Proverbs 3:14

For her ¹  benefit ²  is more profitable ³  than silver, and her ⁴  gain ⁵  is better ⁶  than gold.

for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.

For her profit is better than the profit of silver And her gain better than fine gold.

For the profit of wisdom is better than silver, and her wages are better than gold.

She's worth far more than money in the bank; her friendship is better than a big salary.

For trading in it is better than trading in silver, and its profit greater than bright gold.

for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold.

For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold.

For her ¹  benefit ²  is more profitable ³  than silver, and her ⁴  gain ⁵  is better ⁶  than gold.

¹ tn Heb “her profit.” The 3rd person feminine singular suffix on the noun is probably a genitive of source: “from her.”

² tn Heb “profit.” The noun סַחַר (sakhar, “trading profit”) often refers to the financial profit of traveling merchants (Isa 23:3, 18; 45:14; HALOT 750 s.v.). The related participle describes a traveling “trader, dealer, wholesaler, merchant” (e.g., Gen 37:28; Prov 31:14; Isa 23:2; Ezek 27:36; HALOT 750 s.v. סחר qal.2). Here the noun is used figuratively to describe the moral benefit of wisdom.

³ tn The noun סַחַר (“profit”) is repeated in this line for emphasis. The two usages draw upon slightly different nuances, creating a polysemantic wordplay. The moral “benefit” of wisdom is more “profitable” than silver.

⁴ tn Heb “her yield.” The 3rd person feminine singular suffix on the noun is probably a genitive of source: “from her.”

⁵ tn Heb “yield.” The noun תְּבוּאָה (tÿvu’ah, “product; yield”) is normally used of crops and harvests (BDB 100 s.v. 1). Here it is figurative for the moral benefit of wisdom (BDB 100 s.v. 2.b).

⁶ tn The phrase “is better” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of smoothness.