PROV 13:3 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 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 very early looks into the unfinished 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) The person who zips their lips, protects their life,
⇔ ^ but those who open their mouths, destroy themselves.

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 Ὃς φυλάσσει τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στόμα τηρεῖ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, ὁ δὲ προπετὴς χείλεσι πτοήσει ἑαυτόν.
(Hos fulassei to heautou stoma taʸrei taʸn heautou psuⱪaʸn, ho de propetaʸs ⱪeilesi ptoaʸsei heauton. )

BrTr He that keeps his own mouth keeps his own life: but he that is hasty with his lips shall bring terror upon himself.

ULT One guarding his mouth keeps his life;
⇔ one opening his lips, ruin for him.

UST People who are careful about what they say enable themselves to stay alive,
⇔ but people who speak carelessly destroy themselves.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who guards his mouth guards his soul.
⇔ One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The one who guards his words guards his life,
⇔ but whoever is talkative will come to ruin.

LSV Whoever is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul,
Whoever is opening wide his lips—ruin to him!

FBV Watch what you say and save your life—saying too much leads to disaster.

T4T ⇔ Those who are very careful about what they say [MTY] will live a long life;
⇔ those who talk ◄without thinking/too much► will ruin themselves.

LEB • He who keeps his mouth guards his life;[fn] he who opens his lips, ruin belongs to him.

13:? Or “soul,” or “inner self”

BBE He who keeps a watch on his mouth keeps his life; but he whose lips are open wide will have destruction.

Moff He guards his life who guards His lips:
⇔ he who talks freely--it is ruin to him!

JPS He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life; but for him that openeth wide his lips there shall be ruin.

ASV He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life;
⇔ But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

DRA He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his soul: but he that hath no guard on his speech shall meet with evils.

YLT Whoso is keeping his mouth, is keeping his soul, Whoso is opening wide his lips — ruin to him!

Drby He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his soul; destruction shall be to him that openeth wide his lips.

RV He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
(He that guardeth/guards his mouth keepeth/keeps his life: but he that openeth/opens wide his lips shall have destruction. )

SLT He guarding his mouth, watched his soul: he opening wide his lips, destruction to him.

Wbstr He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

KJB-1769 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
(He that keepeth/keeps his mouth keepeth/keeps his life: but he that openeth/opens wide his lips shall have destruction. )

KJB-1611 He that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life: but hee that openeth wide his lips, shall haue destruction.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps He that kepeth his mouth, kepeth his lyfe: but who so rashlye openeth his lippes, destroyeth hym selfe.
(He that keepeth/keeps his mouth, keepeth/keeps his life: but whoso/whoever rashlye openeth/opens his lips, destroyeth himself.)

Gnva Hee that keepeth his mouth, keepeth his life: but he that openeth his lips, destruction shall be to him.
(He that keepeth/keeps his mouth, keepeth/keeps his life: but he that openeth/opens his lips, destruction shall be to him. )

Cvdl He that kepeth his mouth, kepeth his life: but who so speaketh vnaduysed, fyndeth harme.
(He that keepeth/keeps his mouth, keepeth/keeps his life: but whoso/whoever speaketh/speaks unaduysed, findeth/finds harm.)

Wycl He that kepith his mouth, kepith his soule; but he that is vnwar to speke, schal feel yuels.
(He that keepeth/keeps his mouth, keepeth/keeps his soul; but he that is unwar to speak, shall feel evils.)

Luth Wer seinen Mund bewahret, der bewahret sein Leben; wer aber mit seinem Maul herausfährt, der kommt in Schrecken.
(Who his mouth preserved/kept/retained, the/of_the preserved/kept/retained be life; who but with his mouth exits(v), the/of_the comes in horror.)

ClVg Qui custodit os suum custodit animam suam; qui autem inconsideratus est ad loquendum, sentiet mala.
(Who keeps/guards mouth his_own keeps/guards the_soul his_own; who/which however inconsideratus it_is to loquendum, sentiet evil. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.

In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.

In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.

Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.

Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you^(sing), you^(plur), we^(dual), or we^(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.

