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The Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as a form of “save” in English is translated in Shipibo-Conibo with a phrase that means literally “make to live,” which combines the meaning of “to rescue” and “to deliver from danger,” but also the concept of “to heal” or “restore to health.”

Other translations include:

  • San Blas Kuna: “help the heart”
  • Laka: “take by the hand” in the meaning of “rescue” or “deliver”
  • Huautla Mazatec: “lift out on behalf of”
  • Anuak: “have life because of”
  • Central Mazahua: “be healed in the heart”
  • Baoulé: “save one’s head”
  • Guerrero Amuzgo: “come out well”
  • Northwestern Dinka: “be helped as to his breath” (or “life”) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida),
  • Matumbi: “rescue (from danger)” (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific notes in Paratext)
  • Noongar: barrang-ngandabat or “hold life” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • South Bolivian Quechua: “make to escape”
  • Highland Puebla Nahuatl: “cause people to come out with the aid of the hand” (source for this and one above: Nida 1947, p. 222)
  • Bariai: “retrieve one back” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

See also salvation and save (Japanese honorifics).

Translation commentary on Proverbs 2:12

“Delivering you from the way of evil”: “Delivering” means saving, rescuing, or setting free. As the verb form of “delivering” does not show who does this action, it may refer to “wisdom” in verse 10 or “discretion” and “understanding” in verse 11. Contemporary English Version takes it to be wisdom: “Wisdom will protect you from evil schemes.” Others like Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, and Good News Translation take the subject of “delivering” to be the two nouns of verse 11. Another way of expressing the idea of being delivered is “Then you will not follow people who do evil or. . ..”

“From men of perverted speech”: “Men” is literally “man,” but the word is used here in a collective sense. The reference is not limited to males, as Good News Translation “people” indicates. “Perverted” translates a word whose basic meaning is “turned around.” It refers to that which is turned away from the right path or whatever is opposed to the right way of living and thus is wicked or bad. Bad people are characterized by their bad conduct and by their “speech”. Here “speech” reflects the thought and life of these persons. New Revised Standard Version says “those who speak perversely,” New Jerusalem Bible “whose speech is deceitful,” Bible en français courant “from men with deceptive words,” and Contemporary English Version “from those liars.” In some languages persons who speak deceptively are described in figurative terms; for example, “people who speak with two tongues,” “people with two faces,” or “those who talk with two hearts.”

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 2:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 2:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “Wisdom will guard/protect you from matters of evil and will save/rescue you from the evil men who love lies.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “These [understanding and insight]
    will keep you far away from evil doers.
    and [deliver us from] those
    who abandon the good path
    to go down the dark path,
    and [deliver us from] those
    who keep on rejoicing
    in false and evil work,
    and deliver [us] from untrustworthy liars.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “and can-keep- you (sing.) -away from the bad/evil ways and from the people who speak wrong.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They rescue you (sing.) from doing evil. You will also be rescued from the person who speaks-evil-of his companion.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“assess")

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, hyōkas-are-ru (評価される) or “assess is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 2:12

Paragraph 2:12–15

This paragraph describes the first of the evil influences from which wisdom will protect a person. Some English versions, such as the New International Version, start a new paragraph here. Others, such as the Berean Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, and New Jerusalem Bible, continue the same paragraph. You may use whatever paragraph structure is more natural in your language. See the note on 2:12a for ways to connect 2:12a to 2:11b.

2:12

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

12a to deliver you from the way of evil,

12b from the man who speaks perversity

There is an ellipsis in 2:12b. In some languages, the missing words will need to be supplied from 2:12a. For example:

12b
⌊to deliver you⌋ from men whose words are perverse

The second half of 2:12b gives a specific example of the “way of evil” mentioned in 2:12a. The “man who speaks perversity” is one example of someone who lives an evil life.

2:12a

to deliver you from the way of evil: In Hebrew, this verse begins with a word that is more literally “to save you.” Some ways to connect this verse to 2:11b are:

• Keep the same paragraph. Continue the sentence from 2:11b, like the Berean Standard Bible does. For another example, the New Jerusalem Bible has:

to keep you from the way that is evil (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Either keep the same paragraph or start a new paragraph. Start a new sentence. You may supply a subject such as “it/they,” referring to discretion/understanding in 2:11, or you may supply a general subject, such as “wisdom” from 2:10a. For example:

It will save you from the way of evil (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Wisdom will save you from the way of evil (God’s Word)

In this verse, wisdom is personified. The author describes wisdom as if it is a person who does something. In some languages, it may not be clear or natural to use personification. Other ways to translate this line without using this figure of speech are:

Because of your wisdom, you will be saved from the way of evil
-or-
If you are wise, you will avoid the way of evil

2:12b

from the man who speaks perversity: This line gives a specific example of the kind of evil way that discretion saves a person from. Notice that some of the grammatical information from 2:12a has been left implied. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this information explicit. For example:

⌊Yes, discretion will keep you⌋ from following the behavior of men whose words are perverse.

In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “from a man speaking perversities.” It may refer to anyone who teaches or instructs with the intent of misleading someone. It may also refer more generally to anyone who uses words for evil purposes. These words often misrepresent or twist what is good and true in order to deceive others. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

from those whose words are twisted (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
from those who deceive/mislead others by what they say/teach

Also see the note on “twistedness” in 2:14b.

General Comment on 2:12a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these two lines to make clear that the parallel phrases “the way of evil” and “the man who speaks perversity” are not referring to two unrelated things. See 2:12a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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