PROV 23:4 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) Don’t just work to get rich.
⇔ Your wisdom should tell you to stop.

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 Μὴ παρεκτείνου πένης ὢν πλουσίῳ, τῇ δὲ σῇ ἐννοίᾳ ἀπόσχου.
(Maʸ parekteinou penaʸs ōn plousiōi, taʸ de saʸ ennoia aposⱪou. )

BrTr If thou art poor, measure not thyself with a rich man; but refrain thyself in thy wisdom.

UST Do not work so much that you exhaust yourself in order to become rich.
⇔ Be understanding enough to stop doing so.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Don’t weary yourself to be rich.
⇔ In your wisdom, show restraint.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Do not wear yourself out to become rich;
⇔ be wise enough to restrain yourself.

LSV Do not labor to make wealth,
Cease from your own understanding,
Do you cause your eyes to fly on it? Then it is not.

FBV Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich—be wise enough not to bother!

T4T Do not cause yourself to become very tired by working very hard to become rich;
⇔ be wise and stop doing that,

LEB • Do not tire in order to become rich; out of your understanding, may you desist.

BBE Take no care to get wealth; let there be an end to your desire for money.

Moff Toil not to grow rich;
⇔ renounce that aim:

JPS Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.

ASV Weary not thyself to be rich;
⇔ Cease from thine own wisdom.

DRA Labour not to be rich: but set bounds to thy prudence.

YLT Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.

Drby Weary not thyself to become rich; cease from thine own intelligence:

RV Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
(Weary not thyself/yourself to be rich; cease from thine/your own wisdom. )

SLT Thou shalt not labor to become rich: cease from thy wisdom.

Wbstr Labor not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.

KJB-1769 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
(Labour not to be rich: cease from thine/your own wisdom. )

KJB-1611 Labour not to bee rich: cease from thine owne wisedome.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Take not ouer great trauayle to be riche, beware of suche a purpose.
(Take not over great travail to be rich, beware of such a purpose.)

Gnva Trauaile not too much to be rich: but cease from thy wisdome.
(Trauaile not too much to be rich: but cease from thy/your wisdom. )

Cvdl Take not ouer greate trauayle and labor to be riche, bewarre of soch a purpose.
(Take not over great travail and labour to be rich, beware of such a purpose.)

Wycl Nyle thou trauele to be maad riche, but sette thou mesure to thi prudence.
(Not/Don’t thou/you travel to be made rich, but set thou/you measure to thy/your prudence.)

Luth Bemühe dich nicht, reich zu werden, und laß ab von deinen Fündlein!
(Bemühe you/yourself not, rich/wealthy to/for become, and let ab from your(s) Fündlein!)

ClVg Noli laborare ut diteris, sed prudentiæ tuæ pone modum.[fn]
(Don't to_work as diteris, but of_prudence yours pone way. )

23.4 Pone modum. De quo supra: Ne transgrediaris terminos antiquos quos posuerunt patres, scilicet terminos fidei, et veritatis datæ a patribus.

23.4 Pone way. From/About where above: Don't transgrediaris boundaries the_ancients which they_put fathers, namely boundaries of_faith, and to_the_truths given from to_the_fathers.

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.

23:4

This verse has two similar commands. Both advise the young man not to work too hard to get rich. The first is stated negatively. The second is stated positively.

^4aDo not wear yourself out to get rich;

^4bbe wise enough to restrain yourself.

23:4a

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

¶ Do not exhaust yourself^(sing) trying to become rich.
¶ Do not work continually in order to gain lots of money. You will just make yourself tired.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich: This command means that a person should not work until he is exhausted in order to become wealthy. It is a command to not spend too much time or energy to obtain something that has no lasting value. It is not a command to avoid hard work, nor does it imply that being wealthy is wrong. Another way to translate this command is:

Do not work so hard to get money that you become exhausted

23:4a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ Please be wise. Stop forcing yourself to work all the time in order to become rich,

23:4b

be wise enough to restrain yourself.

Use your^(sing) intelligence/wisdom and do not do that.
You should be wise/smart enough to stop working like that for such a reason/purpose.

be wise enough to restrain yourself: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “from your understanding cease.” There are at least two ways to interpret this command:

The command means “because of your understanding, stop working too hard in order to get rich.” This probably implies that the young man should use his understanding and stop trying to get rich. For example:
be discerning enough to desist (ESV) (BSB, ESV, GW, NCV, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB, GNT)
The command means “stop thinking about trying to get rich.” This probably implies that the young man should stop using his mind for the purpose of trying to get rich. For example:
stop applying your mind to this (NJB) (NAB, NASB, NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and commentaries. This interpretation fits the normal use of the word “understanding” in Proverbs.Elsewhere in Proverbs, the feminine noun binah refers to a person’s insight or intelligence. It describes his ability to comprehend something. It is not used as a verb to describe the act of thinking. On the other hand, interpretation (1) involves an unusual use of the verb ḥadal “cease” with the preposition min- “from.” Fox (page 723) points out that elsewhere this combination means “cease from” something, not “cease because of” something. BDB (#2308) also understands Proverbs 23:4 to mean “cease regarding,” in other words, “cease thinking about.” Whybray (page 332) cites Gesenius in support of the meaning “cease, in consequence of your understanding.” Some other ways to express this meaning are:

Be sensible, and desist. (REB)

Be smart enough to stop. (GW)

be wise enough: In Hebrew, this word refers to the ability to comprehend ideas, to draw conclusions, and to understand the relationship between things. In this context, a number of versions translate it with a form of the word “wisdom.” For example:

have the wisdom… (NIV)

See understanding (insight) in the Glossary.

to restrain yourself: In Hebrew this verb is literally “cease” or “desist.” It means to stop doing something entirely. But that is clearly not the meaning here. In this context, a literal translation would cause the misunderstanding that the young man should stop working entirely.

The BSB probably translated the Hebrew verb as restrain yourself in order to avoid this misunderstanding. Another version that has translated this verb in a similar way is the NET. It has:

be wise enough to restrain yourself

General Comment on 23:4a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine the commands in these two lines. For example: