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Amplified Bible

Proverbs 3:3

Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Commandments;   Falsehood;   Integrity;   Mercy;   Righteous;   Table;   Truth;   Young Men;   Thompson Chain Reference - Mercifulness-Unmercifulness;   Mercy;   Writing;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Children, Good;   Favour of God, the;   Mercy;   Truth;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Love;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Faithfulness;   Heart;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Earrings;   Fringes;   Frontlets;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kindness;   Proverbs, Book of;   Tablet;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs, Book of;   Table, Tablet;   King James Dictionary - About;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Phylacteries;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Amulet;   Mercy;   Neck;   Table;   Tablet;   Writing;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ornament;   Phylacteries;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for March 14;   Every Day Light - Devotion for May 1;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you.Tie them around your neck;write them on the tablet of your heart.
Hebrew Names Version
Don't let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
King James Version
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
English Standard Version
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
New Century Version
Don't ever forget kindness and truth. Wear them like a necklace. Write them on your heart as if on a tablet.
New English Translation
Do not let truth and mercy leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
New American Standard Bible
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.
World English Bible
Don't let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Let not mercie and trueth forsake thee: binde them on thy necke, and write them vpon the table of thine heart.
Legacy Standard Bible
Do not let lovingkindness and truth forsake you;Bind them around your neck,Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Berean Standard Bible
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Contemporary English Version
Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in your mind.
Complete Jewish Bible
Do not let grace and truth leave you — bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.
Darby Translation
Let not loving-kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't ever let love and loyalty leave you. Tie them around your neck, and write them on your heart.
George Lamsa Translation
And peace, mercy, and truth will not forsake you; bind them about your neck; write them upon the tablets of your heart:
Good News Translation
Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.
Lexham English Bible
May loyal love and truth not forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them upon your heart.
Literal Translation
Mercy and truth will not forsake you, tie them on your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let mercy & faithfulnes neuer go from ye: bynde the about yi necke, & wryte them in the tables of thine herte.
American Standard Version
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
Bible in Basic English
Let not mercy and good faith go from you; let them be hanging round your neck, recorded on your heart;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee;
King James Version (1611)
Let not mercy and trueth forsake thee: bind them about thy necke, write them vpon the table of thine heart.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let mercie and faithfulnesse neuer go from thee: binde them about thy necke, and write them in the tables of thyne heart:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; but bind them about thy neck:
English Revised Version
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Merci and treuthe forsake thee not; bynde thou tho to thi throte, and write in the tablis of thin herte.
Update Bible Version
Don't let kindness and truth forsake you: Bind them about your neck;
Webster's Bible Translation
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thy heart:
New King James Version
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,
New Living Translation
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.
New Life Bible
Do not let kindness and truth leave you. Tie them around your neck. Write them upon your heart.
New Revised Standard
Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Lovingkindness and faithfulness, let them not forsake thee, - bind them, upon thy neck, write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let not mercy aud truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart.
Revised Standard Version
Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Young's Literal Translation
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,
THE MESSAGE
Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Contextual Overview

1My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; 2For length of days and years of life [worth living] And tranquility and prosperity [the wholeness of life's blessings] they will add to you. 3Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4So find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. 5Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart And do not rely on your own insight or understanding. 6In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

mercy: Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 20:28, 2 Samuel 15:20, Psalms 25:10, Hosea 4:1, Micah 7:18-20, Malachi 2:6, Matthew 23:23, Ephesians 5:1, Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:9

bind: Proverbs 6:21, Proverbs 7:3, Exodus 13:9, Deuteronomy 6:8, Deuteronomy 11:18-21, Psalms 119:11

write: Jeremiah 17:1, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Hebrews 10:16

Reciprocal: Genesis 24:49 - deal kindly and truly Deuteronomy 4:9 - keep thy soul Deuteronomy 33:24 - let him be 1 Samuel 2:26 - was in 1 Samuel 20:8 - deal kindly 2 Chronicles 9:7 - General Proverbs 4:21 - depart Daniel 6:3 - an Matthew 23:5 - they make Luke 1:63 - a Luke 2:52 - and in

