PROV 18:8 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) ‘News’ snippets from a gossip are like delicious snacks—
⇔ → they get absorbed like food going down into your stomach.

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 Ὀκνηροὺς καταβάλλει φόβος, ψυχαὶ δὲ ἀνδρογύνων πεινάσουσιν.
(Oknaʸrous kataballei fobos, psuⱪai de androgunōn peinasousin. )

BrTr Fear casts down the slothful; and the souls of the effeminate shall hunger.

ULT The words of a murmurer are like things swallowed greedily,
⇔ and they themselves go down into the rooms of the belly.

UST People are eager to listen to what people who gossip say,
⇔ and what they say deeply affects those who hear it.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels:
⇔ they go down into a person’s innermost parts.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
⇔ they go down into the person’s innermost being.

LSV The words of a tale-bearer [are] as self-inflicted wounds,
And they have gone down [to] the inner parts of the heart.

FBV Listening to gossip is like gulping down bites of your favorite food—they go deep down inside you.

T4T ⇔ People enjoy listening to what gossips say like [SIM] they enjoy tasty food;
⇔ they accept what gossips tell them like [MET] they swallow tasty food.

LEB • The words of a whisper are like delicious morsels, and they themselves go down to inner parts of the body.

BBE The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, and go down into the inner parts of the stomach.

Moff The words of a slanderer are like dainty morsels
⇔ swallowed and relished to the full.
¶ 

JPS The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

ASV The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels,
⇔ And they go down into the innermost parts.

DRA The words of the double tongued are as if they were harmless: and they reach even to the inner parts of the bowels. Fear casteth down the slothful: and the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry.

YLT The words of a tale-bearer [are] as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down [to] the inner parts of the heart.

Drby The words of a talebearer are as dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

RV The words of a whisperer are as dainty, morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

SLT The words of the tale-bearer as dainty morsels, and they will go down to the chambers of the belly.

Wbstr The words of a tale-bearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

KJB-1769 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.[fn][fn][fn]

18.8 talebearer: or, whisperer

18.8 as wounds: or, like as when men are wounded

18.8 innermost…: Heb. chambers

KJB-1611 [fn][fn][fn]The words of a tale bearer are as wounds, and they goe downe into the innermost parts of the belly.
(The words of a tale bearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.)

18:8 Or, whisperer.

18:8 Or, like as when men are wounded

18:8 Heb. chambers.

Bshps The wordes of a slaunderer are very woundes, and go through vnto the innermost partes of the body.
(The words of a slanderer are very wounds, and go through unto the innermost parts of the body.)

Gnva The wordes of a tale bearer are as flatterings, and they goe downe into the bowels of the belly.
(The words of a tale bearer are as flatterings, and they go down into the bowels of the belly. )

Cvdl The wordes of a slaunderer are very woudes, and go thorow vnto the ynmost partes of the body.
(The words of a slanderer are very woudes, and go through unto the ynmost parts of the body.)

Wycl The wordis of a double tungid man ben as symple; and tho comen `til to the ynnere thingis of the wombe. Drede castith doun a slowe man; forsothe the soulis of men turned in to wymmens condicioun schulen haue hungur.
(The words of a double-tongued man been as simple; and those came till to the inner things of the womb. Dread castith down a slow man; for_certain/truly the souls of men turned in to womens condition should have hunger.)

Luth Die Worte des Verleumders sind Schläge und gehen einem durchs Herz.
(The words the Verleumders are blows(n) and go on through heart.)

ClVg Verba bilinguis quasi simplicia, et ipsa perveniunt usque ad interiora ventris. Pigrum dejicit timor; animæ autem effeminatorum esurient.
(Words bilinguis as_if simplicia, and herself they_arrive until to interior belly. Pigrum deyicit fear; soul however effeminatorum esurient. )

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

18:8

In this proverb, the first line describes what the words of a gossip are like. The second line explains what happens to these words as a result.

^8aThe words of a gossip are like choice morsels

^8bthat go down into the inmost being.

The overall meaning is that people eagerly listen to gossip and remember what they hear.

18:8a

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels

Gossip is like tasty food, which people like to eat.
People greedily swallow delicious food. Similarly, they eagerly listen to gossip/slander.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels: This clause is a simile. It compares the words of a gossip to a tasty piece of food that a person eagerly or greedily eats. The similarity is that people eagerly listen to the words of a gossip.

a gossip: The word that the BSB translates here as a gossip is used three times outside of Proverbs to refer to people who complained. Here in Proverbs, it refers to a person who complains about other people behind their backs. His words are malicious and untrue, so it is appropriate to call such a person “a gossip” or “a slanderer.” A gossip does not want the person he criticizes to know who spread the false information. So some versions use the word “whisperer.”

Other verses in Proverbs where this word occurs are 16:28, 26:20, and 26:22.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

The words of a slanderer are tasty morsels (NJB)

The words of a gossip are swallowed greedily (GW)

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels (ESV)

18:8b

that go down into the inmost being.

It enters the deepest/innermost part of their minds.
When they hear it, it becomes a part of them, and they do not forget it.

that go down into the inmost being: The phrase that the BSB translates as the inmost being is literally “the rooms of the belly.” This phrase refers to the deepest part of a person’s inner being, where his thoughts and emotions are stored. The whole clause indicates that slanderous words deeply affect the thoughts and emotions of the person who hears them. As a result, the person remembers them and continues to think about them.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

and they go down into a person’s innermost being (GW)

These words sink/penetrate deeply into the mind of the person who hears them.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

דִּבְרֵ֣י

words_of

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

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

כְּ⁠מִֽתְלַהֲמִ֑ים

[are]_like,delicacies

Solomon is saying that the words of a murmurer are like things swallowed greedily because people are eager to hear gossip. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “are listened to eagerly”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rpronouns

וְ֝⁠הֵ֗ם יָרְד֥וּ

and,they go_down

Solomon used the word themselves to emphasize how significant it was that what murmurers said was listened to by others. Use a way that is natural in your language to indicate this significance. Alternate translation: “and those very words go down into”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

וְ֝⁠הֵ֗ם יָרְד֥וּ חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן

and,they go_down inner_parts_of body

Here Solomon speaks of the words of a murmurer staying in a person’s mind and affecting that person’s thoughts as if they were food that goes down into a person’s stomach. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they enter a person’s mind and affect his thoughts”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן

inner_parts_of body

Here, the rooms of the belly refers to the innermost part of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “the innermost part of a person”

Parallel PROV 18:8

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

18:8

18:8a

18:8b