the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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THE MESSAGE
Proverbs 3:18
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- EastonEncyclopedias:
- InternationalDevotionals:
- DailyParallel Translations
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,and those who hold on to her are happy.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Happy is everyone who retains her.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.
As a tree produces fruit, wisdom gives life to those who use it, and everyone who uses it will be happy.
She is like a tree of life to those who obtain her, and everyone who grasps hold of her will be blessed.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is everyone who holds her tightly.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are those who hold on to her.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her. Happy is everyone who retains her.
She is a tree of life to them that lay holde on her, and blessed is he that retaineth her.
She is a tree of life to those who seize her,And all those who hold her fast are blessed.
She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
Wisdom is a life-giving tree, the source of happiness for all who hold on to her.
She is a tree of life to those who grasp her; whoever holds fast to her will be made happy.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is he that retaineth her.
Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; and blessed are those who wait for her.
Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.
She is a tree of life for those who seize her; those who take hold of her are considered happy.
She is a tree of life to the ones who lay hold on her, and happy are the ones holding her fast.
She is a tre of life to them that laye holde vpon her, and blessed are they that kepe her fast.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: And happy is every one that retaineth her.
She is a tree of life to all who take her in their hands, and happy is everyone who keeps her.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is every one that holdest her fast.
She is a tree of life, to them that lay hold vpon her: and happy is euery one that retaineth her.
She is a tree of lyfe to them that lay holde vpon her: and blessed is he that kepeth her fast.
She is a tree of life to all that lay hold upon her; and she is a secure help to all that stay themselves on her, as on the Lord.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
It is a tre of lijf to hem that taken it; and he that holdith it, is blessid.
She is a tree of life to those that lay hold on her: And happy is every one that retains her.
She [is] a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy [is every one] that retaineth her.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her.
Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her. Happy are all who hold her near.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
A tree of life, is she, to them who secure her, - and, they who hold her fast, are every one to be pronounced happy.
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her: and he that shall retain her is blessed.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.
A tree of life she [is] to those laying hold on her, And whoso is retaining her [is] happy.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who hold her fast.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Proverbs 11:30, Proverbs 13:12, Genesis 2:9, Genesis 3:22, Revelation 22:2
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:47 - General Proverbs 4:13 - Take Proverbs 6:23 - the way Proverbs 10:17 - the way Proverbs 15:4 - a tree Proverbs 19:8 - he that keepeth Ecclesiastes 7:12 - the excellency John 1:38 - where 1 Timothy 6:12 - lay 2 Timothy 1:13 - Hold Hebrews 6:18 - lay 1 Peter 3:10 - love Revelation 2:7 - the tree
Cross-References
God told the serpent: "Because you've done this, you're cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I'm declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He'll wound your head, you'll wound his heel."
Naked I came from my mother's womb, naked I'll return to the womb of the earth. God gives, God takes. God's name be ever blessed.
So don't return us to mud, saying, "Back to where you came from!" Patience! You've got all the time in the world—whether a thousand years or a day, it's all the same to you. Are we no more to you than a wispy dream, no more than a blade of grass That springs up gloriously with the rising sun and is cut down without a second thought? Your anger is far and away too much for us; we're at the end of our rope. You keep track of all our sins; every misdeed since we were children is entered in your books. All we can remember is that frown on your face. Is that all we're ever going to get? We live for seventy years or so (with luck we might make it to eighty), And what do we have to show for it? Trouble. Toil and trouble and a marker in the graveyard. Who can make sense of such rage, such anger against the very ones who fear you?
The perverse travel a dangerous road, potholed and mud-slick; if you know what's good for you, stay clear of it.
But that's not the end of it. This country that used to be covered with fine vineyards—thousands of them, worth millions!—will revert to a weed patch. Weeds and thornbushes everywhere! Good for nothing except, perhaps, hunting rabbits. Cattle and sheep will forage as best they can in the fields of weeds—but there won't be a trace of all those fertile and well-tended gardens and fields.
Here's another Message from God to the people of Judah and Jerusalem: "Plow your unplowed fields, but then don't plant weeds in the soil! Yes, circumcise your lives for God's sake. Plow your unplowed hearts, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem. Prevent fire—the fire of my anger— for once it starts it can't be put out. Your wicked ways are fuel for the fire.
