PROV 6:6 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) ⇔ You lazy person, go and watch an ant.
⇔ → Think about its behaviour, and be wise.

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 Ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα ὦ ὀκνηρὲ, καὶ ζήλωσον ἰδὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ, καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος.
(Ithi pros ton murmaʸka ō oknaʸre, kai zaʸlōson idōn tas hodous autou, kai genou ekeinou sofōteros. )

BrTr Go to the ant, O sluggard; and see, and emulate his ways, and become wiser than he.

UST You lazy person, learn something from watching ants!
⇔ Consider what ants do so that you can be wise.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE ⇔ Go to the ant, you sluggard.
⇔ Consider her ways, and be wise;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Go to the ant, you sluggard;
⇔ observe its ways and be wise!

LSV Go to the ant, O slothful one,
See her ways and be wise;

FBV Go and observe the ants, you slacker! Learn from what they do and become wise.

T4T ⇔ You lazy individual, learn something from watching the ants.
⇔ Become wise from observing what they do.

LEB • Go to the ant, lazy! Consider its ways and be wise.

BBE Go to the ant, you hater of work; give thought to her ways and be wise:

Moff Go to the ant, you sluggard,
⇔ look at her ways, learn sense;

JPS Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise;

ASV ⇔ Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
⇔ Consider her ways, and be wise:

DRA Go to the ant, O sluggard, and consider her ways, and learn wisdom:

YLT Go unto the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;

Drby Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways and be wise:

RV Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
(Go to the ant, thou/you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: )

SLT Go to the ant, thou slothful one; see her ways, and be wise:

Wbstr Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:

KJB-1769 ¶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
(¶ Go to the ant, thou/you sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: )

KJB-1611 ¶ Goe to the Ant, thou sluggard, consider her wayes, and be wise.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Go to the emmet thou sluggarde, consider her wayes, and learne to be wyse:
(Go to the emmet thou/you sluggarde, consider her ways, and learn to be wise:)

Gnva Goe to the pismire, O sluggarde: beholde her waies, and be wise.
(Go to the pismire, Oh sluggarde: behold her ways, and be wise. )

Cvdl Go to the Emmet (thou slogarde) cosidre hir wayes, & lerne to be wyse.
(Go to the Emmet (thou slogarde) consider her ways, and learn to be wise.)

Wycl O! thou slowe man, go to the `amte, ether pissemyre; and biholde thou hise weies, and lerne thou wisdom.
(O! thou/you slow man, go to the amte, either pissemyre; and behold thou/you his ways, and learn thou/you wisdom.)

Luth Gehe hin zur Ameise, du Fauler, siehe ihre Weise an und lerne!
(Go there/therefore to/for Ameise, you(sg) lazy_(ones), see/look their/her way/manner at/to and learn!)

ClVg [Vade ad formicam, o piger, et considera vias ejus, et disce sapientiam.[fn]
([Go to formicam, o lazy/reluctant, and considera ways/roads his, and disce wisdom. )

6.6 Vade ad formicam. Hinc vacantem hortatur, etc., usque ad de horreo priscæ actionis quod recondidit proferre.

6.6 Go to formicam. Hence vacant encourages, etc., until to from/about horreo ancient action that recondidit to_bring_forth.

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:1–19: Here are several practical admonitions and warnings

This section contains practical warnings about four specific and unrelated areas of behavior. The first warning is about the danger of cosigning a loan for another person (6:1–5). The second paragraph speaks highly of the diligence of the ant and warns against laziness (6:6–11). The third paragraph briefly describes the behavior of a worthless scoundrel (6:12–15). The last paragraph is in the form of a numerical proverb and lists seven sins that the LORD hates (6:16–19).

Some other headings for this section are:

More Warnings (GNT)

Dangers of Being Foolish (NCV)

Warnings Against Folly (NIV)

Paragraph 6:6–11

In this paragraph, the author introduces a different topic. He gives advice to lazy people, addressing them directly as “O slacker.” In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate this change of topic in some way. See the translation advice in the note on 6:6a.

