The Debatable Ending: יו‎ or ה‎

Abstract

Modern translations are influenced by the debatable ending of יו‎ or ה‎ of Proverbs 30:19. German Bible translations such as – Zürcher Bibel, the German Einheitsübersetzung der Heiligen Schrift, the German Elberfelder Bibel revidierte Fassung 1993, the German Darby Unrevidierte Elberfelder 1905, and Textbibel von Kautzsch und Weizsäcker – have Frau (woman) or Mädchen (girl) or Jungfrau (virgin). These translations demonstrate that the favorable reading is girl (woman or virgin) because it is influenced by the ending of ה‎. The debatale ending of יו‎ or ה‎ is noticeable in English Bible translations. The ending of ה‎ is followed by most of English Bible translations such as King James Version [KJV], American Standard Version [ASV], New International Version [NIV], English Standard Version [ESV]. Good News Translation [GNB] interprets it as the love story between a man and a woman. Aramaic Bible in Plain English, Young’s Literal Translation [YLT], Brenton Septuagint Translation, Douay-Rheims Bible [DRB], and Literal Standard Version [LST] read the ending of יו‎. Therefore, their translations are in his youth. This research argues for the ending of יו‎ or in his youth as the original reading with the usage of textual criticism and the syntactical analysis of Proverbs 30:19 as its methodology.