understanding ("head wisdom")

In the Tzeltal translation for the dialectal variant of Highland Tzeltal (Biblia Tzeltal yu’un Oxchuc soc Tenejapa, 2001) the translation team used three different words to translate the Hebrew term that is translated as “wisdom” in English. One of them is p’ijil jol or “word wisdom” which is also used for “understanding,” good sense,” “intelligent,” or “insight.”

For the complete story and more background, please see wisdom (Proverbs).

hope

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“Hope is sometimes one of the most difficult terms to translate in the entire Bible. It is not because people do not hope for things, but so often they speak of hoping as simply ‘waiting.’ In fact, even in Spanish, the word esperar means both ‘to wait’ and ‘to hope.’ However, in many instances the purely neutral term meaning ‘to wait’ may be modified in such a way that people will understand something more of its significance. For example, in Tepeuxila Cuicatec hope is called ‘wait-desire.’ Hope is thus a blend of two activities: waiting and desiring. This is substantially the type of expectancy of which hope consists.

In Yucateco the dependence of hope is described by the phrase ‘on what it hangs.’ ‘Our hope in God’ means that ‘we hang onto God.’ The object of hope is the support of one’s expectant waiting. In Ngäbere the phrase “resting the mind” is used. This “implies waiting and confidence, and what is a better definition of hope than ‘confident waiting’.” (Source for this and above: Nida 1952, p. 20, 133)

Other languages translate as follows:

  • Mairasi: “vision resting place” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Enlhet: “waitings of (our) innermost” (“innermost” or valhoc is a term that is frequently used in Enlhet to describe a large variety of emotions or states of mind — for other examples see here) (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. )
  • Kwang: “one’s future is restored to one’s soul like a fresh, cool breeze on a hot day.” (Source: Mark Vanderkooi right here )
  • Noongar: koort-kwidiny or “heart waiting” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Anjam: “looking through the horizon” (source: Albert Hoffmann in his memoirs from 1948, quoted in Holzhausen / Riderer 2010, p. 7)
  • Ron: kintiɓwi or “put lip” (source: Andy Warren-Rothlin)
  • Highland Totonac “wait with expectation” (to offset it from the every-day meaning of hope or wait — source: Hermann Aschmann in The Bible Translator 1950, p. 171ff. ).
  • Alekano: “wait not hearing two ears” (meaning to “wait without being double-minded” — source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Marathi aasha (आशा) with a stronger emphasis on desire
  • Tamil: nampikkai (நம்பிக்கை) with a stronger emphasis on expectation (source for this and above: J.S.M. Hooper in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 2ff. )

In Mwera “hope” and “faith” are translated with the same word: ngulupai. (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)

C.M. Doke looks at a number of Bantu languages and their respective translations of “hope” with slightly varying connotations (in The Bible Translator 1954, p. 9ff. ):

  • Xhosa and Zulu: themba “hope, expect,” also “have faith in, rely upon”
  • Tswana: tsholofelo “hope, expect, look for confidently”
  • Southern Sotho: tshepo “trust, rely on, believe in, have confidence in”
  • Kuanyama: eteelelo “waiting for”
  • Swahili: tumaini “confidence, trust, expectation, hope” (as a verb: “hope, trust, expect, be confident, be truthful, rely on”
  • Luganda: okusuubira “hope, trust, expect” also “look forward to, rely upon, anticipate, reckon”
  • Chichewa: chiyembekezo “wait for, wait, expect”
  • Koongo: vuvu “hope, expectancy, expectation, anticipation”
Syntyche D. Dahou (in Christianity Today, January 2021 or see here the same article in French ) reports on the two different terms that are being used in French (click or tap here to see the details):

“Unlike English, which uses the word hope broadly, the French language uses two words that derive from the word espérer (to hope): espoir and espérance. Both can first refer to something hoped for. In this sense, the word espoir usually refers to an uncertain object; that is, someone who hopes for something in this way does not have the certainty that it will happen (“I hope the weather will be nice tomorrow”). On the other hand, espérance describes what, rightly or wrongly, is hoped for or expected with certainty. It often refers to a philosophical or eschatological object (‘I hope in the goodness of human beings’; ‘I hope for the return of Jesus Christ’).

“When we speak of espoir or espérance, we then have in mind different types of objects hoped for. This difference matters, because both terms also commonly refer to the state of mind that characterizes the hopeful. And this state of mind will be different precisely according to the object hoped for.

“Having espoir for an uncertain yet better future in these difficult times may be a good thing, but it is not enough. Such hope can be disappointed and easily fade away when our wishes and expectations (our hopes) do not materialize.

“The opposite is true with espérance, which is deeper than our desire and wish for an end to a crisis or a future without pain and suffering. To face the trials of life, we need peace and joy in our hearts that come from expecting certain happiness. This is what espérance is: a profound and stable disposition resulting from faith in the coming of what we expect. In this sense, it is similar in meaning to the English word hopefulness.

