The Hebrew in Proverbs 1:8 that is translated in English as “son” is translated in Lamba as “(non-gendered) child,” wemwana wanji. This is the idiomatic way of referring to children and while it’s possible to specify “male child,” it was felt to be unidiomatic and therefore to be avoided. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
my son / child
The Hebrew that is translated in English as “my son” or “my child” was translated in Poqomchi’ as “you my son (as it were)” because “in many languages (including the Mayan ones), can only be said to one’s offspring.”
Translation commentary on Proverbs 1:8
“Hear, my son, your father’s instruction”: “Hear” means not just passive listening but rather obeying what is taught. The sense of heeding or “pay[ing] attention” (Good News Translation) is expressed in Amos 4.1, where the prophet warns the women of Samaria of the consequences of their oppression of the poor. See also Isa 28.23 and Jer 7.13. Scott’s rendering is a good translation model: “follow your father’s instructions.” Other renderings are Contemporary English Version “Obey the teachings,” New Jewish Publication Society Version “heed the discipline,” New English Bible/Revised English Bible “attend . . . instruction.”
In many languages there is a generic word for “child” and a phrase “male child” equivalent to “son”, which would be used in situations where the gender of the child is in focus. Under normal circumstances, however, a man would address his son as “my child” rather than as “my male child.” If that is your situation, you will probably wish to use the generic term here, particularly since the context makes it obvious that a male youth is addressed.
On the other hand, your language may lack a generic word for child, and only have words for “son” and “daughter,” as in Hebrew. In that case “son” should obviously be used. If you feel that “son” is overly restrictive for your audience (see Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, and New Jerusalem Bible for examples of translations made for “inclusivist” audiences) and that the message of this part of Proverbs (chapters 1–9) should be addressed to young people of both sexes, you could include a footnote indicating that although this part addresses young males, its application is for everyone.
Note that it is only this part of Proverbs that is especially directed to young men. In other parts where a mixed audience is addressed, “my son” can be translated “my child/children.”
“Father’s instruction”: According to Deut 6.2, 7 and Pro 4.3-4, the father of a family was primarily responsible for the moral teachings given to his son. “Father’s instruction” is matched in line 2 by “mother’s teaching”. “Instruction” translates the same word used in verse 2.
“Reject not your mother’s teaching”: “Reject not” is a negative way of saying “listen and obey,” or “Hear” in line 1. Translations like Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version do away with the parallelism of the poetic lines by not repeating the command in the negative. Good News Translation joins “father and mother”; Contemporary English Version has “teachings of your parents.” Other translations reduce the two lines to one in other ways; for example, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “My son, obey your parents and follow their advice.” Translators may choose to retain the parallelism here, reduce the two lines to one, or recast the whole saying; the best guide is the grammatical patterns of traditional sayings in their own languages.
“Teaching” translates the Hebrew torah, which often refers to the law of Moses, but in this context the term has the general sense of training or instruction.
If you are keeping the poetic parallelism, this could be rendered, for example, “My child, obey what your father instructs you, and do not refuse to do what your mother teaches you.” If the parallel lines are not to be kept, we may follow the models of Good News Translation, or Contemporary English Version, or say, for example, “My child, obey and follow what your father and mother teach you.”
Some translations assume that the person speaking is actually the father of the young person, and so first person pronouns are used; for example, “My son, listen well to everything that I and your mother we-two are teaching you.”
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 .
complete verse (Proverbs 1:8)
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 1:8:
- Kupsabiny: “My child, listen to what your father tells you, and do not neglect/take lightly what your mother is teaching you.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
- Newari: “O my son!
Listen to what [your] parents say!” (Source: Newari Back Translation) - Hiligaynon: “Child, listen to the straightening of your (sing.) parents of your (sing.) behavior,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “You (sing.) my child, obey the advice of your (sing.) father and mother,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 1:8
Section 1:8–19
First lesson: Avoid evil companions
This first lesson may be summarized as follows:
(a) Introduction: Pay attention to your parents’ advice, because it will improve your character (1:8–9).
(b) Lesson: If robbers try to persuade you to do evil (1:10–14), refuse to join them (1:15), because they will destroy their own lives (1:16–18).
(c) Conclusion: People who are greedy and try to obtain wealth illegally will die (1:19).
Some other headings for this section are:
Warnings against Bad Friends (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Advice to a young man to not be tempted by evil people
Paragraph 1:8–9
The words “my son” or “my sons” introduce each of the ten lessons in Proverbs 1–9. These words sometimes also occur for various reasons at the beginning of a paragraph within a lesson. These reasons will be pointed out in each context (1:10a, 1:15a, 3:11a, 5:7a, 7:24a–b.)
1:8
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
8a
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
8b and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
1:8a–b
Listen…to…do not forsake: In this context, the command that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Listen…to includes the idea of “obey” or “pay attention to.” It is parallel to the negative command that the Berean Standard Bible translates as do not forsake. This negative command means “to not reject/neglect” or “to keep on obeying.”
your father’s instruction…the teaching of your mother: The words instruction and teaching both refer to moral advice (compare 6:20). This advice relates to how a person ought to conduct his life. This proverb does not imply a distinction between the father’s instruction and the teaching of your mother. For “instruction,” see discipline in the Glossary.
The words father’s and of your mother also function as one unit. The speaker/father wanted his son to obey his teaching as well as the teaching of his mother.
1:8a
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction: The speaker himself is the father who is referred to here. In some languages, it is not natural for a speaker to refer to himself in third person as “your father.” In such languages, it may be necessary to use a first person pronoun to make explicit that the father is the one who is speaking. For example:
My son, listen to my instruction.
-or-
Listen, my son, to what I your father instruct/advise you.
my son: In this verse, the author writes as if he were a father speaking to a son. See the preceding note and the footnote in Division 1:1–9:18. For the age of the son, see the note on 1:4b.
son: In some languages, the only way to specify a son as opposed to a daughter is to say “male child.” However, it may be awkward or unnatural to address a son in this way. If that is true in your language, it is recommended that you use a general term for “child.” The context will clarify that a young man is being referred to. For example:
My child (Good News Translation)
General Comment on 1:8a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts so that they form one line. For example:
My child, pay attention to what your father and mother tell you. (Good News Translation)
-or-
My child, obey the teachings of your parents. (Contemporary English Version)
In some languages, it may be more natural for the speaker to refer to himself and the mother using the pronouns “I” and “our.” For example:
My son, pay attention to what your mother and I tell you.
-or-
My child, your mother and I are your parents. Obey our(excl.) teachings.
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