Translation commentary on Proverbs 23:13

“Do not withhold discipline from a child”: “Do not withhold” is a negative command; in Hebrew the positive command expressing the same advice is in the next verse. To “withhold” something means to refuse to give it, for whatever reason. This may be expressed in various ways; in English, for example, we could say, “Do not hesitate to. . .” (Scott, Good News Translation) or “Don’t fail to. . .” (Contemporary English Version). A common rendering in other languages is “Don’t be afraid to.” “Discipline” is the same Hebrew word that is rendered “instruction” in the previous verse. As the next line makes clear, the sense here is “physical correction” or “. . . punishment”; see 22.15 where Hebrew uses the same term in the expression “the rod of discipline.” The Hebrew word for “child” may be used for a child of any age, even for a baby, but it is more frequently used to refer to “youth,” that is, an older child or young person. Translators are advised to use terms in this line that are not limited to small children.

“If you beat him with a rod, he will not die”: “Beat him with a rod” means to give the child or young person a beating as a punishment or correction for misbehavior. This may be expressed in the way that people naturally use to describe punishing their children. A number of English versions keep the word “rod,” which is not normally used in this context: for instance, “punish him with the rod” (New International Version). More natural renderings in English are “take the stick to him” (Revised English Bible) and “a good spanking” (Good News Translation); note, however, that the word “spanking” is more appropriate for young children than for older children. “He will not die” is generally understood to mean that the child will not die as a result of the beating. Contemporary English Version and Good News Translation both express this sense as “. . . won’t kill them.” One Pacific translation says for this line, “If you whip his backside, he won’t die from it.” But some take “he will not die” to mean that by giving the child physical correction the parent will save him from death (that may come to him if he doesn’t learn how to behave). So Revised English Bible says “and save him from death.” This is in line with what is expressed in the next verse.

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 23:13)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 23:13:

  • Kupsabiny: “Do not refuse to bring back/correct a child using a stick. There is no problem if you punish/discipline (him).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Don’t refrain from rebuking children.
    They will not die as soon as they are punished.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “[You (sing.)] do- not -neglect disciplining your (sing.) child. Beating (him) can- not -kill him, but-rather can- even -save him from death.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Do not (sing.) be afraid to whip/spank your (sing.) child, because he will not die if you (sing.) do that.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 23:13

Paragraph 23:13–14 Saying 12

This saying reassures parents that physical punishment will have a positive effect in a child’s life. It will spare him from a premature death.

Verses 23:13b and 23:14b both describe the result of punishing a child by giving him a beating. Verse 23:13b explains what will not happen. Verse 23:14b explains what will happen. Together the two verses imply that if parents do not discipline their children, the children will die as a result.

Proverbs with a similar theme include 19:18 and 22:15. See the notes on those two verses. Make sure that you account for the similarities and differences when you translate this saying. In 22:15, the words for “discipline,” “rod,” and “child” are the same as here.

23:13

In this verse, the second line specifies the kind of “discipline” that is referred to in the first line. The underlined part in the second line also states in a positive way the underlined negative command in the first line. Both underlined parts encourage the parent to discipline a child.

13a
Do not withhold discipline from a child;

13b although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.

23:13a

Do not withhold discipline from a child: In Hebrew, this command indicates that a parent should not hold back or refrain from disciplining a child. He should not refuse to punish him when the child has done something that deserves punishment.

discipline: In Hebrew, this is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translated as “instruction” in 23:12a. This word can refer to moral instruction. It can also refer to verbal or physical correction. In this context, it clearly refers to physical punishment that is intended to correct a child’s behavior.

a child: In Hebrew, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as child can refer to any male from infancy up to early adulthood. In this context, the word you choose should not refer only to a small child. It should also refer to an older child or a young person. As with similar verses in Proverbs, the word used here is not intended to exclude female children.

Some other ways to translate this command are:

Don’t fail to punish children. (New Century Version)
-or-
Do not hesitate to discipline a child. (God’s Word)

23:13b

although you strike him with a rod: In Hebrew, this line is more literally “you will strike him with the rod.” It refers to a spanking or whipping administered with a cane, rod, or stick. Another way to translate this clause is:

If you beat him with a rod (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

In some languages, it may be more natural to not specify what is used to strike the child. For example:

If you spank them (New Century Version)

he will not die: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

(1) The child will not die from the whipping. In other words, the whipping will not cause his death. For example:

even if you strike him with the rod, he will not die (NET Bible)
-or-
A good spanking won’t kill them. (Good News Translation)

(2) The whipping will cause the child not to die. It will keep him from an early death. For example:

take the stick to him, and save him from death (Revised English Bible)

Many English versions, such as the New International Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, and New Revised Standard Version are ambiguous. If you can translate in a way that allows either interpretation, you may do so. Both interpretations fit the context and normal patterns of parallelism. Both have good commentary support.

If you need to choose one interpretation, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English versions.

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