Internet Verse Search Commentaries Word Analysis ITL - draft

Proverbs 18:4

NETBible	The words of a person’s mouth are like¹ deep waters,² and³ the fountain of wisdom⁴ is like⁵ a flowing brook.⁶
NIV © biblegateway Pro 18:4	The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, but the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
NASB © biblegateway Pro 18:4	The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.
NLT © biblegateway Pro 18:4	A person’s words can be life–giving water; words of true wisdom are as refreshing as a bubbling brook.
MSG © biblegateway Pro 18:4	Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
BBE © SABDAweb Pro 18:4	The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters: the fountain of wisdom is like a flowing stream.
NRSV © bibleoremus Pro 18:4	The words of the mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a gushing stream.
NKJV © biblegateway Pro 18:4	The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; The wellspring of wisdom is a flowing brook.
[+] More English


KJV	The words <01697> of a man's <0376> mouth <06310> [are as] deep <06013> waters <04325>_, [and] the wellspring <04726> of wisdom <02451> [as] a flowing <05042> (8802) brook <05158>_.
NASB © biblegateway Pro 18:4	The words <01697> of a man's <0376> mouth <06310> are deep <06013> waters <04325> ; The fountain <04726> of wisdom <02451> is a bubbling <05042> brook <05158> .
LXXM	udwr <5204> N-NSN bayu <901> A-NSN logov <3056> N-NSM en <1722> PREP kardia <2588> N-DSF androv <435> N-GSM potamov <4215> N-NSM de <1161> PRT anaphduei {V-PAI-3S} kai <2532> CONJ phgh <4077> N-NSF zwhv <2222> N-GSF
NET [draft] ITL	The words <01697> of a person’s <0376> mouth <06310> are like deep <06013> waters <04325> , and the fountain <04726> of wisdom <02451> is like a flowing <05042> brook <05158> .
HEBREW	hmkx <02451> rwqm <04726> ebn <05042> lxn <05158> sya <0376> yp <06310> yrbd <01697> Myqme <06013> Mym (18:4) <04325>

NETBible

The words of a person’s mouth are like¹ deep waters,² and³ the fountain of wisdom⁴ is like⁵ a flowing brook.⁶

NET Notes

¹tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

²sn The metaphor “deep waters” indicates either that the words have an inexhaustible supply or that they are profound.

³tn There is debate about the nature of the parallelism between lines 4a and 4b. The major options are: (1) synonymous parallelism, (2) antithetical parallelism (e.g., NAB, NIV, NCV) or (3) formal parallelism. Normally a vav (ו) would begin an antithetical clause; the structure and the ideas suggest that the second colon continues the idea of the first half, but in a parallel way rather than as additional predicates. The metaphors used in the proverb elsewhere describe the wise.

⁴sn This is an implied comparison (hypocatastasis), the fountain of wisdom being the person who speaks. The Greek version has “fountain of life” instead of “wisdom,” probably influenced from 10:11.

⁵tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

⁶sn The point of this metaphor is that the wisdom is a continuous source of refreshing and beneficial ideas.