6:6

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^6a Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker;

^6b observe its ways and become wise.

6:6a–b

(combined/reordered)

¶ As for you lazy people, you^(plur) will learn much if you watch the actions/behavior of ants.
¶ Here is some other advice. Lazy people should learn from what ants do so that they will become wise.

Walk in the manner of the ant…observe its ways: The Hebrew of the first command is literally “go to the ant.” It implies to go and watch or learn from the ant. The second command means essentially the same thing: to watch, think about, or learn from the behavior of ants. In translating this parallelism, some versions leave Walk implicit and combine and/or reorder the parallel parts (see the quotes from the GNT and CEV in the translation options for 6:6a). Other versions retain the parallelism, with or without the word “go.” For example:

Go watch the ants…Watch what they do (NCV)

Take a lesson from the ants…Learn from their ways (NLT)

Use whatever option is appropriate in your language.

6:6a

Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker;

¶ As for you^(plur) who are lazy, go and observe the life of ants.
¶ I will now advise people who are lazy. They should go to a place where there are ants.

Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker: The BSB puts the phrase O slacker after the command Walk in the manner of the ant. In some languages, it may be more natural to put the command last and to indicate that this verse introduces a change of topic. For example:

As for you who are lazy, go to the ant.

Now I have some advice for people who are lazy. They should go to the ant.

Walk in the manner of the ant: The phrase the ant refers to ants as a group. It does not refer to one specific ant. The kind of ant referred to here is probably the harvester ant.

O slacker: The person who is addressed as O slacker represents a class of people, that is, anyone who is lazy. The hearer (addressed as “my son” in 6:1 and 6:3) was not necessarily lazy, but the author intended him to learn from this advice. Some ways to address the hearer are:

Use second person singular. For example:
Go watch the ants, you lazy person. (NCV)
Use second person plural. For example:
You lazy people can learn by watching an anthill. (CEV)
Use third person singular. For example:
A lazy person should learn from the behavior of ants.
Use third person plural. For example:
Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live. (GNT)

Use whatever option is appropriate in your language for a teacher who is advising a young man about the dangers of laziness.

6:6b

observe its ways and become wise.

Learn from their behavior; then you^(plur) will be wise.
They should watch what the ants do so that they will become wise.

and become wise: This is a command in Hebrew. Since it follows logically from the preceding commands, it may be more natural in some languages to translate it as a purpose or as a result. For example:

so that you will become wise

and then you will become wise

See wisdom in the Glossary.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

לֵֽךְ־אֶל־נְמָלָ֥ה

go to/towards ant

Go here implies going for the purpose of looking at the ant. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “Go and observe the ant”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

נְמָלָ֥ה

ant

The word ant represents ants in general, not one particular ant. If it would be helpful, you could use an expression that would be more natural in your language. Alternate translation: “ants”

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

נְמָלָ֥ה

ant

An ant is a small insect that lives underground in large groups. Ants are known for diligently working together to collect food and maintain their nests. If your readers would not be familiar with this type of insect, you could use the name of something similar in your area or you could use a more general term. Alternate translation: “the hard-working insect”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

רְאֵ֖ה

consider

See here means to observe for the purpose of learning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “See and learn”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

דְרָכֶ֣י⁠הָ

ways_of,its

See how you translated the same use of ways in [3:6](../03/06.md).

Note 6 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

וַ⁠חֲכָֽם

and,become_wise

Here, and indicates that what follows is the purpose for doing what Solomon commands his son to do in this verse. Use a connector in your language that indicates a purpose. Alternate translation: “for the purpose of becoming wise”

Parallel PROV 6:6

Section 6:1–19: Here are several practical admonitions and warnings

Paragraph 6:6–11

6:6

6:6a–b

6:6a

6:6b