soul

The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin that is translated as “soul” in English is translated in Chol with a term that refers to the invisible aspects of human beings (source: Robert Bascom), in Yagaria with oune or “shadow, reflection” (source: Renck, p. 81), and in Elhomwe as “heart” (source: project-specific translation notes in Paratext).

The Mandarin Chinese línghún (靈魂 / 灵魂), literally “spirit-soul,” is often used for “soul” (along with xīn [心] or “heart”). This is a term that was adopted from Buddhist sources into early Catholic writings and later also by Protestant translators. (Source: Zetzsche 1996, p. 32, see also Clara Ho-yan Chan in this article )

In Chichewa, moyo means both “soul” and “life.” (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also heart, soul, mind.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 23:16

“My soul will rejoice”: This is similar in meaning to the previous line; “My soul” matches “my heart” in that line, and “rejoice” has the same sense as “be glad.” “My soul” is literally “my kidneys.” In Hebrew naming these internal organs expresses the depth of an emotion. A number of English versions render this as “my inmost being”; so New International Version has “my inmost being will rejoice.” Others express the depth of emotion in some other way; Contemporary English Version, for example, says, “I will really be glad” and Good News Translation “I will be proud.”

“When your lips speak what is right”: It is not necessary to say “when your lips speak” in English; the meaning is “when you speak.” Taken with the first line, Good News Translation renders this as “when I hear you speaking.” “What is right”, as in 8.6, is the translation of a plural noun meaning “uprightness” (derived from the verb “to be right” or “to be straight”). Good News Translation takes this to be “words of wisdom,” while others think it means being “truthful” (Contemporary English Version) or speaking “honest words” (New Jerusalem Bible).

In English Contemporary English Version reverses the order of the lines in this verse, making its structure the same as that of the previous verse. In some other languages also this will give a more natural sentence structure.

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 23:16)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 23:16:

  • Kupsabiny: “and I will greatly be happy when you speak the truth.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “If your mouth speaks the truth,
    I will rejoice from my inmost heart.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Child, I will-be- very -happy if you (sing.) will-become wise and speaks right.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “I will-be-happy in-the-future if I hear that the way you (sing.) speak is the words of the wise.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 23:16

23:16

My inmost being: In Hebrew, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as inmost being is literally “kidneys.” It is used here as a figure of speech that represents the whole person. It also represents the source of a person’s strongest emotions, whether sorrow or joy. If your language uses a different organ of the body to refer to such emotions, consider using it here.

will rejoice: In Hebrew, this verb refers to the kind of intense joy that a person expresses in his actions. Here it figuratively describes the author’s kidneys as singing, shouting, or jumping for joy. This is the only verse in Proverbs where this Hebrew verb and the word “kidneys” occur.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

My inmost being will exult (English Standard Version)
-or-
Everything in me will celebrate (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I feel like dancing from extreme joy

when your lips speak what is right: In this context, the phrase your lips represents the son himself. The word that most English versions translate as right means “honest,” “straightforward,” or “fair.” It implies here that the son’s words straightforwardly express what he is thinking. It does not mean “right” in the sense of “correct.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:

when from your lips come honest words (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
if you are truthful (Contemporary English Version)

See how you translated the similar expression in the second line of 8:6.

General Comment on 23:15–16

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the lines of this saying so that the son’s good character traits and the father’s response occur together. See 23:15–16 (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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