A Harvest Story At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories. "What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams. "Are you listening to this? Really listening?" The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?" He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them. "But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance. "Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road. "The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it. "The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it. "The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams." He told another story. "God's kingdom is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. That night, while his hired men were asleep, his enemy sowed thistles all through the wheat and slipped away before dawn. When the first green shoots appeared and the grain began to form, the thistles showed up, too. "The farmhands came to the farmer and said, ‘Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?' "He answered, ‘Some enemy did this.' "The farmhands asked, ‘Should we weed out the thistles?' "He said, ‘No, if you weed the thistles, you'll pull up the wheat, too. Let them grow together until harvest time. Then I'll instruct the harvesters to pull up the thistles and tie them in bundles for the fire, then gather the wheat and put it in the barn.'" Another story. "God's kingdom is like a pine nut that a farmer plants. It is quite small as seeds go, but in the course of years it grows into a huge pine tree, and eagles build nests in it." Another story. "God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread—and waits while the dough rises." All Jesus did that day was tell stories—a long storytelling afternoon. His storytelling fulfilled the prophecy: I will open my mouth and tell stories; I will bring out into the open things hidden since the world's first day. Jesus dismissed the congregation and went into the house. His disciples came in and said, "Explain to us that story of the thistles in the field." So he explained. "The farmer who sows the pure seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the pure seeds are subjects of the kingdom, the thistles are subjects of the Devil, and the enemy who sows them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, the curtain of history. The harvest hands are angels. "The picture of thistles pulled up and burned is a scene from the final act. The Son of Man will send his angels, weed out the thistles from his kingdom, pitch them in the trash, and be done with them. They are going to complain to high heaven, but nobody is going to listen. At the same time, ripe, holy lives will mature and adorn the kingdom of their Father. "Are you listening to this? Really listening? "God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found by a trespasser. The finder is ecstatic—what a find!—and proceeds to sell everything he owns to raise money and buy that field. "Or, God's kingdom is like a jewel merchant on the hunt for excellent pearls. Finding one that is flawless, he immediately sells everything and buys it. "Or, God's kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. The good fish are picked out and put in a tub; those unfit to eat are thrown away. That's how it will be when the curtain comes down on history. The angels will come and cull the bad fish and throw them in the garbage. There will be a lot of desperate complaining, but it won't do any good." Jesus asked, "Are you starting to get a handle on all this?" They answered, "Yes." He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it." When Jesus finished telling these stories, he left there, returned to his hometown, and gave a lecture in the meetinghouse. He made a real hit, impressing everyone. "We had no idea he was this good!" they said. "How did he get so wise, get such ability?" But in the next breath they were cutting him down: "We've known him since he was a kid; he's the carpenter's son. We know his mother, Mary. We know his brothers James and Joseph, Simon and Judas. All his sisters live here. Who does he think he is?" They got their noses all out of joint. But Jesus said, "A prophet is taken for granted in his hometown and his family." He didn't do many miracles there because of their hostile indifference.
For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
She [is] a tree of life,.... Or "lives" b; so Christ is called, Revelation 2:7; in allusion to the tree of life in the garden of Eden, Genesis 2:9; he being the author of life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; which souls may come at, and pluck and eat of the fruit which is upon him in great plenty and variety, even all the blessings of grace and glory;
to them that lay hold upon her; which is expressive of an act of faith on Christ, Hebrews 6:18; faith lays hold on the person of Christ as a Saviour, and will have him and no other; it comes to the blood of Christ, and deals with it for pardon and purification; it lays hold on his skirt, who is a Jew, on the robe of his righteousness, and puts it on; it lays hold on his strength, and goes forth in it, in the exercise of grace and discharge of duty; it lays hold on his covenant, the blessings and promises of it, and takes them to itself: and this act supposes danger without him, safety in him, a view of suitable provisions for food and clothing with him; some strength of grace, and some degree of resolution; also condescension on Christ's part to suffer himself to be handled by them; and likewise that he first took hold on them and brought them out of a state of nature to himself: great encouragement there is for sensible sinners to lay hold on Christ; he is set before them in the Gospel to be laid hold on; he never discourages any from so doing, nor casts out any that come to him; he is able to bear the stress of their salvation they lay upon him; multitudes of lost sinners have been saved by him: and he is a tree of life, as the text says, to such persons; they have spiritual life, and the support and comfort of it, from him now, and may expect everlasting life from him hereafter;
and happy [is everyone] that retaineth her; or "holds her fast" c; see Song of Solomon 3:4; as such may be said to do who constantly apply to him for fresh communications of grace; who walk on in him as they have received him, and hold fast the profession of their faith in him. The phrase is expressive of great affection to him, and strong faith in him; faith keeps its hold of Christ through great darkness and many difficulties; oftentimes the soul walks in darkness, and yet stays itself on Christ, and, Abraham-like, believes in hope against hope. Faith is sometimes very low, and yet lets not go its hold; it fails not, through the prevalent intercession of Christ; it cannot so let go its hold as that there is a parting; a partial departing there may be, but not a total one: however, it is sometimes very difficult for faith to keep fast hold of the Redeemer; it is for the honour and comfort of believers so to do; and it is their mercy that interest in Christ, and salvation by him, do not depend on acts of faith; for, though "we believe not, [yet] he abides faithful", 2 Timothy 2:13; nevertheless happy are they that retain him, or are steadfast in their faith on him; they have much communion with him now, and shall live with him for evermore hereafter.
b עץ חיים "lignum vitarum", Montanus. c תמכיה "significatur hoc verbo, firmitas et constantia in tonendo", Michaelis; so Mercerus.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
This and the other references in Proverbs Proverbs 11:30; Proverbs 13:12; Proverbs 15:4 are the only allusions in any book of the Old Testament, after Genesis, to the “tree” itself, or to its spiritual significance. Further, there is the tendency to a half-allegorizing application of that history. “The tree of life” which Adam was not to taste lies open to his children. Wisdom is the “tree of life,” giving a true immortality. The symbol entered largely into the religious imagery. of Assyria, Egypt, and Persia. Philo, going a step further, found in the two trees the ideal representatives of speculative knowledge and moral wisdom; and the same image subserves a higher purpose in the promises and the visions of Revelation 2:7; Revelation 22:2.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Proverbs 3:18. She is a tree of life — עץ חיים ets chaiyim, "the tree of lives," alluding most manifestly to the tree so called which God in the beginning planted in the garden of Paradise, by eating the fruit of which all the wastes of nature might have been continually repaired, so as to prevent death for ever. This is an opinion which appears probable enough. The blessings which wisdom-true religion-gives to men, preserve them in life, comfort them through life, cause them to triumph in death, and ensure them a glorious immortality.
