ECC 6:4 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) because that child came for no reason
⇔ and it went in darkness, and its name will be covered in darkness.

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ὅτι ἐν ματαιότητι ἦλθε, καὶ ἐν σκότει πορεύεται, καὶ ἐν σκότει ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καλυφθήσεται·
(Hoti en mataiotaʸti aʸlthe, kai en skotei poreuetai, kai en skotei onoma autou kalufthaʸsetai;)

BrTr For he came in vanity, and departs in darkness, and his name shall be covered in darkness.

ULT For, in vapor it came, and in the darkness it will go, and in the darkness its name will be covered.

UST True, this unfortunate baby's life was as fleeting and brief as the fading mist of breath, and it died in the dark of its mother's womb, never having seen the light of the sun. The baby's parents were never able to name their child before it died, so that the child's brief life will be only a sad memory in the future.

BSB For [a stillborn child] enters in futility and departs in darkness, and his name is shrouded in obscurity.

MSB (Same as BSB above)

OEB No OEB ECC book available

WEBBE for it comes in vanity, and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Though the stillborn child came into the world for no reason and departed into darkness,
⇔ though its name is shrouded in darkness,

LSV For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goes, and in darkness his name is covered,

FBV The way a stillborn child comes into the world and then leaves is painfully hard to understand—arriving and departing in darkness—and who he would have been is never known.[fn]

6:4 Literally, “In darkness his name will be covered.” However, this is more than simply remaining nameless. Name in Hebrew thought is associated with character and personality, so what is being said here is that the stillborn child will never have the chance to become a person.

T4T That dead baby’s birth is meaningless; it does not even have a name. It goes directly to the place where there is only darkness.

LEB For he comes into vanity and departs into darkness, and his name is shrouded in darkness.

BBE In wind it came and to the dark it will go, and with the dark will its name be covered.

Moff I hold, than an untimely birth that lifeless comes and darkling goes without a name;

JPS for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

ASV for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

DRA For he came in vain, and goeth to darkness, and his name shall be wholly forgotten.

YLT For in vanity he came in, and in darkness he goeth, and in darkness his name is covered,

Drby For it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness;

RV for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;
(for it cometh/comes in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;)

SLT For in vanity he came, and in darkness he will go away, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

Wbstr For he cometh with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.

KJB-1769 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.
(For he cometh/comes in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness.)

KJB-1611 For he commeth in with vanitie, and departeth in darkenesse, and his name shall be couered with darkenesse.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps For he commeth to naught, & spendeth his tyme in darknesse, and his name is forgotten.
(For he cometh/comes to naught/nothing, and spendeth/spends his time in darkness, and his name is forgotten.)

Gnva For he commeth into vanitie and goeth into darkenesse: and his name shall be couered with darkenesse.
(For he cometh/comes into vanity and goeth/goes into darkness: and his name shall be covered with darkness.)

Cvdl For he cometh to naught, & goeth his waye in to darcknes, and his name is forgotten.
(For he cometh/comes to naught/nothing, and goeth/goes his way in to darkness, and his name is forgotten.)

Wycl For he cometh in veyn, and goith to derknessis; and his name schal be don a wei bi foryetyng.
(For he cometh/comes in vain, and goeth/goes to darkness; and his name shall be done away by forgetting.)

Luth Denn in Eitelkeit kommt er und in Finsternis fähret er dahin, und sein Name bleibt in Finsternis bedeckt,
(Because in vanity comes he and in darkness drives/rides/runs he gone, and be Name remains/stays in darkness covered,)

ClVg Frustra enim venit, et pergit ad tenebras, et oblivione delebitur nomen ejus.
(In_vain because he_came, and continues to darkness, and oblivion will_be_deleted name his.)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

These clauses mean basically the same thing. The second and third clauses emphasize the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [For, it came in vapor and will go into darkness, taking its name with it]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בַ⁠הֶ֥בֶל בָּ֖א

in,futility he/it_came

Solomon is speaking as if the stillborn child’s existence were vapor. He means its life was brief and fleeting. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [it came briefly]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

בַ⁠הֶ֥בֶל בָּ֖א

in,futility he/it_came

The pronoun it refers to the stillborn child. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: [the stillborn child came in vapor]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

וּ⁠בַ⁠חֹ֣שֶׁךְ

and,in,darkness

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of darkness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the dark … the dark]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

שְׁמ֥⁠וֹ יְכֻסֶּֽה

his/its=name shrouded

The expression its name will be covered is a passive verbal form. If it would be unnatural to use that form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [no one will remember its name]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

שְׁמ֥⁠וֹ יְכֻסֶּֽה

his/its=name shrouded

Here, name represents “memory” or “identity.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [its memory will be forgotten]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וּ⁠בַ⁠חֹ֣שֶׁךְ יֵלֵ֑ךְ וּ⁠בַ⁠חֹ֖שֶׁךְ שְׁמ֥⁠וֹ יְכֻסֶּֽה

and,in,darkness goes and,in,darkness his/its=name shrouded

Solomon is speaking as if the stillborn child’s existence were surrounded by darkness. He means its life and memory will be obscure and forgotten. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation, or you could state the meaning plainly.

Parallel ECC 6:4