PROV 9:7 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.

9:7

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^7a He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself;

^7b he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

9:7a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ Anyone who reprimands a person who does what is evil and who mocks the words of wise people will only be insulted or injured.

corrects…rebukes: The Hebrew verb yasar, which the BSB translates here as corrects, comes from the same root as musar “moral instruction.” It means to try to change or improve someone else’s behavior by instructing, scolding, or disciplining him. The word translated as rebukes means “reprimand” (GNT) or “scolds.” The same verb is also used in the two lines of 9:8.

See discipline in the Glossary.

a mocker…a wicked man: Although a mocker is also “conceited” (GNT) and a “bragger” (CEV), the word refers mainly to someone who scorns or makes fun of someone or something. The Hebrew text does not specify who or what a mocker mocks. If it is necessary to make this explicit in your language, see the suggestions in the note on 1:22b. The word wicked is a general word that describes anyone who is evil.

See mocker in the Glossary.

brings shame on himself…taints himself: The phrase translated as brings shame on himself means “to procure/get” insult for oneself. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

earn abuse (REB)

receives abuse (GW)

you will only be insulted (GNT)

The word shame also means “dishonor” or “contempt.” These words all refer to verbal insult or abuse of some kind. The parallel word taints probably includes the idea of physical harm as well as verbal abuse. For example:

gets hurt (NRSV)

incurs injury (ESV)

The meaning of the whole verse is expressed well by the NCV:

If you correct someone who makes fun of wisdom, you will be insulted. If you correct an evil person, you will get hurt. (NCV)

Notice that both lines express a consequence. Being insulted and harmed is the consequence of correcting someone.

General Comment on 9:7a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. This will avoid the implication that correcting a mocker will have a different result from rebuking a wicked person. For example:

If you correct or rebuke an evil person who makes fun of wisdom, you will only be insulted and injured.

See also 9:7a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

9:7a

He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself;

¶ If you^(sing) tell a scornful person that he needs to change his behavior, he will just insult you in return.

9:7b

he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

If you^(sing) tell a wicked person like this that what he is doing is wrong, he will harm you.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

יֹ֤סֵ֨ר ׀ לֵ֗ץ לֹקֵ֣חַֽ ל֣⁠וֹ קָל֑וֹן וּ⁠מוֹכִ֖יחַ לְ⁠רָשָׁ֣ע מוּמֽ⁠וֹ

corrects scoffer gets to=him/it abuse and,[one_who]_reproves (to)_a,wicked_[person] defect_of,his

Here, the terms The instructor, a mocker, himself, the rebuker, a wicked one, and his do not refer to specific people, but refer to types of people in general. If it would be helpful, you could use an expression that would be more natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Any instructor of any mocker receives disgrace for that person, and any rebuker of any wicked one, that person’s injury”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

יֹ֤סֵ֨ר ׀ לֵ֗ץ

corrects scoffer

Since a mocker does not accept instruction, this phrase implies that someone attempted to be an instructor of a mocker. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “The one who attempts to instruct a mocker”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לֹקֵ֣חַֽ ל֣⁠וֹ קָל֑וֹן

gets to=him/it abuse

Here, Wisdom speaks of disgrace as if it were an object that a person receives. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will himself be disgraced”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

קָל֑וֹן

abuse

See how you translated the abstract noun disgrace in [6:33](../06/33.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וּ⁠מוֹכִ֖יחַ לְ⁠רָשָׁ֣ע מוּמֽ⁠וֹ

and,[one_who]_reproves (to)_a,wicked_[person] defect_of,his

Wisdom is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and the rebuker of a wicked one receives his injury”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

לְ⁠רָשָׁ֣ע

(to)_a,wicked_[person]

Wisdom is using the adjective wicked as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [a wicked person]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מוּמֽ⁠וֹ

defect_of,his

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of injury, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “becomes injured”

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 9:7

Hebrew word order