PROV 23:14 Parallel Verse View

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

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 Συ μὲν γὰρ πατάξεις αὐτὸν ῥάβδῳ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου ῥύσῃ.
(Su men gar pataxeis auton ɽabdōi, taʸn de psuⱪaʸn autou ek thanatou ɽusaʸ. )

BrTr For thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from death.

ULT You, with the rod you will strike him,
⇔ and you will rescue his life from Sheol.

UST In fact, if you physically punish your children,
⇔ you will prevent them from dying.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Punish him with the rod,
⇔ and save his soul from Sheol.[fn]

23:14 Sheol is the place of the dead.

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET If you strike him with the rod,
⇔ you will deliver him from death.

LSV You strike him with a rod,
And you deliver his soul from Sheol.

FBV If you use physical correction you can save them from death.[fn]

23:14 “Death” literally, “Sheol,” the place of the dead, the grave.

T4T and it may save them from going to the place where dead people are.

LEB • As for you, with the rod you shall beat him, and his life[fn] you will save from Sheol.[fn]

23:? Or “soul,” or “inner self”

23:? A term for the place where the dead reside, i.e., the Underworld

BBE Give him blows with the rod, and keep his soul safe from the underworld.

Moff You must whip him with the rod,
⇔ and so preserve his life.

JPS Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world.

ASV Thou shalt beat him with the rod,
⇔ And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

DRA Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell.

YLT Thou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest.

Drby thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.

RV Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.
(Thou/You shalt/shall beat him with the rod/staff, and shalt/shall deliver his soul from Sheol. )

SLT Thou shalt strike him with the rod, and thou shalt deliver his soul from hades.

Wbstr Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

KJB-1769 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.
(Thou/You shalt/shall beat him with the rod/staff, and shalt/shall deliver his soul from hell. )

KJB-1611 Thou shalt beate him with the rod, and shalt deliuer his soule from hell.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps If thou smyte hym with the rodde, thou shalt deliuer his soule from hell.
(If thou/you smite/strike him with the rod/staff, thou/you shalt/shall deliver his soul from hell.)

Gnva Thou shalt smite him with the rodde, and shalt deliuer his soule from hell.
(Thou/You shalt/shall smite him with the rod/staff, and shalt/shall deliver his soul from hell. )

Cvdl Thou smytest him wt the rodde, but thou delyuerest his soule from hell.
(Thou/You smite/strikest him with the rod/staff, but thou/you deliverest/deliver his soul from hell.)

Wycl Thou schalt smyte hym with a yerde, and thou schalt delyuere his soule fro helle.
(Thou/You shalt/shall smite/strike him with a rod/stick, and thou/you shalt/shall deliver his soul from hell.)

Luth Du hauest ihn mit der Rute; aber du errettest seine SeeLE von der Hölle.
(You(sg) house(v) him/it with the/of_the rod; but you(sg) save/rescue his soul from the/of_the hell.)

ClVg Tu virga percuties eum, et animam ejus de inferno liberabis.
(You(sg) rod/staff percuties him, and the_soul his from/about hell liberabis. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 22:17–24:22: Here are thirty sayings of wise people

This section follows the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs (10:1–22:16). It differs in significant ways from this preceding section:These differences were summarized from a number of commentaries, including UBS (page 472), Waltke (2004, page 22), and Hubbard (page 351).

The preceding section has mostly two-line proverbs that are one verse in length. This section has proverbs of a different form. They are sayings that range from one to seven verses. Most of the sayings are two or three verses in length. Each saying will be marked as a separate paragraph in the Notes.
Many of the proverbs in the preceding section express a general principle. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. Most of the sayings here contain direct commands. They advise the reader or listener either to follow wise behavior or avoid foolish behavior. Most of the sayings also give a reason or motive for following the command.
As in chapters 1–9, the author addresses his reader or listener as a father who advises his son. He uses second person commands and pronouns (you^(sing)). See the note on 23:15 for a list of verses where the words “my son” occur.

