Translation commentary on Proverbs 6:7

“Without having any chief, officer or ruler”: “Chief” is used of the clan leaders or commanders of men of war in Josh 10.24. The word rendered “officer” is used in the Old Testament to refer to a judicial, civil, or military person responsible for organizing the people. “Ruler” is a general term for someone who commands or governs the affairs of people. The purpose in using three terms is apparently to emphasize that the ants, in the teacher’s view, do not require an elaborate system of control. They perform their duties without an administration. Good News Translation uses all three kinds of overseers. Contemporary English Version reduces them to a single term by saying “Ants don’t have leaders.”

It is apparent that the teacher’s understanding of the elaborate structure of an ant colony is quite limited in terms of present-day knowledge.

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 6:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 6:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “That ant does not have a leader or a ruler” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Even though they have no ruler,
    leader or master” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Even-though there is no leader/[lit. head] or ruler who commands them,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “They have-no leader,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 6:7

6:7

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,

Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler: The three words commander, overseer, and ruler all refer to people who have authority.

The Contemporary English Version uses one term for all of these authorities: “leaders.” This may be an option in languages that do not have three separate terms. However, the author used three terms in order to emphasize that ants do not need a complicated leadership structure. You should try to maintain that emphasis if possible.

commander: In Hebrew, this word generally refers to a military leader or administrator. Other ways to translate this word here are:

chief (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
leader (Good News Translation)
-or-
prince (Revised English Bible)

overseer: In Hebrew, this word refers to anyone responsible for organizing the people. Other ways to translate this word are:

chief (Good News Translation)
-or-
governor (Revised English Bible)
-or-
officer (New Revised Standard Version)

ruler: In Hebrew, this word is a general term for someone who governs other people.

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