31:7
This verse describes the parallel benefits of intoxicating drink for the individuals that are described in 31:6.
7a Let him drink and forget his poverty,
7b and remember his misery no more.
31:7a
Let him drink: The singular pronoun him refers to any of the group of people mentioned in 31:6. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
When they drink, they will forget… (New American Bible)
-or-
Such a person drinks and forgets… (God’s Word)
forget his poverty: There are two ways to interpret the word poverty :
(1) It refers to “poverty,” a lack of material resources. For example:
forget their poverty (English Standard Version)
(2) It refers to misery or misfortune. For example:
forget his misfortune (New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions. No commentaries or lexicons support misery/misfortune.
Some other ways to translate this line are:
and forget their need (New Century Version)
-or-
and forget that they are very poor
31:7b
and remember his misery no more: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as misery usually refers to the unpleasant aspects of hard labor. It implies trouble, sorrow, and misery. Some other ways to translate this line are:
and think no more of their burdens (New American Bible)
-or-
and remember their troubles no more (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
then ⌊perhaps⌋ he won’t remember his sorrows anymore (The Voice)
General Comment on 31:7a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts in these lines. For example:
forget their poverty and unhappiness (Good News Translation)
-or-
forget how poor and miserable they feel (Contemporary English Version)
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