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Parallel PROV 20:27

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.

B I ◄ ← Prov 20:27 ↓ → ► ═ ©  

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

OET (OET-RV) The human spirit is Yahweh’s lamp,
 ⇔ → searching all the innermost parts.OET logo mark

OET-LV The_lamp_of YHWH is_the_breath_of a_human it_is_searching all_of the_chambers_of the_belly.
OET logo mark

UHB נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ כָּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃ ‡
   (nēr yhwh nishmat ʼādām ḩofēs kāl-ḩadrēy-ⱱāţen.)

Key: khaki:verbs, green:YHWH.
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 Φῶς Κυρίου πνοὴ ἀνθρώπων, ὃς ἐρευνᾷ ταμιεῖα κοιλίας.
   (Fōs Kuriou pnoaʸ anthrōpōn, hos ereuna tamieia koilias. )

BrTr The [fn]spirit of man is a light of the Lord, who searches the inmost parts of the belly.

20:27 Comp. chap 11. 13.

ULT The breath of a man is the lamp of Yahweh,
 ⇔ searching all the rooms of the belly.

UST Just as the light of a lamp penetrates into and illuminates a dark place, the life-breath that Yahweh puts into each person penetrates into the person’s inner being.
 ⇔ That breath is like the presence of Yahweh, who sees everything that is inside a person.

BSB The spirit[fn] of a man [is] the lamp of the LORD,
 ⇔ searching out his inmost being.

20:27 Or breath or speech

MSB (Same as BSB above including footnotes)

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE The spirit of man is the LORD’s lamp,
 ⇔ searching all his innermost parts.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The human spirit is like the lamp of the Lord,
 ⇔ searching all his innermost parts.

LSV The breath of man [is] a lamp of YHWH,
Searching all the inner parts of the heart.

FBV The Lord's light shines on the conscience, revealing our deepest thoughts.

T4T  ⇔ Our consciences are like lamps that Yahweh has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking [MET];
 ⇔ they reveal what is hidden deep in our ◄minds/inner beings►.

LEB   • The lamp of Yahweh is the spirit[fn] of humankind, he who searches every innermost part .[fn]

20:? Or “soul”

20:? Literally “parts of the inmost”

BBE The Lord keeps watch over the spirit of man, searching all the deepest parts of the body.

Moff Man’s conscience is the lamp of the Eternal,
 ⇔ flashing into his inmost soul.

JPS The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inward parts.

ASV The spirit of man is the lamp of Jehovah,
 ⇔ Searching all his innermost parts.

DRA The spirit of a man is the lamp of the Lord, which searcheth all the hidden things of the bowels.

YLT The breath of man [is] a lamp of Jehovah, Searching all the inner parts of the heart.

Drby Man's spirit is the lamp of Jehovah, searching all the inner parts of the belly.

RV The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of the belly.

SLT The light of Jehovah is the breath of man, searching all the chambers of the belly.

Wbstr The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.

KJB-1769 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.[fn]

20.27 candle: or, lamp

KJB-1611 [fn]The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.
   (Same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

20:27 Or, lampe.

Bshps The lanterne of the Lorde is the breath of man, searching all the inwarde partes of the body.
   (The lantern of the Lord is the breath of man, searching all the inward parts of the body.)

Gnva The light of the Lord is the breath of man, and searcheth all the bowels of the belly.

Cvdl The lanterne of ye LORDE is ye breth of man, & goeth thorow all the inwarde partes of the body.
   (The lantern of ye/you_all LORD is ye/you_all breath of man, and goeth/goes through all the inward parts of the body.)

Wycl The lanterne of the Lord is the spirit of man, that sekith out alle the priuetees of the wombe.
   (The lantern of the Lord is the spirit of man, that seeketh/seeks out all the priuetees of the womb.)

Luth Die Leuchte des HErr’s ist des Menschen Odem; die gehet durchs ganze Herz.
   (The lamp/lantern the LORD’s is the people breath; the goes through whole/all heart.)

ClVg Lucerna Domini spiraculum hominis, quæ investigat omnia secreta ventris.
   (Lucerna Master spiraculum of_man, which investigat everything secrets belly. )

HAP Hebrew accents and phrasing: See Allan Johnson's Hebrew accents and phrasing analysis.
TSN Tyndale Study Notes:

20:27 The Lord’s light penetrates the human spirit: God sees deep into people’s hearts (see 16:2).

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

20:27

In Hebrew, the two lines of this verse form a single sentence. The first line of this verse identifies a person’s spirit as the lamp of the LORD. The second line tells what the spirit/lamp reveals.

27aThe spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,

27bsearching out his inmost being.

The NRSV has been used as the source line, because it follows the recommended interpretation for 20:27a.

20:27a

The spirit of a man is the lamp of the LORD,

The spirit20:27 Or breath or speech of a man is the lamp of the LORD: There are two main ways to interpret this clause:

  1. This clause identifies the human spirit as the lamp of the LORD. For example:

    A person’s soul is the Lord’s lamp. (GW) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NET, NIV11, NJB, NJPS, NRSV)

  2. This clause indicates that the lamp of the LORD reveals a person’s spirit. It does not identify the lamp of the LORD. For example:

    The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man (NIV) (NIV, NLT, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.In Hebrew, there is no verb in the first line. It is common to put two noun phrases side by side with no verb between them. English versions usually supply a form of the verb “to be” in such contexts. The NIV has supplied the verb “searches” from the second line. Usually, with an ellipsis, Hebrew has a verb in the first line and omits it in the second line.

This clause is a metaphor. It compares the human spirit to a lamp that the LORD uses or provides to mankind.

The phrase that the BSB translates as the spirit of a man is literally “the breath of a human.”BART interlinear gloss. This is a reference to “the breath of life” that God breathed into man (Genesis 2:7). Here it represents a person’s spirit. It is the part of a person that enables him to think, to make moral decisions, and to relate to God.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

20:27b

searching out his inmost being.

searching out his inmost being: This phrase continues the metaphor that compares the human spirit to a lamp. It describes one of the functions of the human spirit. A lamp illuminates the darkest corners of a room. Similarly, the spirit, mind, or conscience of a human being enables him to examine his inmost being. It reveals to him the kind of person that he is.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

searching the deepest self (NJB)

exposing every hidden motive (NLT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה נִשְׁמַ֣ת אָדָ֑ם חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ כָּל־חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן

lamp_of YHWH breath_of humankind searching all/each/any/every parts_of inmost_being

Here, a man, the lamp, and the belly refer to these things and people in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use more natural expressions. Alternate translation: “The breath of any person is a lamp of Yahweh, searching all the rooms of that person’s belly”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

נִשְׁמַ֣ת

breath_of

Here, breath refers to the inner spiritual part of a human being, which Yahweh gave to the first man by breathing it into him ([Genesis 2:7](../gen/02/07.md)). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The spirit of”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה

lamp_of YHWH

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe a lamp that is given by Yahweh. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “is the lamp from Yahweh”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

נֵ֣ר יְ֭הוָה & חֹ֝פֵ֗שׂ

lamp_of YHWH & searching

Here Solomon speaks of a person’s spirit helping that person understand himself as if it were a lamp that searches within that person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: “is what Yahweh has given him to discern” or “is like a lamp of Yahweh that searches”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן

parts_of inmost_being

See how you translated this phrase in [18:8](../18/08.md).

B I ◄ ← Prov 20:27 ↑ → ► ═ ©