PROV 31:6 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).

ULT Give intoxicating drink to the perishing one
⇔ and wine to those bitter of soul.

UST Let dying people drink what can intoxicate them,
⇔ and let miserable people drink wine.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Give strong drink to him who is ready to perish,
⇔ and wine to the bitter in soul.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Give strong drink to the one who is perishing,
⇔ and wine to those who are bitterly distressed;

LSV Give strong drink to the perishing,
And wine to the bitter in soul,

FBV Give alcohol to those who are dying, and wine to those who are in terrible distress.

T4T Give strong/alcoholic drinks to those who are dying
⇔ and to those who are ◄greatly distressed/suffering very much►.

LEB • Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those in bitter distress .[fn]

31:? Literally “to bitterness of soul”

BBE Give strong drink to him who is near to destruction, and wine to him whose soul is bitter:

Moff Give liquor to a perishing soul,
⇔ give him wine in his bitter plight,

JPS Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul;

ASV Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
⇔ And wine unto the bitter in soul:

DRA Give strong drink to them that are sad: and wine to them that are grieved in mind:

YLT Give strong drink to the perishing, And wine to the bitter in soul,

Drby Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter of soul:

RV Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto the bitter in soul:

SLT Ye shall give strong drink to him perishing, and wine to the bitter of soul.

Wbstr Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to those that are of heavy hearts.

KJB-1769 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.[fn]

31.6 of…: Heb. bitter of soul

KJB-1611 [fn]Giue strong drinke vnto him that is ready to perish, and wine vnto those that be of heauie hearts.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

31:6 Hebr. bitter of soule.

Bshps Geue strong drynke vnto such as are redy to perishe, and wine vnto those that mourne:
(Give strong drink unto such as are ready to perish, and wine unto those that mourn:)

Gnva Giue ye strong drinke vnto him that is readie to perish, and wine vnto them that haue griefe of heart.
(Give ye/you_all strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto them that have grief of heart. )

Cvdl Geue stronge drynke vnto soch as are condempned to death, & wyne vnto those yt mourne:
(Give strong drink unto such as are condemned to death, and wine unto those it mourn:)

Wycl Yyue ye sidur to hem that morenen, and wyn to hem that ben of bitter soule.
(Give ye/you_all sidur to hem that morenen, and wine to hem that been of bitter soul.)

Luth Gebet stark Getränke denen, die umkommen sollen, und den Wein den betrübten Seelen,
(prayer stark drinks(n) those, the perish/die should, and the wine the saddened souls,)

ClVg Date siceram mœrentibus, et vinum his qui amaro sunt animo.[fn]
(Give siceram mœrentibus, and wine his who/which amaro are in_mind. )

31.6 Date siceram mœrentibus. Vinum et sicera, etc., usque ad ne abundantiori tristitia absorbeantur qui hujusmodi sunt.

31.6 Give siceram mœrentibus. Vinum and sicera, etc., until to not abundantiori sadness absorbeantur who/which of_this_kind are.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 31:1–9: Here are the sayings of King Lemuel

The verses in this section were written or collected by King Lemuel. They contain advice that his mother gave him regarding the way that a good king should rule his people. Her advice focuses on a king’s relationships with women (v. 3), the use of intoxicating drink (vv. 4–7) and justice for the poor (vv. 8–9). English versions divide the paragraphs in this section in several ways. The paragraphs in the Notes will be divided according to these three topics. The title (v. 1) and introduction (v. 2) will each form a separate paragraph.

Some other headings for this section are:

What King Lemuel’s Mother Taught Him (CEV)

Advice to a King (GNT)

Wise Words of King Lemuel (NCV)

Paragraph 31:4–7

In this paragraph, Lemuel’s mother advises him about the harm that results when a king or ruler craves alcoholic beverages (31:4–5). She also advises him about the appropriate use of such beverages (31:6–7).

31:6

This verse contrasts with the warning that kings should avoid drinking. Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^6aGive strong drink to one who is perishing,

^6band wine to the bitter in soul.

There is an ellipsis in 31:6b. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing verb from 31:6a. For example:

^6band give wine to the bitter in soul.

Notice that the underlined parts occur in the opposite order from the parts in 31:4a and 31:4b.

31:6a–b

(combined/reordered)

The ones you^(plur) should give intoxicating drinks to are people who are dying or very sad/discouraged.

Give: In Hebrew, the command Give is plural. In this context, there are two main ways to interpret this plural verb:

The verb Give is meant literally. It advises kings to provide beer and wine to suffering people in their kingdoms. For example:
Give^(plur) intoxicating drinks to people who are perishing
Kings should give beer to people who are dying (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB)The versions listed here do not indicate that the command “Give” is plural, neither do they explicitly indicate that the command is to be understood literally. However, a literal understanding is compatible with normal English usage.
The verb Give is not meant literally as advice to kings. It introduces a statement that beer and wine are appropriate drinks for suffering people. For example:
Alcohol is for people who are dying (GNT)
Let beer be for those who are perishing (NIV11) (CEV, NIV11, NLT, GNT)

The Display will follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars.Scholars who support interpretation (1), that kings should give liquor to people in distress, include Fox, McKane, Murphy, Delitzsch, Whybray, and Cohen. Waltke, UBS and Garrett do not support the idea of a literal program to supply liquor. Waltke’s own translation (page 505) has “Let intoxicants be given…,” but he understands this as a sarcastic statement (page 508). UBS (page 649) says that in this context, the imperative “Give” should be understood as a general statement about the appropriate use of alcohol. UBS suggests: “alcohol is [useful] for those who are…” However, it is also acceptable to follow interpretation (2) in your translation, especially if that is the interpretation followed in a language of wider communication.

strong drink…wine: In these two lines, the king is advised to supply intoxicating drink to people who are suffering. See the notes on 31:4a–b for the words strong drink and wine.

one who is perishing…the bitter in soul: The first phrase refers to people who are dying. The second phrase refers to people who are suffering physical pain or emotional distress. Some other ways to translate these phrases are:

someone about to die…him whose heart is heavy (NJB)

one who is dying…those struggling with life’s harsh realities (VOICE)

the dying…those who have lost all hope (CEV)

people who are dying…those who are sad (NCV)

General Comment on 31:6a–b

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

Kings should give beer and wine to the dying or to those who have lost all hope.Adapted from the CEV.

31:6a

Give strong drink to one who is perishing,

In contrast, kings should give beer to people who are dying.
Rather, you kings ought to give intoxicating drinks to people who expect to die soon.

31:6b

and wine to the bitter in soul.

They should give wine to people who suffer severe pain and sadness.
Provide^(plur) wine to people who have no hope.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

לְ⁠אוֹבֵ֑ד

to,[one_who_is]_perishing

Here, the perishing one refers to dying people in general, not a specific person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a more natural expression. Alternate translation: “to any perishing person”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

וְ֝⁠יַיִן

and,wine

Lemuel’s mother is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the previous clause if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and give wine”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

לְ⁠מָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ

to_[people],bitter_of soul

Here, Lemuel’s mother refers to people who feel miserable as if their souls are bitter. Here, soul refers to a person’s inner being or mind, as in [23:7](../23/07.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to those who are miserable”