“The proverbs of Solomon”: “Proverbs” translates the plural form of the Hebrew word mashal, which covers a much wider range of meaning than the English word “proverb.” In this title the term refers to teaching or wisdom literature either spoken or written by Solomon, or attributed to his name. According to 1 Kgs 4.32 Solomon “uttered three thousand proverbs (Hebrew mashal); and his songs were a thousand and five.” This may mean that he “composed” (New Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation) that many proverbs and songs, but it need not be taken that way.

The term “proverbs” is difficult in some languages, because even though there may be terms for different kinds of sayings, none of these may be as wide in meaning as the Hebrew term here. In such cases translators often choose a more general expression such as “wise talk,” “wise sayings,” or “good words.”

In many languages the construction “proverbs of Solomon” is unclear, as it is in English. It may be taken to mean, for example, that Solomon wrote these sayings, or that he owned them, or that he dictated them. The problem becomes even more difficult because chapters 1–9 may not even be recognized in many languages as being related to the kinds of sayings classed as “proverbs.” Translators seem to have two choices:

(1) to leave the construction unclear, or
(2) to translate with a term or expression that shows Solomon to be the author, such as “the ‘proverbs’ that Solomon composed.”

In either case it is advisable to provide a note to explain that the expression “proverbs of Solomon” may be taken to mean that the book is dedicated to him.

“Son of David” identifies Solomon in relation to his father, David (2 Sam 12.24).

“King of Israel” refers to Solomon, not to David. Many translations depend on punctuation to show that Solomon is called “king of Israel”. However, for public reading punctuation often fails to make clear what is meant. Good News Translation “and King of Israel” may be a helpful model in some languages. In others some restructuring, such as “King Solomon of Israel, the son of David” (Contemporary English Version), may be clearer.

In languages in which the title “king” is unknown, it may be possible to use an equivalent title such as “chief” or “the highest ruler.” If this is not satisfactory, it is often possible to say something like “who ruled over Israel.”

Some translators may find that verse 1 functions best as a heading for the Introduction and therefore may wish to place it in bold letters or in whatever form titles or headings are given in the translation. Others may find it better to render verse 1, for example, “These are the wise words spoken by Solomon who was king of Israel and David’s son.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch includes in verse 1 something of the purpose: “Counsel for living through Proverbs composed by Solomon. . ..”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .