Translation commentary on Proverbs 6:15

“Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly”: “Therefore” marks verse 15 as a conclusion of this subdivision. We may say, for example, “Because of that. . .” or “That is the reason. . ..” “Calamity” refers to distress or suffering. See comments on 1.26.

“In a moment he will be broken beyond healing”: This line is parallel with the first line but adds to the extent of the disaster that will come. “Broken” means that the wicked person will be crushed, destroyed, or ruined. “Beyond healing” means that the destruction cannot be reversed. The person cannot be made whole again, and so we may say, for example, “He is destroyed and brought to death” or “He is ruined and he dies.”

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 6:15)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 6:15:

  • Kupsabiny: “Therefore, destruction/calamity will quickly come upon such a person and he will be destroyed and never recover.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “So misfortune will come to them suddenly,
    and without being able to do anything about it,
    they will be destroyed.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Therefore only in an instant they will-be-destroyed, and they will- never -be-helped-out (anymore).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because-of that, suddenly will-arrive his punishment which has no remedy.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:15

6:15

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

15a Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly ;

15b
in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.

6:15a–b

suddenly; in an instant: These two terms are synonyms. Another way to express this idea is:

without warning (Good News Translation)

6:15a

Therefore: This word expresses the conclusion or result of the scoundrel’s evil conduct. This relationship may also be expressed as:

That is why… (God’s Word)
-or-
Because of this,… (Good News Translation)

calamity will come upon him: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calamity could also be translated as “disaster” (New International Version) or “destruction.” (See the note on 1:26a–b.) The New Living Translation (2004) expresses this idea as a verb:

they will be destroyed (New Living Translation (2004))

6:15b

he will be shattered beyond recovery: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as shattered is literally “broken in pieces.” Here it refers figuratively to punishment. It is implied that the one who will punish or destroy the wicked person is the LORD.

The clause he will be shattered is passive. If your language does not use passive constructions, you may need to use an active verb and make the agent explicit. For example:

⌊The LORD⌋ will destroy them suddenly

beyond recovery: The nature of the disaster or punishment is not specified, except that it will be beyond recovery. This phrase suggests that the punishment may be sudden death. The Good News Translation has evidently followed this interpretation and has translated this as “fatally wounded.” However, it is recommended that you translate this with a more general expression if possible. For example:

no one can help them (New Century Version)
-or-
they will be…left without a hope (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
beyond healing (Revised Standard Version)

General Comment on 6:15a–b

In some languages, it may be more effective to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts of this verse. For example:

they will be struck by sudden disaster and left without a hope (Contemporary English Version)

Also see the Display for 6:15a–b (combined/reordered).

© 2012, 2016, 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.