“If we have believed in the Son of the living God, we have such a hope. It rests on the infallible promises of our God, who knows the plans he has for us, his children — plans of peace and not misfortune, to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). By using the two meanings of the word, we can say that the espérance that the fulfillment of his promises represents (the object hoped for) fills us with espérance (the state of mind).”

Translation commentary on Proverbs 19:18

“Discipline your son while there is hope”: “Discipline” renders the verb form of the noun used in 3.11. This saying probably refers to corporal punishment, as in 13.24. “Your son” is made inclusive in some modern translations with “your children.” Revised Standard Version “while there is hope” may also be understood as “because there is hope.” In this case the sense of the line is “. . . for in that [discipline] there is hope” (New International Version). Note that Good News Translation has translated the underlying sense of this phrase: “while they are young enough to learn.” Bible en français courant says “as long as you have hope of helping them.” We may translate this line, for example, “Correct your children while you still have hope in them.”

“Do not set your heart on his destruction”: This line is difficult to interpret. It says literally “and do not lift your soul on his death.” “Lift your soul” probably has the sense of “be determined,” “set your mind on,” or “be desirous.” “His destruction” is literally “his death” and is taken by some to mean the father should not kill his son through discipline. Revised English Bible translates “only be careful not to flog him to death.” New Jerusalem Bible has “but do not get so angry as to kill him.”

Another interpretation understands “his destruction” as what the children or son bring upon themselves if they are not disciplined. Scott translates “and do not indulge him to his own destruction,” and Moffatt “and do not let him run to ruin.” Note that Good News Translation places this second interpretation in its text and the first one in its footnote. Translators who use notes may do likewise.

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 19:18)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 19:18:

  • Kupsabiny: “Bring back/correct the thoughts of your child when (he) is still tender,
    and do not leave (him) to get lost.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Correct your children while there is still time,
    Otherwise you will destroy your children.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Discipline your (sing.) children while there is still time. If you (sing.) do- not -discipline them you (sing.) are-destroying their lives.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Whip/Spank your (sing.) children when they are small, because there is still hope. If you (sing.) do not whip/spank them, it is as if you (sing.) have directed them to their death.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Discipline your children while they are young, while you still hope that they will learn to behave as they should;
    if you do not discipline them, you are helping them to destroy themselves.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 19:18

19:18

This proverb advises fathers to discipline their children. Notice the relationship between the parallel lines:

18a Discipline your son, for in that there is hope;

18b do not be party to his death.

The first line gives a motivation for obeying this advice. The second line gives a bad result of not obeying the advice. The parallelism implies that a person who fails to discipline his son is willing for his son to die.

In Hebrew, the commands are masculine singular. They are addressed to a father. The father was responsible for discipline in the home.

As in similar proverbs, there is no intention to exclude the mother. It is also assumed that parents should discipline daughters as well as sons. In some languages, it may be more natural to use a term that includes both. For example:

18a Discipline your children… (New International Version (2011))

18b do not be a willing party to their death. (New International Version (2011))

19:18a

Discipline your son: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Discipline refers here to physical punishment. This punishment is intended to correct the child’s wrong behavior.

for in that there is hope: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “for there is hope.” There are two ways to interpret the connection of this clause with the command to discipline the child:

(1) This clause gives the motivation or reason for the father to discipline his son. He should discipline his son, because then there is hope that the son will stop doing things that are wrong. For example:

Discipline your child, for there is hope (NET Bible)

(2) This clause gives the time during which the father should discipline his son. He should discipline his son while there is still hope that the child will stop doing things that are wrong. For example:

Discipline your children while there is hope (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Interpretation (2) does not fit the normal use of the Hebrew words that introduce the clause.

19:18b

do not be party to his death: This clause is more literally “do not lift up your soul/desire to kill him.” It indicates that the father should not “desire” or “be determined” to kill his son. There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) If a father decides not to discipline his son, it is as if he desires to cause his son’s death. It is implied that a child who is not disciplined develops habits of doing wrong. These will eventually lead to his death. For example:

If you don’t, you are helping them destroy themselves. (Good News Translation)

(2) When a father disciplines his son, he should not get so angry that he tries to beat him to death. For example:

but do not get so angry as to kill him (New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most versions and scholars. In the context of Proverbs, discipline is based on love rather than anger (3:12, 13:24). The purpose of physical punishment is to make children turn from foolishness (22:15) and save them from death (23:14).

This proverb uses strong language to emphasize the disastrous consequences of not disciplining a child. In some languages, including English, a literal translation of this clause may imply the wrong meaning. It may imply that a father who does not discipline his child truly wants to cause his death. Some ways to avoid this implication are:

• Change the command to a simile. For example:

If you don’t discipline him, it’s as if you want to cause his death.

• Leave the command to “not desire” the son’s death implied. For example:

Do not be the one responsible for his death. (God’s Word)
-or-
if you don’t punish them, you are destroying them (Contemporary English Version)

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