PROV 3:3 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 let loyal commitment and faithfulness leave you:
⇔ tie them around your neck,
⇔ ≈ and inscribe them into your mind.

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 Ἐλεημοσύναι καὶ πίστεις μὴ ἐκλειπέτωσάν σε· ἄφαψαι δὲ αὐτὰς ἐπὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ, καὶ εὑρήσεις χάριν·
(Eleaʸmosunai kai pisteis maʸ ekleipetōsan se; afapsai de autas epi sōi traⱪaʸlōi, kai heuraʸseis ⱪarin; )

ULT Do not let covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness leave you;
⇔ tie them on your neck,
⇔ write them on the tablet of your heart,

UST Always be faithful and trustworthy.
⇔ Let everyone see how faithful and trustworthy you are, as if they were a necklace you are wearing.
⇔ Remember to be faithful and trustworthy at all times.

3:3 Forms of the Hebrew chesed are translated here and in most cases throughout the Scriptures as loving devotion; the range of meaning includes love, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and mercy, as well as loyalty to a covenant.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you.
⇔ Bind them around your neck.
⇔ Write them on the tablet of your heart.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Do not let truth and mercy leave you;
⇔ bind them around your neck,
⇔ write them on the tablet of your heart.

LSV Do not let kindness and truth forsake you,
Bind them on your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart,

FBV Hold on to kindness and truth. Tie them around your neck; write them in your mind.[fn]

3:3 “Write them in your mind”: literally, “write them on the tablet of your heart.”

T4T ⇔ Always faithfully love others and ◄be faithful/do what you say that you will do►;
⇔ doing those things will cause others to be pleased with you;
⇔ it will be as though you are wearing a beautiful necklace.
⇔ Keep those things in your mind/inner being.

LEB • May loyal love[fn] and truth not forsake you; bind them around your neck,
• write them upon your heart.

3:? Or “kindness, mercy”

BBE Let not mercy and good faith go from you; let them be hanging round your neck, recorded on your heart;

Moff Never let kindness and loyalty go,
⇔ tie them fast round your neck;

JPS Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;

ASV Let not kindness and truth forsake thee:
⇔ Bind them about thy neck;
⇔ Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

DRA Let not mercy and truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart:

YLT Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

Drby Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

RV Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
(Let not mercy and truth forsake thee/you: bind them about thy/your neck; write them upon the table of thine/your heart: )

SLT Mercy and truth shall not forsake thee: bind them upon thy throat; write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

Wbstr Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thy heart:

KJB-1769 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
(Let not mercy and truth forsake thee/you: bind them about thy/your neck; write them upon the table of thine/your heart: )

KJB-1611 Let not mercy and trueth forsake thee: bind them about thy necke, write them vpon the table of thine heart.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Let mercie and faithfulnesse neuer go from thee: binde them about thy necke, and write them in the tables of thyne heart:
(Let mercy and faithfulness never go from thee/you: bind them about thy/your neck, and write them in the tables of thine/your heart:)

Gnva Let not mercie and trueth forsake thee: binde them on thy necke, and write them vpon the table of thine heart.
(Let not mercy and truth forsake thee/you: bind them on thy/your neck, and write them upon the table of thine/your heart. )

Cvdl Let mercy & faithfulnes neuer go from ye: bynde the about yi necke, & wryte them in the tables of thine herte.
(Let mercy and faithfulness never go from ye/you_all: bind the about ye/you_all neck, and write them in the tables of thine/your heart.)

Wycl Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
(Merci and truth forsake thee/you not; bind thou/you those to thy/your throat, and write in the tables of thin heart.)

