PROV 18:15 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) Understanding people acquire knowledge,
⇔ ≈ and wise people want information.

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 Καρδία φρονίμου κτᾶται αἴσθησιν, ὦτα δὲ σοφῶν ζητεῖ ἔννοιαν.
(Kardia fronimou ktatai aisthaʸsin, ōta de sofōn zaʸtei ennoian. )

BrTr The heart of the sensible man purchases discretion; and the ears of the wise seek understanding.

ULT The heart of an understanding one acquires knowledge,
⇔ and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

UST Understanding people are always learning more.
⇔ Indeed, wise people are always trying to learn more.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The heart of the discerning gets knowledge.
⇔ The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The discerning person acquires knowledge,
⇔ and the wise person seeks knowledge.

LSV The heart of the intelligent gets knowledge,
And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

FBV An intelligent mind acquires knowledge; the wise are ready to hear knowledge.

T4T ⇔ Intelligent people are always wanting to learn more;
⇔ wise people [SYN] are not content with what they already know.

LEB • An intelligent mind[fn] will acquire knowledge, and the ear of the wise will seek knowledge.

18:? Literally “heart”

BBE The heart of the man of good sense gets knowledge; the ear of the wise is searching for knowledge.

Moff The thoughtful mind is eager to know more;
⇔ the wise man longs to learn.

JPS The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

ASV The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge;
⇔ And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

DRA A wise heart shall acquire knowledge: and the ear of the wise seeketh instruction.

YLT The heart of the intelligent getteth knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Drby The heart of an intelligent [man] getteth knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

RV The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
(The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh/seeks knowledge. )

SLT The heart of him understanding will obtain knowledge and the ear of the wise will seek knowledge.

Wbstr The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

KJB-1769 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
(The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh/seeks knowledge. )

KJB-1611 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the eare of the wise seeketh knowledge.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps A wise heart possesseth knowledge, & a prudent eare seeketh vnderstanding.
(A wise heart possesseth knowledge, and a prudent ear seeketh/seeks understanding.)

Gnva A wise heart getteth knowledge, and the eare of the wise seeketh learning.
(A wise heart getteth knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeketh/seeks learning. )

Cvdl A wyse herte laboureth for knowlege, and a prudent eare seketh vnderstondinge.
(A wise heart laboureth for knowledge, and a prudent ear seeketh/seeks understanding.)

Wycl The herte of a prudent man schal holde stidfastli kunnyng; and the eere of wise men sekith techyng.
(The heart of a prudent man shall hold steadfastly cunning; and the ear of wise men seeketh/seeks teaching.)

Luth Ein verständig Herz weiß sich vernünftiglich zu halten, und die Weisen hören gern, daß man vernünftiglich handelt.
(A sensible/understanding heart white itself/yourself/themselves reasonable to/for hold/keep, and the ways/manners hear/listen gladly/willingly, that man reasonable acts(v).)

ClVg Cor prudens possidebit scientiam, et auris sapientium quærit doctrinam.]
(Heart prudent will_possess knowledge, and ear wise seeks teaching.] )

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

18:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^15a The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,

^15band the ear of the wise seeks it out.

In Hebrew, verse 18:15a is identical to 15:14a, except that 15:14a has the verb “seeks” instead of “acquires.” (See the note there.) Verse 18:15b is literally “the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” All three lines express the same truth: A discerning/wise person keeps wanting to gain more knowledge.Whybray (page 270).

18:15a–b

(combined/reordered)

People who are perceptive and wise are always eager to listen and learn.

The heart…the ear: In Hebrew, the heart refers primarily to the mind and intellect, though it also includes the emotions. See the note on 10:20b.

In this verse, heart and ear are figures of speech. In these figures of speech, a part of the body represents the entire person. A discerning or wise person uses his abilities to think and to hear in his search for more knowledge.

discerning: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as discerning refers to someone who is perceptive, intelligent or sensible. Such a person has the ability to understand ideas and is able to distinguish right from wrong. See discerning in the Glossary.

acquires…seeks: In Hebrew, the form of these two verbs indicates continual or ongoing action.

wise: The word wise refers here to a person who is skilled in doing what is right. See wisdom in the Glossary.

Some ways to translate 18:15a–b are:

^15aIntelligent people are always ready to learn. ^15bTheir ears are open for knowledge. (NLT)

^15aThe mind of a person with understanding gets knowledge; ^15bthe wise person listens to learn more. (NCV)

General Comment on 18:15a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural and effective to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

Intelligent people are always eager and ready to learn. (GNT)

18:15a

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,

The mind of a sensible person continues to gain knowledge.
An intelligent person uses his mind to keep adding to what he knows.

18:15b

and the ear of the wise seeks it out.

The ears of a wise person are always ready to listen and learn.
A wise person also listens with his ears in order to learn more and more.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

לֵ֣ב נָ֭בוֹן יִקְנֶה־דָּ֑עַת וְ⁠אֹ֥זֶן חֲ֝כָמִ֗ים תְּבַקֶּשׁ־דָּֽעַת

mind intelligent acquires knowledge and_[the],ear_of wise seeks knowledge

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second clause emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word other than and that shows that the second clause is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “The heart of an understanding one acquires knowledge, yes, and the ear of the wise ones seeks knowledge”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

לֵ֣ב נָ֭בוֹן יִקְנֶה־דָּ֑עַת וְ⁠אֹ֥זֶן

mind intelligent acquires knowledge and_[the],ear_of

The heart, an understanding one, and the ear represents these things and type of people in general, not specific things or people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “The hearts of understanding ones acquire knowledge, and the ears of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

לֵ֣ב

mind

Here, heart refers to the whole person. See how you translated the same use of heart in [15:14](../15/14.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

דָּ֑עַת & דָּֽעַת

knowledge & knowledge

See how you translated the abstract noun knowledge in [1:4](../01/04.md).

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

וְ⁠אֹ֥זֶן חֲ֝כָמִ֗ים תְּבַקֶּשׁ

and_[the],ear_of wise seeks

Here, ear refers to the whole person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the wise ones seek”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

תְּבַקֶּשׁ

seeks