Proverbs 14:27

The fear of the Lord ¹  is like ²  a life-giving fountain, ³  to turn ⁴  people ⁵  from deadly snares. ⁶ 

Ps 18:5; Pr 2:10-18; Pr 13:14; Pr 22:5; Ec 7:26; Isa 33:6; Re 21:6

¹ sn The verse is similar to Prov 13:14 except that “the fear of the Lord” has replaced “the teaching of the wise.”

² tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

³ tn Heb “fountain of life.”

⁴ tn The infinitive construct with prefixed ל (lamed) indicates the purpose/result of the first line; it could also function epexegetically, explaining how fear is a fountain: “by turning….”

⁵ tn The term “people” does not appear in the Hebrew but is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.

⁶ tn Heb “snares of death” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); CEV “deadly traps.”