Luth Gnade und Treue werden dich nicht lassen. Hänge sie an deinen Hals und schreibe sie in die Tafel deines Herzens,
(grace and loyalty/faithfulness become you/yourself not let. Hänge they/she/them at/to your(s) neck/throat and write they/she/them in the board/table your(s) heart,)

ClVg Misericordia et veritas te non deserant; circumda eas gutturi tuo, et describe in tabulis cordis tui:[fn]
(Mercy and the_truth you(sg) not/no deserant; circumda them throati your, and describe in/into/on boards of_the_heart yours(sg): )

3.3 Misericordia et veritas. Ab ore tuo nunquam absit veritas dicenda, nunquam ab opere proximo misericordia impendenda: sic enim fit, ut et te Dei semper prosequatur misericordia, quæ deleat peccata; veritas vero, quæ compleat promissa. Circumda eas gutturi tuo. In gutture organum vocis, etc., usque ad nec voci vita contradicat.

3.3 Mercy and the_truth. From vocally your never/certainly_not absit the_truth sayenda, never/certainly_not away by_work the_next mercy impendenda: so because fit, as and you(sg) of_God always prosequatur mercy, which deleat sins; the_truth indeed/however, which compleat promises. Circumda them throati your. In throat organum voices, etc., until to but_not voice life contradicat.

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 3:1–12: Third lesson: Humbly trust in the LORD

This lesson consists of a series of commands. Each set of parallel commands is followed by a promised result, except for 3:12, which gives a reason for the command.

Another heading for this section is:

Trusting in the Lord (NLT)

3:3

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^3a Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;

^3b bind them around your neck,

^3c write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3b and 3:3c use metaphors to restate and reinforce the meaning of 3:3a.

3:3a–c

These three parallel lines all have a similar meaning. They indicate that the son should make “loving devotion” and “faithfulness” a permanent part of his character, so that he will always demonstrate these qualities in his actions and thoughts.

3:3a

Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;

Never stop^(sing) loving and being loyal to others.
Always love and be kind to others, and be trustworthy/loyal in your dealings with others.
Continually show love and kindness to others and be trustworthy.

Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you: In Hebrew, this command is more literally “Love and faithfulness, may they not leave you.” This command is an indirect way to say that the son should not stop loving and being faithful. Another way to translate this command is:

Do not stop showing true love and loyalty.

In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this as a positive command. For example:

Always be loving and trustworthy.

loving devotion or faithfulness: The word pair loving devotion and faithfulness occurs in three other verses in Proverbs (14:22b, 16:6a, 20:28a). Most scholars agree that in all these verses loving devotion and faithfulness are qualities that people show, rather than qualities that God shows.Fox (page 144) is the only commentator consulted who advocates the meaning “God’s love and faithfulness.” Toy (page 57) says that these qualities can apply here to either man to man or man to God. UBS (page 71) is similar. Most do not comment in this verse on whether this is love and faithfulness to God or to other people.

English versions do not specify whether people show these qualities to God or to other people. It is recommended that you maintain the same ambiguity if that is possible in your language.

If your language requires that you specify the object of love and faithfulness, then it is recommended that you specify other people. Throughout Proverbs, qualities such as love, kindness, trustworthiness, and justice are directed toward other people, especially toward those who are poor or oppressed. This interpretation also fits better with the result in 3:4, winning favor with both God and man.

loving devotion: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as loving devotion has several aspects of meaning:

steadfastness, loyalty
love
kindness, mercyRoss (page 916) stresses the aspect of covenant loyalty, but Fox (pages 145–146) argues that while ḥesed often operates within the context of a covenantal relationship, its qualities are not inherently covenantal, nor does it essentially mean “loyalty.” He feels that the primary meaning is “kindness,” “gracious benevolence.” TWOT (#698a) agrees. It says God was obviously in a covenant relationship with Israel, and he expressed this relationship in eternal ḥesed, but ḥesed does not necessarily involve a covenant nor does it mean loyalty to a covenant. Rather, it is a kind of love, including mercy, close to the KJV translation “lovingkindness.” Vine (page 142) insists that three basic meanings of the word always interact: kindness, steadfastness, and love. He says that ḥesed is not only a matter of obligation within a relationship; it is also generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy.

