Translation commentary on Proverbs 7:20

In verse 20 the woman gives further assurances that her husband will not be back soon.

“He took a bag of money with him”: “Money” is literally “silver.” This would probably not be minted coins but bulk silver to be weighed. The underlying sense is probably that such a large quantity of money is for purchasing, if he is a merchant. Some translations bring this out: “. . . and he took a lot of money.”

“At full moon he will come home”: The word translated “full moon” occurs elsewhere only in Psa 81.3 (Hebrew verse 4) with a slightly different spelling. That passage also refers to “our feast day.” That would mean either the Festival of Shelters or Passover. According to Lev 23 the Festival of Shelters began on the fifteenth day of the seventh month and Passover began on the fourteenth day of the first month. In each case this means at full moon. The woman may be relating his return to the festival or may be using the expression “full moon” as a date, that is, “the middle of the month.” Accordingly Good News Translation says “He won’t be back for two weeks.” This is based on the assumption that verse 9 refers to the time of no moonlight. If that is correct, the Good News Translation rendering is adequate. Most modern versions have “until full moon” or “until the middle of the month.”

In order to make this verse follow more naturally from the previous verse, some translators adjust it as follows: “(19) he’s gone far away and he won’t be coming back quickly (20) because he took a lot of money with him. In two weeks’ time he might come.”

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 7:20)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 7:20:

  • Kupsabiny: “He took his money so he may not return soon.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He has taken a lot of money with him,
    Now he will not come back
    for at least two weeks.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “He brought with him lots of money and (it is) about two weeks before he will-come-back.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Much is the money that he-took-with-him and he will not come-home until two weeks go (by).’” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Proverbs 7:20

7:20

In this verse, both lines provide additional evidence that the husband will not return unexpectedly from his journey.

20a He took with him a bag of money

20b and will not return till the moon is full.”

7:20a

He took with him a bag of money: The word bag can refer to any pouch or bag. In this case, it was used for carrying money, literally “silver.” This was probably silver that would need to be weighed. It was probably not silver coins. Other ways to translate the phrase a bag of money are:

a bag of silver (Revised English Bible)
-or-
a wallet full of money (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
a lot of money (New Century Version)

7:20b

and will not return till the moon is full: On the night of this story, it was quite dark (7:9a–b), probably around new moon. So the moon is full would be in “two weeks” (Good News Translation).

If you translate this as “full moon,” it is recommended that you add a footnote containing something similar to the first two sentences of this note. If you translate this as “two weeks,” it is recommended that you add a footnote saying, “What it says in Hebrew is ⌊literally⌋ the day of the full moon.”

The woman’s words end with this verse. In some languages, it may be necessary to indicate this in some way. For example:

and it will be full moon before he returns home.” ⌊That is what she said.⌋

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