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it."
Genesis 3:13
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree]."
Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth; In pain you will give birth to children; Yet your desire and longing will be for your husband, And he will rule [with authority] over you and be responsible for you."
Genesis 3:17
Then to Adam the LORD God said, "Because you have listened [attentively] to the voice of your wife, and have eaten [fruit] from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it'; The ground is [now] under a curse because of you; In sorrow and toil you shall eat [the fruit] of it All the days of your life.
Genesis 20:6
Then God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know you did this in the integrity of your heart, for it was I who kept you back and spared you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not give you an opportunity to touch her.
1 Chronicles 16:22
"Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm."
Job 1:11
"But put forth Your hand now and touch (destroy) all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face."
Job 2:5
"But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh [and severely afflict him]; and he will curse You to Your face."
Job 19:21
"Have pity on me! Have pity on me, O you my friends, For the hand of God has touched me.
1 Corinthians 7:1
Now as to the matters of which you wrote: It is good (beneficial, advantageous) for a man not to touch a woman [outside marriage].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let not mercy and truth forsake thee,.... Or, forsake not them, and the exercise of them; show "mercy" to fellow creatures, to sinful men, to the bodies of men, by relieving their wants; and to their souls, by pitying and praying for them, and by giving them wholesome counsel and advice: to fellow Christians, sympathize with them in their troubles, put on bowels of compassion, be tenderhearted, and forgive offences; and, in a spirit of meekness, restore backsliders, for God will have mercy, and not sacrifice. Attend to "truth"; exercise faith on the Lord; cast not away your confidence; speak truth to your neighbour and brother; and hold fast the truth of the Gospel, and never depart from it. Though many interpreters understand this by way of promise, and as an encouragement to regard the doctrines and ordinances of Christ, rendering the words, "mercy and truth shall not forsake thee" g; meaning the mercy and truth of God; the "mercy" of God in forgiving sin, in sympathizing under affliction, in helping in time of need, in supplying with all needful grace, and in bringing to eternal life; for the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, upon them that fear him, Psalms 103:17; the "truth" of God, his faithfulness in performing promises, never fails; the unbelief of man cannot make it of no effect; though we believe not, he abides faithful and true to every word of his; not one shall fail, or pass away; all shall be fulfilled; see Psalms 89:33; "all [his] paths [are] mercy and truth", and he never goes out of them,

Psalms 25:10;

bind them about thy neck; as chains for ornament: not mercy and truth, just before mentioned, as may seem at first sight; but the law and commandments of wisdom, Proverbs 3:1; or the doctrines and ordinances of Christ; see Proverbs 1:8; reckon it as your greatest honour, glory, and beauty, that you steadfastly adhere to these things; nothing makes a believer look more lovely in conversation than a close regard to the truths of Christ, and a constant walking in his ordinances;

write them upon the table of thine heart; do not forget them, keep them in memory, and always retain a hearty affection for them; it is the Spirit's work to write them in the heart; and when they are there written, it is the work of saints, under a divine influence, to copy them over in life, and to show by their conduct and behaviour that they are written there; see Jeremiah 31:33. The allusion, in both phrases, is to the directions given about the law of Moses, Deuteronomy 6:8; and to the writing of his law on tables of stone: and it was usual with the ancients, in later times, to write on tables of wood; Solon's laws were written on tables of wood h; and such were the "tabellae et pugillares" of the Romans, made of box, beech, and other sorts of wood, covered with wax, on which they wrote; Deuteronomy 6:8- :; but Solomon would have his law written on the fleshly tables of the heart, 2 Corinthians 3:3.

g אל יעזבך "non derelinquent te", Piscator; "non deserent te", Michaelis; so Aben Ezra and Gersom. h Laert, Vit. Solon. A. Gell. Noet. Attic. l. 2. c. 12.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The two elements of a morally perfect character:

(1) “Mercy,” shutting out all forms of selfishness and hate.

(2) “Truth,” shutting out all deliberate falsehood, all hypocrisy, conscious or unconscious.

The words that follow possibly refer to the Eastern custom of writing sacred names on pieces of papyrus or parchment, and wearing them around the neck, as charms and talismans against evil. Compare, however, 1 Peter 3:3-4.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 3:3. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee — Let these be thy constant companions through life.

Bind them about thy neck — Keep them constantly in view. Write them upon the table of thine heart - let them be thy moving principles; feel them as well as see them.


 
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