# Yiddish proverb translate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 4, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-proverb-translate/745159 "2016-02-04T18:32:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![quicker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/87869e/32.png) [@quicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quicker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-proverb-translate/745159/1 "2016-02-04T18:32:38Z")
Can someone please tell me the original Yiddish for this proverb? “If God wants people to suffer he sends them too much understanding.” ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-proverb-translate/745159/2 "2016-02-04T21:09:49Z")
No idea, but it sounds like a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 1:18: > [@](#): > > For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Anarcho\_Liberalist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Anarcho\_Liberalist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anarcho_Liberalist)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2016, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yiddish-proverb-translate/745159/3 "2016-02-05T10:13:24Z")
Good question. The internet is full of claims that this is a Yiddish proverb AND it’s full of lists of Yiddish proverbs in the original Yiddish, but this particular one is nowhere to be found in Yiddish. Makes you wonder if it really _is_ a Yiddish proverb. Anyway, based on my (very limited) knowledge of Yiddish and some googling I’d say it should go something like this: _Az Got menshn krenken volt shikt Er tsu fil fershtain_ I hope this at least helps your quest somewhat