Some other headings for this section are:

Thirty Wise Sayings (CEV)

Words of the Wise (ESV)

Thirty Sayings of the Wise (NIV11)

Verse 22:20 mentions “thirty sayings,” but the Hebrew text itself does not number the sayings. Some versions that use the word “thirty” in the section heading also give a number as a separate heading for each saying. The GNT and CEV start numbering the sayings at 22:22. They have a total of thirty-one paragraphs. In these versions, the first paragraph (22:17–21) serves as an introduction to the thirty sayings (22:22–24:22).Scholars who identify 22:17–21 as the first saying include Hubbard (page 352), Fox (page 707), and Waltke (2004, page 22). Scholars who identify these verses as an introduction to the sayings that follow include Whybray (page 325) and Murphy (page 170). See also the NET footnote (b) on 22:16. Whether these introductory verses form the first saying or simply introduce the following sayings, all scholars agree that they function as an introduction to the whole section. Other versions, such as the NIV, NCV, and NLT, divide the paragraphs in the same way but do not have separate headings for each section. You may use either option in your translation.The NIV11 gives a number as a separate heading for each saying. But it counts the first paragraph as the first saying, and has a total of thirty paragraphs. Other versions have more or fewer paragraphs. For example, the ESV and NRSV have fifteen paragraphs. The NJB has thirty-four. Still other versions, such as the RSV, NET, and NJPS, do not group the verses into sayings or paragraphs.

For the convenience of those who decide to identify the number of each saying in their translation, the Notes will put the number in the paragraph headings, using the same numbering system as the GNT or CEV. These numbers will not be used in the Display.

Paragraph 23:13–14 Saying 12

This saying reassures parents that physical punishment will have a positive effect in a child’s life. It will spare him from a premature death.

Verses 23:13b and 23:14b both describe the result of punishing a child by giving him a beating. Verse 23:13b explains what will not happen. Verse 23:14b explains what will happen. Together the two verses imply that if parents do not discipline their children, the children will die as a result.

Proverbs with a similar theme include 19:18 and 22:15. See the notes on those two verses. Make sure that you account for the similarities and differences when you translate this saying. In 22:15, the words for “discipline,” “rod,” and “child” are the same as here.

23:14

In this verse, the second line gives the result of the first line.

^14aStrike him with a rod,

^14band you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

23:14a

Strike him with a rod,

The truth is that proper punishment
If you^(sing) beat them with a cane/stick,

Strike him with a rod: In Hebrew, this clause is almost identical to the first clause of 23:13b.The word order is different. Also, 23:14 begins with the emphatic pronoun ʾattah “you” rather than the deictic marker ki. Except for GW, which has “Strike him yourself,” English versions do not indicate this emphasis. Many English versions translate it as an “if” clause. For example:

If you beat them with the rod (NRSV)

If you spank them (NCV)

23:14b

and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.

will actually save/spare him from an early death.
you^(sing) will improve their character so that they do not go early to the place of the dead.

and you will deliver his soul from Sheol: This verse part indicates that the parent will spare the child from an early death. The implied reasoning is that painful discipline will persuade a child to change his bad behavior. Then he will not die early as a result of a wild lifestyle or a crime.

soul: The word that the BSB translates here as soul refers to the child’s life or the child himself. It probably does not imply a contrast between the child’s inner being and his physical body.

Sheol: The word Sheol refers to the world/place of the dead. For more information and translation advice on this word, see the notes on 1:12a and 15:11a.

Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

you will save him from the grave (NJPS)

you will be preserving him from Sheol (REB)

you will deliver him from death (NET)

General Comment on 23:13–14

In some languages, it may be redundant to repeat the almost identical clauses in 23:13b and 23:14a. Two ways to avoid unacceptable redundancy are:

Use different expressions in 23:13b and 23:14a. For example:
^13aDon’t fail to discipline your children.
^13bThey won’t die if you spank them.
^14a Physical discipline
^14bmay well save them from death. (NLT)
Combine the almost identical clauses into one clause. For example, the GNT combined 23:13b and 23:14a. It has:
^13aDon’t hesitate to discipline children. ^13b/14aA good spanking won’t kill them.
^14bAs a matter of fact, it may save their lives.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בַּ⁠שֵּׁ֣בֶט תַּכֶּ֑⁠נּוּ

with,rod you,will_strike_him

See how you translated this phrase in the previous verse.

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וְ֝⁠נַפְשׁ֗⁠וֹ & תַּצִּֽיל

and,life_of,his & save

Here, and introduces the result of obeying the command stated in the previous clause. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate results. You may need to start a new sentence. Alternate translation: “If you do these things, then you will rescue his life” or “This will result in you rescuing his life”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וְ֝⁠נַפְשׁ֗⁠וֹ מִ⁠שְּׁא֥וֹל תַּצִּֽיל

and,life_of,his from,Sheol save