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Proverbs 4:3-5
New English Translation
Proverbs 4:3-5
New English Translation
3 When I was a son to my father,[a]
a tender, only child[b] before my mother,
4 he taught me, and he said to me:
“Let your heart lay hold of my words;
keep my commands so that[c] you will live.
5 Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding;
do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak.[d]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 4:3 tn Or “a boy with my father.”
- Proverbs 4:3 tc The LXX introduces the ideas of “obedient” and “beloved” for these two terms. This seems to be a free rendering, if not a translation of a different Hebrew textual tradition. The MT makes good sense and requires no emendation.tn Heb “tender and only one.” The phrase רַךְ וְיָחִיד (rakh veyakhid, “tender and only one”) is a hendiadys meaning “tender only child.” The adjective רַךְ (rakh) means “tender; delicate” (BDB 940 s.v. רַךְ), and describes a lad who is young and undeveloped in character (e.g., 2 Sam 3:39). The adjective יָחִיד (yakhid) means “only one” (BDB 402 s.v. יָחִיד) and refers to a beloved and prized only child (e.g., Gen 22:2).
- Proverbs 4:4 tn The vav plus imperative “and live” expresses purpose, as is common with volitional verbs in a series.
- Proverbs 4:5 tn Heb “from the words of my mouth” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); TEV, CEV “what I say.”sn The verse repeats the imperative “acquire” to underscore the importance of getting wisdom.
New English Translation (NET)
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