PROV 17:27 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

17:27 OSHB variant note: ו/קר: (x-qere) ’יְקַר’: lemma_3368 morph_HAamsc id_206Fc יְקַר

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 φείδεται ῥῆμα προέσθαι σκληρὸν, ἐπιγνώμων· μακρόθυμος δὲ ἀνὴρ φρόνιμος.
(Hos feidetai ɽaʸma proesthai sklaʸron, epignōmōn; makrothumos de anaʸr fronimos. )

BrTr He that forbears to utter a hard word is discreet, and a patient man is wise.

ULT One restraining his words is one knowing knowledge,
⇔ and the cool of spirit is a man of understanding.

UST People who refrain from speaking unnecessarily are knowledgeable,
⇔ and people who can remain calm are truly wise.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE He who spares his words has knowledge.
⇔ He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The truly wise person restrains his words,
⇔ and the one who stays calm is discerning.

LSV One acquainted with knowledge is sparing his words,
And the cool of temper [is] a man of understanding.

FBV If you're wise, you'll be careful what you say; and if you're sensible, you'll keep your temper.

T4T ⇔ Those who have good sense do not talk a lot,
⇔ and those who ◄control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry► are truly wise.

LEB • He who spares his sayings knows knowledge, and a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

BBE He who has knowledge says little: and he who has a calm spirit is a man of good sense.

Moff A man of sense is sparing of his words;
⇔ the prudent will keep cool.

JPS He that spareth his words hath knowledge; and he that husbandeth his spirit is a man of discernment.

ASV He that spareth his words hath knowledge;
⇔ And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

DRA He that setteth bounds to his words. is knowing and wise: and the man of understanding is of a precious spirit.

YLT One acquainted with knowledge is sparing his words, And the cool of temper [is] a man of understanding.

Drby He that hath knowledge spareth his words; and a man of understanding is of a cool spirit.

RV He that spareth his words hath knowledge: and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.
(He that spareth his words hath/has knowledge: and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding. )

SLT He withholding his words will shew knowledge: I man of understanding is a cool spirit.

Wbstr He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.

KJB-1769 He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.[fn]
(He that hath/has knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. )

17.27 an…: or, a cool

KJB-1611 [fn]He that hath knowledge, spareth his words: and a man of vnderstanding is of an excellent spirit.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

17:27 Or, a coole spirit.

Bshps A wyse man vseth fewe wordes, and a man of vnderstanding is of a pacient spirite.
(A wise man useth few words, and a man of understanding is of a patient spirit.)

Gnva Hee that hath knowledge, spareth his wordes, and a man of vnderstanding is of an excellent spirit.
(He that hath/has knowledge, spareth his words, and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. )

Cvdl He is wyse and discrete, yt tempereth his wordes: and he is a ma of vnderstodinge, yt maketh moch of his sprete.
(He is wise and discrete, it tempereth his words: and he is a man of understanding, it maketh/makes much of his spirit.)

Wycl He that mesurith his wordis, is wijs and prudent; and a lerud man is of preciouse spirit.
(He that mesurith his words, is wise and prudent; and a lerud man is of precious spirit.)

Luth Ein Vernünftiger mäßiget seine Rede, und ein verständiger Mann ist eine teure SeeLE.
(A Vernünftiger mäßiget his speech, and a more_reasonable man is a/one expensive soul.)

ClVg Qui moderatur sermones suos doctus et prudens est, et pretiosi spiritus vir eruditus.
(Who moderatur conversations his_own doctus and prudent it_is, and at_a_pricesi spirit man instructsus. )

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

17:27

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^27a A man of knowledge restrains his words,

^27band a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.

The underlined parallel parts refer to a type of person who is both knowledgeable and understanding. Both lines stress the value of self-control. The context is probably one in which a person might be tempted to speak angrily and lose his temper. The first line focuses on restraining one’s words. The second line speaks more generally of controlling one’s emotions.

In both lines, the order of the parallel parts can be reversed. For example:

^27a He who restrains his words has knowledge,

^27band he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. (RSV)

You may use whatever order is more natural in your language.

17:27a

A man of knowledge restrains his words,

A person who knows how to conduct himself properly controls his words.
If you^(sing) are truly wise/knowledgeable, you will be careful in what you say.

A man of knowledge: In Hebrew, this phrase refers to a person who knows how to conduct himself wisely. It implies that he is experienced or mature. It does not mean only that he knows a lot of information. Some other ways to express the meaning of this phrase are:

is knowledgeable (NRSV)

The truly wise person (NET)

See knowledge in the Glossary.

restrains his words: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “one who restrains his words.” It refers to a person who limits or holds back potentially harmful words. He controls what he says and chooses his words carefully. This phrase may also imply that he does not talk too much, but that is not the primary emphasis.Cohen (page 117) and Toy (pages 252–253), both say that this proverb advises primarily against unrestrained speech rather than quantity of speech. Fox (page 637) and McKane (page 507) also focus on the aspect of restraint in a context where there is tension or a person may be provoked to anger. Another way to translate this phrase is:

controls his words (GW)

This phrase is similar to the phrase “restrains his lips” in 10:19b. See the note there.

17:27a–b

(combined/reordered)

A mature and sensible person knows how to remain calm and speak carefully.
A person who controls his words and his feelings is truly wise and competent.

17:27b

and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.

Indeed, a person with good sense controls his emotions as well.
If you^(sing) are sensible, you will be able to stay calm instead of getting angry.

and a man of understanding: This phrase refers to a person who has the good sense or ability to take appropriate action. See understanding (good sense) in the Glossary.

maintains a calm spirit: The phrase that the BSB translates as calm spirit is more literally “cool in spirit,” as in the NRSV. It refers to someone who controls his emotions and remains calm. Some languages may be able to use an idiom that is similar to the NRSV. For example:

keeps a cool head (REB)

A way to translate the meaning without using a figurative expression is:

stays calm (NET)

General Comment on 17:27a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. See 17:27a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

חוֹשֵׂ֣ךְ & יוֹדֵ֣עַ & ו⁠קר־ר֝֗וּחַ אִ֣ישׁ תְּבוּנָֽה

restrains & knows & and, spirit (a)_man understanding

One who restrains, one who knows knowledge, the cool of spirit, and a man of understanding represent types of people in general, not specific people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. See how you translated One who restrains in [10:19](../10/19.md) and a man of understanding in [10:23](../10/23.md). Alternate translation: “Any person who restrains … is a person who knows … and any person who is cool of spirit is a person of understanding”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

אֲ֭מָרָי⁠ו

words_of,his

See how you translated the same use of words in [1:23](../01/23.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

דָּ֑עַת & תְּבוּנָֽה

knowledge & understanding

See how you translated the abstract nouns knowledge in [1:4](../01/04.md) and understanding in [1:2](../01/02.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ו⁠קר־ר֝֗וּחַ

and, spirit