“Wisdom cries aloud in the street”: “Wisdom” renders a word that Scott calls “an archaic Canaanite form.” It is found elsewhere in 24.7 and in Psa 49.3 (Hebrew verse 4). There is no apparent reason to translate it differently than the word used in verses 2 and 7.

Personification is a regular aspect of rhetorical style in most languages; in some, however, it may not be used for a term or concept like “Wisdom”. There are also some languages in which “Wisdom” is equated with intelligence, and the word is not personified merely by using a capital letter. In such cases there are two ways to handle the personification:

(1) Convert to a simile; for example, “Wisdom is like a woman crying out in the street.” In this case “Wisdom” will be replaced in some of the verses that follow by the appropriate pronouns.
(2) Another possibility is to use an honorary feminine title, for example, “Mother Wisdom.”
(3) If that solution is not workable, it may be necessary to explain the personification in a note. The note may say something like “In verses 20 and 21 Wisdom is presented as a speaking person, a woman. Verses 22-33 contain her speech.”

“Cries aloud” in this context means “call out to,” or “ring out a shout,” to get the attention of people in the noise and confusion of a busy market scene. “Street” refers to the areas outside the houses in a town setting.

“Markets” translates a word referring to the town square located inside the city in front of the gate. The “street” and “markets” were gathering places for people. See Amos 5.16 and Ruth 4.11 (“at the gate”).

“She raises her voice”: “She” and “her” are feminine pronouns in the Hebrew and refer to “Wisdom”. “Raises her voice” is literally “gives her voice” and means “makes her voice heard” or “causes them to listen to what she says.”

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 .