Proverbs 27:16

NETBible

Whoever hides her hides the wind 1  or grasps 2  oil with his right hand. 3 

NIV ©

restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

NASB ©

He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

NLT ©

Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands.

MSG ©

You can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it.

BBE ©

He who keeps secret the secret of his friend, will get himself a name for good faith.

NRSV ©

to restrain her is to restrain the wind or to grasp oil in the right hand.

NKJV ©

Whoever restrains her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

KJV
Whosoever hideth
<06845> (8802)
her hideth
<06845> (8804)
the wind
<07307>_,
and the ointment
<08081>
of his right hand
<03225>_,
[which] bewrayeth
<07121> (8799)
[itself].
NASB ©
He who would restrain
<6845>
her restrains
<6845>
the wind
<7307>
, And grasps
<7121>
oil
<8081>
with his right
<3225>
hand
<3225>
.
LXXM
(34:16) boreav {N-NSM} sklhrov
<4642> 
A-NSM
anemov
<417> 
N-NSM
onomati
<3686> 
N-DSN
de
<1161> 
PRT
epidexiov {A-NSM} kaleitai
<2564> 
V-PMI-3S
NET [draft] ITL
Whoever hides
<06845>
her hides
<06845>
the wind
<07307>
or grasps
<07121>
oil
<08081>
with his right hand
<03225>
.
HEBREW
arqy
<07121>
wnymy
<03225>
Nmsw
<08081>
xwr
<07307>
Npu
<06845>
hynpu (27:16)
<06845>
NETBible

Whoever hides her hides the wind 1  or grasps 2  oil with his right hand. 3 

NET Notes

1 tn The participle and verb both are from the root צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”). This combination could be translated “hiding her is [like] hiding the wind.”

1 sn A contentious woman is uncontrollable. The wind can gust at any moment; so too the contentious woman can nag or complain without warning. If anyone can hide the wind he can hide her.

2 sn The verb is the Qal imperfect of קָרָא (qara’); BDB 895 s.v. 5.b defines it here as “call for = demand, require,” but acknowledge that it is probably corrupt. R. B. Y. Scott interprets it to mean “grasping” oil in the hand, an expression he compares to the modern “butterfingers” (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes [AB], 163). Others have interpreted it to mean “betrays” – “ointment of his right hand betrays itself,” meaning its smell persists. However, the connection to the proverb does not seem obvious with that interpretation.

3 tc The LXX took an etymologizing approach to the whole verse and translated it “the north wind is a severe wind, but by its name is termed auspicious.” In this rendering the Hebrew text’s “oil” became “its name,” “right hand” became “auspicious,” and “grasp” became “called.”