A number of English versions translate one aspect of the meaning. For example:

love (CEV)

loyalty (GNT)

kindness (NCV)

The NJB has two aspects:

faithful love (NJB)

In some languages, it may be possible to express all three aspects. For example:

consistent/unchanging love and kindness

Translate this term in a way that fits naturally in the context.

faithfulness: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as faithfulness has two main senses. When it refers to speech, it usually means “truth” or “truthfulness,” but here it refers to the character quality of “trustworthiness” or “reliability.”

3:3b

bind them around your neck,

Make sure that these virtues/things are always seen/present in your^(sing) behavior as if they were tied/fastened like a necklace around your neck.
Never abandon^(sing) these virtues of love, kindness, and trustworthiness.

bind them around your neck: This command is a metaphor. In this metaphor, love and faithfulness are compared to a necklace or to a signet ring that is hung on a chain around the son’s neck.In Old Testament times, some people wore a signet ring on a finger of the right hand or hung it around the neck by a cord or necklace. The signet ring was very important. It contained an image or name that identified the owner. It represented the owner’s authority and was used to seal or sign official documents. For examples, see Genesis 38:18, Esther 3:12, and Daniel 6:17. (http:www.bible-history.com/isbe/R/RING/) A person who wears a ring or necklace has it with him wherever he goes. In the same way, the son is supposed to display these qualities in his character at all times. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

Change it to a simile. For example:
Wear them like a necklace. (NCV)
Change it to a simile and make one or more points of similarity explicit. For example:
Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace (CEV)
Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
Make sure that these qualities/things are always part of your character.

In some cultures, a ring or necklace implies an ornament that can be taken off at any time. If that is true in your culture, it may be better to translate the meaning directly or to use a figure of speech with the correct meaning in your language.

3:3c

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Keep/Store them permanently in your^(sing) mind/heart, like words that are carved in a flat stone.
Keep your^(sing) mind/heart set on doing them.

write them on the tablet of your heart: This is another metaphor. The person addressed should permanently keep these virtues within his heart/mind. He should make them an unchanging part of his character just as the ten commandments were permanently engraved on a stone tablet.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

חֶ֥סֶד וֶ⁠אֱמֶ֗ת אַֽל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥⁠ךָ קָשְׁרֵ֥⁠ם עַל־גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶ֑י⁠ךָ כָּ֝תְבֵ֗⁠ם עַל־ל֥וּחַ לִבֶּֽ⁠ךָ

loyalty and,faithfulness not may,they_leave_you bind,them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in neck(s)_of,your write,them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in tablet_of your_heart_of,of

These three clauses mean basically the same thing. The second and third clauses emphasize the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a word that shows the connection between these three clauses. Alternate translation: “Do not let covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness leave you, yes, bind them on your throats, indeed, write them on the tablet of your heart”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

חֶ֥סֶד וֶ⁠אֱמֶ֗ת אַֽל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥⁠ךָ

loyalty and,faithfulness not may,they_leave_you

Here Solomon speaks of covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness as if they were people who could leave someone. He means that a person should not stop being faithful and trustworthy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do not stop being faithful and trustworthy”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

חֶ֥סֶד וֶ⁠אֱמֶ֗ת אַֽל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥⁠ךָ

loyalty and,faithfulness not may,they_leave_you

Solomon is using a figure of speech here, consisting of the negative particle not and the negative word leave. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this. Alternate translation: “Retain covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

חֶ֥סֶד וֶ⁠אֱמֶ֗ת

loyalty and,faithfulness

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “being faithful and trustworthy”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

קָשְׁרֵ֥⁠ם עַל־גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶ֑י⁠ךָ

bind,them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in neck(s)_of,your

Here Solomon speaks of covenant faithfulness and trustworthiness as if they were objects that a person could tie around his neck like a necklace. He means that these are valuable qualities that people should display outwardly by their behavior. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “show them outwardly by how you behave” or “display them like one would wear a necklace”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

כָּ֝תְבֵ֗⁠ם עַל־ל֥וּחַ לִבֶּֽ⁠ךָ

write,them on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in tablet_of your_heart_of,of

See how you translated the same use of heart in [2:2](../02/02.md).

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor