glossary.

The woman named Folly: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as The woman named Folly is literally “a woman of foolishness/folly.” Scholars interpret this phrase in two ways:

1. It refers to Foolishness personified as a woman. For example:

   The Lady Stupidity… (REB) (BSB, NIV, NET, REB, ESV, NCV, NLT, CEV, GNT)

2. It refers to a woman who is foolish. For example:

   A silly woman… (NJB) (NRSV, NJB, NJPS)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with a majority of versions and scholars. You may want to go back to 9:1a and 1:20a to see how you translated the personification of Wisdom, so you can translate the personification of Foolishness in a similar way. A number of modern versions have expressed the personification by means of a simile. For example:

Foolishness is like a loud woman. (NCV)

Parallel structure is one way to show the personification of Wisdom and Foolishness. Your language may have a different way to indicate that Foolishness is the counterpart of Wisdom, who was introduced in 9:1. See the first meaning line in the Display for 9:13a for an introductory phrase that may accomplish this purpose in some languages.

loud: For the word loud, see the note on 7:11a. This word describes a person who is “noisy” (RSV), rowdy or boisterous.Several versions seem to focus on a different sense: “flighty” (REB); “acts on impulse” (NJB), “reckless” (CEV), “brash” (NET). BDB (#1993) does give “restless” as a possible meaning of the root, but NIDOTTE (H2159) says that “loud” is the sense here, and most versions have chosen that sense.

9:13b

she is naive: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as naive occurs only once in the OT. It appears to be related to the word that the BSB translates as “simple” in 1:4a. But scholars do not agree on the form or meaning of the word. There are several ways to interpret it:

1. The word means “ignorant.” For example:

   she is ignorant (NRSV)

   she does not have wisdom or knowledge (NCV) (NRSV, NLT, GNT, NCV)

2. The word means “naive” or “gullible,” perhaps in the sense of being willing to try all kinds of sinful activities. For example:

   she is naive (NET) (BSB, NET, NASB, GW)

3. The word means “seductive.” For example:

   she is seductive (ESV) (ESV, RSV)

4. The word means “undisciplined.” For example:

   she is undisciplined (NIV) (NIV)

It is recommended that you follow either interpretation (1) or (2).Of the ancient versions, the LXX has “impudent,” the Syriac has “seductive,” and the Vulgate has “full of wiles.” The interpretation of “ignorant” is supported by Murphy, Scott, and UBS; “naive” is supported by Fox and Cook; “seductive” is supported by Toy, McKane, and Garrett. In addition to these interpretations, the REB and NJB have “a fool/foolish,” and the CEV has “senseless.” No commentary used in preparing these notes supported the meaning “undisciplined.” All scholars acknowledge this as a very difficult and unclear verse. Being ignorant and being immature or naive are closely related.

9:13c

and knows nothing: There is a textual difference here:The Hebrew word mah “what” is not commonly used in this way. The Hebrew word for “shame” on which the LXX is based is kǝlimmah. This word would require two more consonants in Hebrew. In addition to this textual issue, the verb yadaʿ “to know” sometimes has the sense “to care for/about.” This sense was probably followed by the REB, which has: “cares for nothing.”

1. The Hebrew text is literally “knows not what.” This is equivalent to the English phrase “does not know anything.” For example:

   knows nothing (NJB) (BSB, NJB, NIV, NRSV, NJPS, NASB, GW, NLT)

2. The Greek text (LXX) is literally “knows not shame.” For example:

   shameless (GNT) (RSV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It is supported by most English versions and scholars.“Knows nothing” is supported by UBS, NET, Fox, Cook, and Delitzsch, as well as the HOTTP. “Knows not shame” is supported by Scott and doubtfully by Toy. “Cares about nothing” is supported by Whybray and Garrett. However, Whybray (page 148) points out that the reason some scholars emend “what” to “shame” is the belief that mah cannot have the meaning “anything.” He cites Genesis 39:8 and 2 Samuel 18:29 as two examples of it meaning exactly that with the same verb “to know” in the negative.