PROV 31:18 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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

31:18 OSHB variant note: ב/ליל: (x-qere) ’בַ/לַּ֣יְלָה’: lemma_b/3915 morph_HRd/Ncmsa id_20UMb בַ/לַּ֣יְלָה

Key: khaki:verbs, red:negative.
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 Καὶ ἐγεύσατο ὅτι καλόν ἐστι τὸ ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ οὐκ ἀποσβέννυται ὁ λύχνος αὐτῆς ὅλην τὴν νύκτα.
(Kai egeusato hoti kalon esti to ergazesthai, kai ouk aposbennutai ho luⱪnos autaʸs holaʸn taʸn nukta. )

BrTr And she finds by experience that working is good; and her candle goes not out all night.

ULT She perceives that her profit is good;
⇔ her lamp does not go out in the night.

UST She knows that what she does is very profitable.
⇔ She works late into the night.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
⇔ Her lamp doesn’t go out by night.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET She knows that her merchandise is good,
⇔ and her lamp does not go out in the night.

LSV She has perceived when her merchandise [is] good,
Her lamp is not extinguished in the night.

FBV She knows that the things she makes are valuable. She keeps busy—her lamp burns late into the night.

T4T She knows when she is getting a good profit from her business.
⇔ When it is necessary, she works [MTY] until it is late at night.

LEB • She perceives that her merchandise is good; her lamp does not go out in the night.

BBE She sees that her marketing is of profit to her: her light does not go out by night.

Moff She finds that industry is profitable;
⇔ the lamp burns all night in her house.

JPS She perceiveth that her merchandise is good; her lamp goeth not out by night.

ASV She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable;
⇔ Her lamp goeth not out by night.

DRA She hath tasted and seen that her traffic is good: her lamp shall not be put out in the night.

YLT She hath perceived when her merchandise [is] good, Her lamp is not extinguished in the night.

Drby She perceiveth that her earning is good; her lamp goeth not out by night.

RV She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: her lamp goeth not out by night.
(She perceiveth that her merchandise is profitable: her lamp goeth/goes not out by night. )

SLT She tasted that her traffic is good: her light will not go out by night.

Wbstr She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

KJB-1769 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.[fn]
(She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth/goes not out by night. )

31.18 She…: Heb. She tasteth

KJB-1611 [fn]She perceiueth that her merchandise is good; her candle goeth not out by night.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

31:18 Hebr. she tasteth.

Bshps And yf she perceaue that her huswiferie doth good, her candell goeth not out by nyght.
(And if she perceive that her huswiferie doth/does good, her candle goeth/goes not out by night.)

Gnva She feeleth that her marchandise is good: her candle is not put out by night.
(She feeleth that her merchandise is good: her candle is not put out by night. )

Cvdl And yf she perceaue that hir houswifrie doth good, hir candle goeth not out by night.
(And if she perceive that her houswifrie doth/does good, her candle goeth/goes not out by night.)

Wycl Sche taastide, and siy, that hir marchaundie was good; hir lanterne schal not be quenchid in the niyt.
(She taastide, and see, that her merchandise was good; her lantern shall not be quenched in the night.)

Luth Sie merkt, wie ihr Handel Frommen bringt; ihre Leuchte verlöscht des Nachts nicht.
(They/She notices, as/like you(pl)/their/her Handel pious/devout_(one) brings; their/her lamp/lantern extinguished the night not.)

ClVg Gustavit, et vidit quia bona est negotiatio ejus; non extinguetur in nocte lucerna ejus.[fn]
(Gustavit, and he_saw because good(s) it_is business/dealing his; not/no will_be_extinguished in/into/on at_night lamp his. )

31.18 Gustavit et vidit quia bona est. Agri scilicet illius, etc., usque ad sic sed et nocte accensa lucerna manibus operatur.

