Proverbs 1:23

If only ¹  you will respond ²  to my rebuke, ³  then ⁴  I will pour ⁵  out my thoughts ⁶  to you and ⁷  I will make ⁸  my words known to you.

If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

"Turn to my reproof, Behold, I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

Come here and listen to me! I’ll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise.

About face! I can revise your life. Look, I'm ready to pour out my spirit on you; I'm ready to tell you all I know.

Be turned again by my sharp words: see, I will send the flow of my spirit on you, and make my words clear to you.

Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you.

Turn at my rebuke; Surely I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you.

If only ¹  you will respond ²  to my rebuke, ³  then ⁴  I will pour ⁵  out my thoughts ⁶  to you and ⁷  I will make ⁸  my words known to you.

¹ tn The imperfect tense is in the conditional protasis without the conditional particle, followed by the clause beginning with הִנֵּה (hinneh, “then”). The phrase “If only…” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied by the syntax; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

² tn Heb “turn.” The verb is from שׁוּב (shuv, “to return; to respond; to repent”).

³ sn The noun תּוֹכַחַת (tokhakhat, “rebuke”) is used in all kinds of disputes including rebuking, arguing, reasoning, admonishing, and chiding. The term is broad enough to include here warning and rebuke. Cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV “reproof”; TEV “when I reprimand you”; CEV “correct you.”

⁴ tn Heb “Behold!”

⁵ tn The Hiphil cohortative of נָבַע (nava’, “to pour out”) describes the speaker’s resolution to pour out wisdom on those who respond.

⁶ tn Heb “my spirit.” The term “spirit” (רוּחַ, ruakh) functions as a metonymy (= spirit) of association (= thoughts), as indicated by the parallelism with “my words” (דְּבָרַי, dÿbaray). The noun רוּחַ (ruakh, “spirit”) can have a cognitive nuance, e.g., “spirit of wisdom” (Exod 28:3; Deut 34:9). It is used metonymically for “words” (Job 20:3) and “mind” (Isa 40:13; Ezek 11:5; 20:32; 1 Chr 28:12; see BDB 925 s.v. רוּחַ 6). The “spirit of wisdom” produces skill and capacity necessary for success (Isa 11:2; John 7:37-39).

⁷ tn The conjunction “and” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

⁸ tn Here too the form is the cohortative, stressing the resolution of wisdom to reveal herself to the one who responds.