Some other headings for this section are:

Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)

Here are many wise things that Solomon said

13:3

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^3a He who guards his mouth protects his life,

^3bbut the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

13:3a

He who guards his mouth protects his life,

The person who controls his speech/words protects his life from trouble,
Those who always think before they speak will spare themselves from trouble,

He who guards his mouth: In this context, the word mouth is a figure of speech. It represents the words spoken by the mouth. A person who guards his mouth is careful about what he says. He thinks before he speaks, and he avoids speaking too much. Some other ways to translate this figure of speech are:

Use a different figure of speech with the same meaning. For example:
Those who control their tongue (NLT)
Express the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Those who think before they speak

English versions use different pronouns to translate this line:

Some use “he/his.” For example:
He who guards his mouth preserves his life (NKJV)
Some use “those/their.” For example:
Those who guard their lips preserve their lives (NIV11)
Some use a command with “you.” For example:
Be careful what you say (GNT)

You should use whatever pronouns are natural in your language for a proverb like this.

protects his life: This phrase means “preserves or guards his life from trouble or death.” One implication may be:

will have a long life (NLT)

However, that does not seem to be the main meaning.

13:3b

but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

but the person who talks too much will destroy/harm himself.
but those who speak without thinking will be ruined/destroyed.

but the one who opens his lips: The phrase that the BSB translates as opens his lips is literally “opens wide his lips.” This idiom may refer to a person who is talkative or who speaks carelessly/rashly. When you translate this idiom, you may express either or both of these two meanings.

invites his own ruin: This phrase means that the person’s careless words will result in his destruction or ruin. This may refer to his reputation being destroyed or to suffering financial loss. It may even refer to losing his life. If possible, you should use an expression that can refer to any of these.

Some ways to translate this line are:

A careless talker destroys himself. (GNT)

but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined (NCV)

one who talks too much faces ruin (REB)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

נֹצֵ֣ר פִּ֭י⁠ו שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑⁠וֹ פֹּשֵׂ֥ק שְׂ֝פָתָ֗י⁠ו מְחִתָּה־לֽ⁠וֹ

guards mouth_of,his he/it_was_watching life_of,his opens_wide lips_of,his ruin to=him/it

One guarding his mouth, his, one opening his lips, and him here do not refer to specific people, but to types of people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “Anyone who guards one’s mouth keeps one’s life; anyone who opens one’s lips is ruin for that person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

נֹצֵ֣ר פִּ֭י⁠ו

guards mouth_of,his

The phrase guarding his mouth is an idiom that refers to being careful about what one says. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “One who speaks carefully”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

שֹׁמֵ֣ר נַפְשׁ֑⁠וֹ

he/it_was_watching life_of,his

Here Solomon speaks of someone preserving one’s life as if one’s life were an object that one keeps. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “preserves his life”

Note 4 topic: grammar-connect-logic-contrast

פֹּשֵׂ֥ק שְׂ֝פָתָ֗י⁠ו מְחִתָּה־לֽ⁠וֹ

opens_wide lips_of,his ruin to=him/it

This clause is in strong contrast to the previous clause. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate a contrast. Alternate translation: “on the contrary, one who opens his lips, ruin for him”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

פֹּשֵׂ֥ק שְׂ֝פָתָ֗י⁠ו מְחִתָּה־לֽ⁠וֹ

opens_wide lips_of,his ruin to=him/it

Solomon is leaving out a word that in many languages a clause would need in order to be complete. You could supply this word from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “one who opens his lips keeps ruin for himself”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

פֹּשֵׂ֥ק שְׂ֝פָתָ֗י⁠ו

opens_wide lips_of,his

The phrase opening his lips is an idiom that could refer to: (1) speaking carelessly, which would be in contrast to the meaning of guards his mouth in the previous clause. Alternate translation: “one who talks without thinking” (2) speaking too much. Alternate translation: “one who talks too much”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

מְחִתָּה־לֽ⁠וֹ

ruin to=him/it

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

Parallel PROV 13:3

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

13:3

13:3a

13:3b