“Happy is the man who finds wisdom”: “Happy” renders the same Hebrew word used in Psa 1.1 and 94.12. It is a term used often in the Old Testament to describe a fortunate person, someone deserving congratulations. In translation a term that suggests luck or chance should be avoided. Note Contemporary English Version “God blesses. . ..” “Man” translates the Hebrew ʾadam, but this is to be understood as a collective referring to people in general. “Finds” is not the result of a chance event but rather the result of seeking or searching. In some languages this may need to be expressed as “who looks for and finds.” “Wisdom” is not an object that may be lost and found but a reward that comes from disciplined effort on the part of the learner. Note Good News Translation “who becomes wise.” We may also say, for example, “who discovers wisdom” or “who learns what wisdom teaches.”

“Gets understanding”: “Wisdom” and “understanding” are used as a matching pair here, as in 2.2.

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 .