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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Proverbs 1:4

These proverbs will make even those without education smart. They will teach young people what they need to know and how to use what they have learned.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Instruction;   Proverbs;   Young Men;   Thompson Chain Reference - Knowledge;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Simplicity;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Simple and Simplicity;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mind;   Wisdom;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel, History of;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Simplicity;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Inventions;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Education;   Know;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Subtil;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced,knowledge and discretion to a young man—
Hebrew Names Version
To give prudence to the simple, Knowledge and discretion to the young man:
King James Version
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
English Standard Version
to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—
New Century Version
They make the uneducated wise and give knowledge and sense to the young.
New English Translation
To impart shrewdness to the morally naive, and a discerning plan to the young person.
Amplified Bible
That prudence (good judgment, astute common sense) may be given to the naive or inexperienced [who are easily misled], And knowledge and discretion (intelligent discernment) to the youth,
New American Standard Bible
To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,
World English Bible
To give prudence to the simple, Knowledge and discretion to the young man:
Geneva Bible (1587)
To giue vnto the simple, sharpenesse of wit, and to the childe knowledge and discretion.
Legacy Standard Bible
To give prudence to the simple,To the youth knowledge and discretion;
Berean Standard Bible
to impart prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young,
Contemporary English Version
From these, an ordinary person can learn to be smart, and young people can gain knowledge and good sense.
Complete Jewish Bible
for endowing with caution those who don't think and the young person with knowledge and discretion.
Darby Translation
to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
George Lamsa Translation
To give subtlety to the simple, to the young men knowledge and discretion.
Good News Translation
They can make an inexperienced person clever and teach young people how to be resourceful.
Lexham English Bible
to give shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and purpose to the young,
Literal Translation
to give sense to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That the very babes might haue wyt, and that yonge men might haue knowlege and vnderstondinge.
American Standard Version
To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion:
Bible in Basic English
To make the simple-minded sharp, and to give the young man knowledge, and serious purpose:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
To give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion;
King James Version (1611)
To giue subtiltie to the simple, to the yong man knowledge and discretion.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
To geue wyt vnto the simple, and that the young men myght haue knowledge and vnderstandyng.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man discernment and understanding.
English Revised Version
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that felnesse be youun to litle children, and kunnyng, and vndurstonding to a yong wexynge man.
Update Bible Version
To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion:
Webster's Bible Translation
To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
New King James Version
To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion--
New Living Translation
These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young.
New Life Bible
They give wisdom to the child-like, and much learning and wisdom to those who are young.
New Revised Standard
to teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young—
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For giving To the simple shrewdness, To the young man, knowledge and discretion.
Douay-Rheims Bible
To give subtilty to little ones, to the young man knowledge and understanding.
Revised Standard Version
that prudence may be given to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth--
Young's Literal Translation
For giving to simple ones -- prudence, To a youth -- knowledge and discretion.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion,

Contextual Overview

1 These are the proverbs of Solomon, the son of David and king of Israel. 2 They will help you learn to be wise, to accept correction, and to understand wise sayings. 3 They will teach you to develop your mind in the right way. You will learn to do what is right and to be honest and fair. 4 These proverbs will make even those without education smart. They will teach young people what they need to know and how to use what they have learned. 5 Even the wise could become wiser by listening to these proverbs. They will gain understanding and learn to solve difficult problems. 6 These sayings will help you understand proverbs, stories with hidden meanings, words of the wise, and other difficult sayings.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

subtlety: Proverbs 1:22, Proverbs 1:23, Proverbs 8:5, Proverbs 9:4-6, Psalms 19:7, Psalms 119:130, Isaiah 35:8

to the: Proverbs 7:7-24, Proverbs 8:17, Proverbs 8:32, Psalms 34:11, Psalms 119:9, Ecclesiastes 11:9, Ecclesiastes 11:10, Ecclesiastes 12:1, 2 Timothy 2:22, Titus 2:6

discretion: or, advisement

Reciprocal: Jeremiah 3:4 - the guide

Cross-References

Genesis 1:10
God named the dry land "earth," and he named the water that was gathered together "seas." And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:12
The earth grew grass and plants that made grain. And it grew trees that made fruit with seeds in it. Every plant made its own kind of seeds. And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:18
He put them in the sky to rule over the day and over the night. They separated the light from the darkness. And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:25
So God made every kind of animal. He made the wild animals, the tame animals, and all the small crawling things. And God saw that this was good.
Genesis 1:31
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the sixth day.
Ecclesiastes 2:13
I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness in the same way that light is better than darkness.
Ecclesiastes 11:7
It is good to be alive. It is nice to see the light from the sun.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

To give subtlety to the simple,.... Men of mean abilities, weak capacities, shallow understandings, incautious, credulous, and easily imposed upon: these, by attending to what is herein contained, may arrive to a serpentine subtlety; though they are simple and harmless as doves, may become as wise as serpents; may attain to an exquisite knowledge of divine things and know even more than the wise and sage philosophers among the Gentiles, or any of the Rabbins and masters of Israel; or any of the princes of this world, whose wisdom comes to nought; and become very cautious and circumspect how they are drawn aside by the old serpent the devil, or by such who lie in wait to deceive; and perform their duty both to God and man;

to the young man knowledge and discretion; or "thought" i; who wants both: this book will teach him the knowledge of things moral, civil, and religious: to think and act aright; how to behave and conduct himself wisely and discreetly before men; and be a means of forming his mind betimes for piety and religion; and of furnishing him with rules for his deportment in future life, in all the periods of it; and in whatsoever state and condition he may come into. A "young man [may] cleanse his way", Psalms 119:9, reform his manners, behave with purity and uprightness, by taking "heed" to the things herein contained.

i מזמה "cogitationem", Pagninus, Mercerus; "bonam cogitationem", Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This verse points out the two classes for which the book will be useful:

(1) the “simple,” literally the “open,” the open-hearted, the minds ready to receive impressions for good or evil Proverbs 1:22; and

(2) the “young,” who need both knowledge and discipline.

To these the teacher offers the “subtilty,” which may turn to evil Exodus 21:14 and become as the wisdom of the serpent Genesis 3:1, but which also takes its place, as that wisdom does, among the highest moral gifts Matthew 10:16; the “knowledge” of good and evil; and the “discretion,” or discernment, which sets a man on his guard, and keeps him from being duped by false advisers. The Septuagint renderings, πανουργία panourgia for “subtilty,” αἴσθησις aisthēsis for “knowledge,” ἔννοια ennoia for “discretion,” are interesting as showing the endeavor to find exact parallels for the Hebrew in the terminology of Greek ethics.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 1:4. To give subtilty to the simple — The word simple, from simplex, compounded of sine, without, and plica, a fold, properly signifies plain and honest, one that has no by-ends in view, who is what he appears to be; and is opposed to complex, from complico, to fold together, to make one rope or cord out of many strands; but because honesty and plaindealing are so rare in the world, and none but the truly religious man will practice them, farther than the fear of the law obliges him, hence simple has sunk into a state of progressive deterioration. At first, it signified, as above, without fold, unmixed, uncompounded: this was its radical meaning. Then, as applied to men, it signified innocent, harmless, without disguise; but, as such persons were rather an unfashionable sort of people, it sunk in its meaning to homely, homespun, mean, ordinary. And, as worldly men, who were seeking their portion in this life, and had little to do with religion, supposed that wisdom, wit, and understanding, were given to men that they might make the best of them in reference to the things of this life, the word sunk still lower in its meaning, and signified silly, foolish; and there, to the dishonour of our language and morals, it stands! I have taken those acceptations which I have marked in Italics out of the first dictionary that came to hand - Martin's; but if I had gone to Johnson, I might have added to SILLY, not wise, not cunning. Simplicity, that meant at first, as MARTIN defines it, openness, plaindealing, downright honesty, is now degraded to weakness, silliness, foolishness. And these terms will continue thus degraded, till downright honesty and plaindealing get again into vogue. There are two Hebrew words generally supposed to come from the same root, which in our common version are rendered the simple, פתאים pethaim, and פתים or פתיים pethayim; the former comes from פתא patha, to be rash, hasty; the latter, from פתה pathah, to draw aside, seduce, entice. It is the first of these words which is used here, and may be applied to youth; the inconsiderate, the unwary, who, for want of knowledge and experience, act precipitately. Hence the Vulgate renders it parvulis, little ones, young children, or little children, as my old MS.; or very babes, as Coverdale. The Septuagint renders it ακακοις, those that are without evil; and the versions in general understand it of those who are young, giddy, and inexperienced.

To the young man — נער naar is frequently used to signify such as are in the state of adolescence, grown up boys, very well translated in my old MS. yunge fulwaxen; what we would now call the grown up lads. These, as being giddy and inexperienced, stand in especial need of lessons of wisdom and discretion. The Hebrew for discretion, מזמה mezimmah, is taken both in a good and bad sense, as זם zam, its root, signifies to devise or imagine; for the device may be either mischief, or the contrivance of some good purpose.


 
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