“The wise of heart” “is called a man of discernment”: “The wise of heart” refers to someone who is wise in their mind, that is, a mature person capable of good judgment. In some languages such a person is referred to as “a person with a ripe liver” or “a person whose heart is right.” “Wise of heart” and “man of discernment” have about the same meaning, and so some interpreters find this line to be awkward. “Man of discernment” is rendered “man of understanding” in 1.5. See there for comments. It is probably best to take “is called” to be equivalent to “is” and so understand that “The wise of heart” is a person of understanding; or we may say, for example, “A person of mature judgment has understanding.” See Good News Translation.

“And pleasant speech increases persuasiveness”: “Pleasant speech” is literally “sweetness of the lips” and refers to the kind of speech that influences other persons’ behavior. Translators must be careful in the literal use of this image, since in other languages it often means “deceitful talk” or “seductive speech.” “Increases persuasiveness” renders a phrase used in 1.5 to mean “adds to knowledge” (Good News Translation). See also 9.9. In this verse the “pleasant speech”, that is, the artfulness of his talk, its beauty, makes a person’s arguments more convincing. In some languages this line must be adjusted to say, for example, “and if his speech is pleasant to hear, people will agree with what he says,” or “. . . people will say ‘yes’ to what he says.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .