Translation commentary on Proverbs 30:7

Scott calls verses 7-9 “A prayer of the pious man.” They contain requests to God to be kept from being untruthful, and to be kept from the temptations of both poverty and riches.

“Two things I ask of thee”: This is a prayer addressed to God, and this will need to be made clear in some languages. In one language, for instance, this line is rendered “God, I want to ask you about two things.” In English, New International Version has “Two things I ask of you, O Lord”; see also Good News Translation.

“Deny them not to me before I die”: The first part of this line reinforces the request of the previous line. It is expressed as “do not withhold them” in Revised English Bible, and “do not refuse me” in New International Version. It may also be expressed in a positive way: “[Please] give them to me” or “I want you to give them to me.” A literal rendering of “before I die” may suggest in some languages that the person is close to death. This is, in fact, the situation where similar words are used in Psa 39.13 (verse 14 in Hebrew), but it is not necessarily the case here. It is more likely that the words here mean “for all of my life”; Revised English Bible, for example, has “in my lifetime.” The expression can be joined to the requests that follow in the next verse; one translation, for example, says “For all the time I am here in this world, (8) please help me not to. . ..”

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 30:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 30:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “My God, as long as I live, deny/protect/prevent me from lying. Do not let me become rich or poor,. but give me what is fitting/needful for me.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “O God, I will beg two things of you before I die.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “LORD, I have two things that I am going to ask of you (sing.). If possible give them to me before I die.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Lord God, there-are two things that I request of you (sing.) before I die:” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “God, I ask you to do two things for me;
    please do them before I die:” (Source: Translation for Translators)

request / beg (Japanese honorifics)

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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 to do this is through the usage (or a lack) of an honorific prefix as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The concept of “requesting” is translated in the Shinkaiyaku Bible as o-negai (お願い), combining “request” (negai) with the respectful prefix o (お).

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

Japanese benefactives (kanaete)

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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 choice of a benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, kanaete (かなえて) or “grant” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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