Proverbs 31:2
ContextNET © | |
NIV © | "O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my vows, |
NASB © | What, O my son? And what, O son of my womb? And what, O son of my vows? |
NLT © | O my son, O son of my womb, O son of my promises, |
MSG © | "Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of! Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God! |
BBE © | What am I to say to you, O Lemuel, my oldest son? and what, O son of my body? and what, O son of my oaths? |
NRSV © | No, my son! No, son of my womb! No, son of my vows! |
NKJV © | What, my son? And what, son of my womb? And what, son of my vows? |
KJV | |
NASB © | |
HEBREW | |
LXXM | |
NET © [draft] ITL | |
NET © | |
NET © Notes |
1 tn The form מַה (mah), normally the interrogative “what?” (so KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB) is best interpreted here as an exclamation. Tg. Prov 31:2 has “Woe!” 2 tn In all three occurrences in this verse the word “son” has the Aramaic spelling, ַַבּר (bar), rather than the Hebrew בֵּן (ben). The repetition of the word “son” shows the seriousness of the warning; and the expression “son of my womb” and “son of my vows” are endearing epithets to show the great investment she has made in his religious place in God’s program. For a view that “son of my womb” should be “my own son,” see F. Deist, “Proverbs 31:1, A Case of Constant Mistranslation,” JNSL 6 (1978): 1-3; cf. TEV “my own dear son.” |