31.18 Gustavit and he_saw because good(s) it_is. Agri namely of_that, etc., until to so but and at_night accensa lamp hands works.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 31:10–31: This poem describes a capable wife who has good character

In Hebrew, this section is arranged in the form of an acrostic poem. Each of its twenty-two verses begins with a different letter, following the normal order of the Hebrew alphabet. The poem praises the character and abilities of an ideal wife. After an introduction that describes her value (vv. 10–12), the poem describes her activities and achievements in various areas (vv. 13–27). It concludes with praise by her family (vv. 28–29) and all the people (vv. 30–31). The last two verses also serve as the poet’s final conclusion. They summarize what is truly important in an ideal wife.Waltke (page 515) says that the final two verses are praise “by all.” Murphy (page 245) agrees that the “praise” in the final two verses is the “goal or purpose of the poem.”

Some other headings for this section are:

A good wife with many abilities

Description of a Worthy Woman (NASB)

A truly good wife (CEV)

Paragraph 31:16–18

This paragraph describes the wife’s wise purchase and use of additional land (v. 16), her physical strength (v. 17), and her motivation to work even at night (v. 18).

31:18

The wife’s success in trading (v. 18a) encourages her to work until late at night (v. 18b).There is nothing in the verse itself that explicitly indicates that her success encourages her to stay up late at night and continue to work, but according to several commentaries, that is the implication. Garrett (page 250) says, “Encouraged by previous business success, she continues her work into the night.” Delitzsch (page 484) says, “Her profits from all the sales spurs on her active industry to redoubled effort.” Murphy (page 247) says, “The verse suggests that the woman is urged on by her own success. McKane (page 668) says, “trading conditions are good and so she burns the midnight oil to make the most of them while they last.”

^18aShe sees that her gain is good,

^18band her lamp is not extinguished at night.

31:18a

She sees that her gain is good,

She realizes/knows that she is becoming more wealthy from her work/trading.
She sees/knows that the result of her business is good.

She sees that her gain is good: This line is literally “She tastes that her profit is good.” The word “tastes” is figurative. It means “knows or learns by experience.” There are two ways to interpret this line:

The wife knows that her business activities are making a good profit. For example:
She sees that her business goes well (REB) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NLT, NRSV, REB)
The wife knows how her business works. She understands the value of her merchandise and the right time to trade. With this interpretation, she does not necessarily know whether her business is successful or not. For example:
She knows the value of everything she makes (GNT) (CEV, NCV, NET, NLT96, GNT)The NCV and NET have been listed under this interpretation, because knowing that the merchandise is of good quality is not the same as knowing that she will make a profit from selling it.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and commentaries.

Some other ways to translate this line are:

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable (NRSV)

She senses that her gain is good (NASB)

31:18b

and her lamp is not extinguished at night.

Her lamp continues to burn the entire night.
So she uses a lamp to keep working until late at night.

and her lamp is not extinguished at night: This statement is a hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration).Fox (page 889) identifies this as a hyperbole. Some commentaries understand the statement literally. They conclude that keeping a lamp burning all night is a sign of wealth. These commentaries include Waltke (page 527), Hubbard (page 481), and Toy (page 545). But Garrett (page 250) comments that in connection with 31:15, the verse indicates that the woman rises early and stays up late because of her work. The Notes have not treated this as an interpretation issue, because versions such as the NIV “her lamp does not go out at night” do not imply a reason for the lamp remaining lit. It means that the wife keeps her lamp burning until late at night so that she can keep working.

lamp: The word lamp refers to an oil-burning lamp with a wick.UBS (page 658).

Some other ways to translate this line are:

Keep the hyperbole. For example:
her lamp keeps burning the entire night
Translate the meaning without the hyperbole. For example:
Her lamp burns late at night. (GW)
and under lamplight she works deep into the night (VOICE)
and works late into the night (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

סַחְרָ֑⁠הּ

profit_of,her_trading

See how you translated the abstract noun profit in [3:14](../03/14.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לֹֽא־יִכְבֶּ֖ה בַלַּ֣יְלָה נֵרָֽ⁠הּ

not go_out (Some words not found in UHB: perceives that/for/because/then/when good profit_of,her_trading not go_out in,night lamp_of,her )

Here, Lemuel’s mother implies that this woman’s lamp does not go out because the woman is working. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “her lamp does not go out in the night because she is working”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole