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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Proverbs 4:4

my father taught me this: "Pay attention to what I say. Obey my commands and you will have a good life.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Children;   Wisdom;   Young Men;   Thompson Chain Reference - Call, Divine;   God's;   Wisdom;   Wisdom-Folly;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Education;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Touch;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Heart;   Proverbs book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Education;   Retain;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ḳara, Joseph ben Simeon;   Life;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
he taught me and said:“Your heart must hold on to my words.Keep my commands and live.
Hebrew Names Version
He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my mitzvot, and live.
King James Version
He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
English Standard Version
he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
New Century Version
my father taught me and said, "Hold on to my words with all your heart. Keep my commands and you will live.
New English Translation
he taught me, and he said to me: "Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands so that you will live.
Amplified Bible
He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live.
New American Standard Bible
He taught me and said to me, "Let your heart take hold of my words; Keep my commandments and live;
World English Bible
He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.
Geneva Bible (1587)
When he taught me, and sayde vnto me, Let thine heart holde fast my woordes: keepe my commandements, and thou shalt liue.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then he instructed me and said to me,"Let your heart hold fast my words;Keep my commandments and live;
Berean Standard Bible
he taught me and said, "Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commandments and you will live.
Contemporary English Version
said to me: "If you follow my teachings and keep them in mind, you will live.
Complete Jewish Bible
He too taught me; he said to me, "Let your heart treasure my words; keep my commands, and live;
Darby Translation
And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thy heart retain my words; keep my commandments and live.
George Lamsa Translation
He taught me, and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live; and let my law be as the pupil of the eye.
Good News Translation
my father would teach me. He would say, "Remember what I say and never forget it. Do as I tell you, and you will live.
Lexham English Bible
he taught me and said to me, "May your heart hold fast to my words; guard my commandments and live.
Literal Translation
And he taught me and said to me, Let your heart cling to my words; keep my commands and live.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he taught me also, sayenge: let thine herte receaue my wordes, kepe my commaundementes, and thou shalt lyue.
American Standard Version
And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;
Bible in Basic English
And he gave me teaching, saying to me, Keep my words in your heart; keep my rules so that you may have life:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he taught me, and said unto me: 'Let thy heart hold fast my words, keep my commandments, and live;
King James Version (1611)
He taught me also, and said vnto me, Let thine heart reteine my wordes: keepe my commandements, and liue.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He taught me also and sayde vnto me, let thyne heart receaue my wordes, kepe my commaundementes and thou shalt liue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
who spoke and instructed me, saying, Let our speech be fixed in thine heart, keep our commandments, forget them not:
English Revised Version
And he taught me, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words; keep my commandments, and live:
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And my fadir tauyte me, and seide, Thin herte resseyue my wordis; kepe thou myn heestis, and thou schalt lyue.
Update Bible Version
And he taught me, and said to me: Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;
Webster's Bible Translation
He taught me also, and said to me, Let thy heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
New King James Version
He also taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.
New Living Translation
My father taught me, "Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.
New Life Bible
he taught me, saying, "Hold my words close to your heart. Keep my teachings and live.
New Revised Standard
he taught me, and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he taught me, and said to me - Let thy heart, lay hold of my words, Keep my commandments and live!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.
Revised Standard Version
he taught me, and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live;
Young's Literal Translation
And he directeth me, and he saith to me: `Let thy heart retain my words, Keep my commands, and live.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he taught me and said to me, "Let your heart hold fast my words; Keep my commandments and live;

Contextual Overview

1 Children, listen to your father's teaching. Pay attention and you will learn how to learn. 2 The advice I give is good, so don't ever forget what I teach you. 3 When I was my father's little boy and my mother's dear son, 4 my father taught me this: "Pay attention to what I say. Obey my commands and you will have a good life. 5 Try to get wisdom and understanding. Don't forget my teaching or ignore what I say. 6 Don't turn away from wisdom, and she will protect you. Love her, and she will keep you safe. 7 "The first step to becoming wise is to look for wisdom, so use everything you have to get understanding. 8 Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Hold on to wisdom, and she will bring you honor. 9 Wisdom will reward you with a crown of honor and glory." 10 Son, listen to me. Do what I say, and you will live a long time.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

He: Proverbs 22:6, Genesis 18:19, 1 Chronicles 22:11-16, 1 Chronicles 28:9, Ephesians 6:4, 2 Timothy 1:5, 2 Timothy 3:15

Let: Proverbs 3:1, Deuteronomy 4:9, Deuteronomy 6:6, Psalms 119:11

keep: Proverbs 7:2, Leviticus 18:3-5, Isaiah 55:3, John 12:50, Hebrews 5:9

Reciprocal: Judges 13:12 - How shall we order the child Job 22:22 - lay up Psalms 37:31 - law Proverbs 4:11 - taught Proverbs 4:22 - life Proverbs 6:23 - the way Proverbs 10:17 - the way Proverbs 19:8 - he that keepeth Proverbs 22:17 - and hear Luke 2:19 - General John 15:7 - my 2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
Cain went away from the Lord and lived in the land of Nod.
Genesis 4:17
Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Enoch. Cain built a city and gave the city the same name as his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech married two women. One wife was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal. Jabal was the father of people who live in tents and earn their living by keeping cattle.
Genesis 15:17
After the sun went down, it got very dark. The dead animals were still on the ground, each animal cut into two pieces. Then a smoking firepot and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the dead animals.
Exodus 13:12
you must remember to give the Lord every firstborn boy. And every male animal that is the firstborn must also be given to the Lord .
Leviticus 9:24
Fire came out from the Lord and burned the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When all the people saw this, they shouted with joy and then bowed to the ground to show their respect.
Numbers 16:35
Then a fire came from the Lord and destroyed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
Numbers 18:12
"And I give you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain. These are the things that the Israelites give to me, the Lord . These are the first things that they gather in their harvest.
Numbers 18:17
"But you must not make a payment for the firstborn cow, sheep, or goat. These animals are holy. Sprinkle their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a sweet-smelling gift to the Lord .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He taught me also, and said unto me,.... The Targum is,

"they taught me,''

his father and his mother; and so the Septuagint version,

"who said and taught me;''

and the Arabic version,

"they both taught me, and said unto me;''

but in the Hebrew it is singular, and is restrained to the father. He taught him when he was very young, and also gave him instructions when he was older, and a little before his own death; see 1 Chronicles 28:8; he taught him by the several psalms he wrote; some of which are called "maschil", instructive or causing to understand; two of them particularly were written for him, the seventy-second and the hundred twenty-seventh psalms; he taught him in the following words. How far the words of David his father reach is not agreed on, on all hands; some think they end with Proverbs 4:5; others with Proverbs 4:6, others with the Proverbs 4:9, and the words of Solomon begin at Proverbs 4:10: some will have it that they take in the whole chapter, which is not probable; nay, others say that the whole of the book following is his, which can by no means be agreed to: it seems most likely to me that they end at Proverbs 4:6, and at most are not to be carried beyond Proverbs 4:9;

let thine heart retain my words: says David to his son: the instructions he gave him by word of mouth, concerning his moral behaviour, relating to political things, the government of the people; and especially such as concerned the everlasting welfare of his soul, or were about Wisdom or Christ, and the knowledge of divine and spiritual things; these he would have him lay up in his heart, and keep them there, as a rich treasure, to have recourse unto upon all occasions;

keep my commandments, and live: which commandments may respect him both in his private and public capacity, and in a religious and political one; how he should behave as a man, a king, and one that feared God: as well as they may respect his orders for the building of the temple, and settling and establishing the worship of God in it; by observing which he would live comfortably and honourably, and to a good old age.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The counsel which has come to him, in substance, from his father. Compare it with 2 Samuel 23:2 etc.; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalms 15:1-5; Psalms 24:1-10; Psalms 37:0.

Proverbs 4:7

Or, “The beginning of wisdom is - get wisdom.” To seek is to find, to desire is to obtain.

Proverbs 4:12

The ever-recurring parable of the journey of life. In the way of wisdom the path is clear and open, obstacles disappear; in the quickest activity (“when thou runnest”) there is no risk of falling.

Proverbs 4:13

She is thy life - Another parallel between personified Wisdom in this book and the Incarnate Wisdom in John 1:4.

Proverbs 4:16

A fearful stage of debasement. Sin is the condition without which there can be no repose.

Proverbs 4:17

i. e., Bread and wine gained by unjust deeds. Compare Amos 2:8. A less probable interpretation is, “They eat wickedness as bread, and drink violence as wine.” Compare Job 15:16; Job 34:7.

Proverbs 4:18

Shining ... shineth - The two Hebrew words are different; the first having the sense of bright or clear. The beauty of a cloudless sunshine growing on, shining as it goes, to the full and perfect day, is chosen as the fittest figure of the ever increasing brightness of the good man’s life. Compare the marginal reference.

Proverbs 4:19

Compare our Lord’s teaching John 11:10; John 12:35.

Proverbs 4:20

The teacher speaks again in his own person.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 4:4. He taught me also, and said — Open thy heart to receive my instructions-receive them with affection; when heard, retain and practise them; and thou shalt live-the great purpose of thy being brought into the world shall be accomplished in thee.


 
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