“Like Sheol let us swallow them”: The innocent persons captured in the ambush of the sinners will be killed and put in their graves. “Sheol” is the world of the dead, a land of gloom and darkness, a place of no return. It is commonly referred to as the “Pit” or the grave. “Swallow” is a common figure in the Hebrew for “consume,” “kill,” or “destroy.” Translators should make certain that readers do not take it in a literal sense.

“Alive and whole”: that is, alive and in good health. The sinners will play the role of Sheol and cause the innocent to be dragged down into the grave away from life and health.

The translation of verse 12 may require some adjustments to make certain that the picture is complete. Contemporary English Version does this by saying “They’re well and healthy now, but we’ll finish them off once and for all.” This translation replaces the images of “Sheol” and the “Pit” with the words “finish them off once and for all.” Compare Good News Translation, which has a similar rendering. If the translator wishes to keep the death image, it is possible to say, for example, “While they are still alive and well, we will send them to the land of the dead.”

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 .