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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Proverbs 1:2

To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Proverbs;   Young Men;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mind;   Wisdom;   Wisdom literature;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Education in Bible Times;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Uzziah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel, History of;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bird;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Discipline;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Education;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For learning wisdom and discipline;for understanding insightful sayings;
Hebrew Names Version
To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;
King James Version
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
English Standard Version
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,
New Century Version
They teach wisdom and self-control; they will help you understand wise words.
New English Translation
To learn wisdom and moral instruction, and to discern wise counsel.
Amplified Bible
To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction; To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,
New American Standard Bible
To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,
World English Bible
To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;
Geneva Bible (1587)
To knowe wisdome, and instruction, to vnderstand ye wordes of knowledge,
Legacy Standard Bible
To know wisdom and discipline,To understand the sayings of understanding,
Berean Standard Bible
To know wisdom and discipline, to comprehend the words of insight,
Contemporary English Version
Proverbs will teach you wisdom and self-control and how to understand sayings with deep meanings.
Complete Jewish Bible
are for learning about wisdom and discipline; for understanding words expressing deep insight;
Darby Translation
to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
Easy-to-Read Version
They will help you learn to be wise, to accept correction, and to understand wise sayings.
George Lamsa Translation
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Good News Translation
Here are proverbs that will help you recognize wisdom and good advice, and understand sayings with deep meaning.
Lexham English Bible
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand sayings of understanding,
Literal Translation
To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
to lerne wy?dome nurtoure, vnderstondinge, prudence,
American Standard Version
To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;
Bible in Basic English
To have knowledge of wise teaching; to be clear about the words of reason:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the words of understanding;
King James Version (1611)
To knowe wisedome and instruction, to perceiue the words of vnderstanding,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
To learne wisdome and instruction, & to perceaue the wordes of vnderstandyng,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding;
English Revised Version
To know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
to kunne wisdom and kunnyng;
Update Bible Version
To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;
Webster's Bible Translation
To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
New Living Translation
Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline, to help them understand the insights of the wise.
New Life Bible
They show you how to know wisdom and teaching, to find the words of understanding.
New Revised Standard
For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For the knowledge of wisdom and correction, for discerning the sayings of intelligence;
Douay-Rheims Bible
To know wisdom, and instruction:
Revised Standard Version
That men may know wisdom and instruction, understand words of insight,
Young's Literal Translation
For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
To know wisdom and instruction, To discern the sayings of understanding,

Contextual Overview

1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion-- 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 4:5-7, Proverbs 7:4, Proverbs 8:5, Proverbs 16:16, Proverbs 17:16, Deuteronomy 4:5, Deuteronomy 4:6, 1 Kings 3:9-12, 2 Timothy 3:15-17

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 12:8 - General Proverbs 2:9 - General Proverbs 8:33 - Hear Luke 11:49 - the wisdom

Cross-References

Genesis 1:12
And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;
Job 26:7
He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.
Job 26:14
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, And how small a whisper we hear of Him! But the thunder of His power who can understand?"
Psalms 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.
Nahum 2:10
She is empty, desolate, and waste!The heart melts, and the knees shake;Much pain is in every side,And all their faces are drained of color. Joel 2:6 ">[fn]

Gill's Notes on the Bible

To know wisdom and instruction,.... That is, these proverbs were made, and written, and published, to make known or to teach men wisdom and knowledge; not only in things moral, and therefore these proverbs are by some called Solomon's "ethics"; and indeed they do contain the best system of morality in the whole world; nothing like it is to be extracted out of all the writings of the Heathen poets and philosophers: nor only in things civil; for which reason they may be called his "politics", seeing they are instructive to kings and civil magistrates, and to subjects; and also his "economics", seeing they furnish out rules for husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants, worthy of their attention and observance: but also they are a means of and are designed to teach spiritual and evangelical wisdom and knowledge; things relating to Jesus Christ, the wisdom of God, and the way of life and salvation by him, the knowledge of which is life eternal. These words, with others that follow, seem to be synonymous, and signify much one and the same thing; and are used to show that the most consummate wisdom and comprehensive knowledge may be attained by means of this book; which, like the rest of Scripture, with a divine blessing, is able to make a man "wise unto salvation"; and is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness", 2 Timothy 3:15; where the apostle seems to allude to this text: since "wisdom" here may stand for "doctrine" in general; and "instruction" may signify the means of attaining to it; and it may be observed, that the word is used for "discipline" and "correction", as well as "instruction". If these words are to be distinguished, the first, "wisdom", may design a wise scheme and plan of truths, and the theory of them and the latter, "instruction", the learning it and putting it into practice; and for both theory and practice this book is useful;

to perceive the words of understanding; which flow from a good understanding, and give a right understanding of things; so that a man may be able to distinguish between light and darkness, truth and error, right and wrong; particularly the doctrines of the Gospel may be meant, which are eminently so, and exceed the understanding of a natural man, and which are only understood by a spiritual man; the means of knowing which are the Scriptures, under the guidance and direction of the Spirit of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The writer’s purpose is to educate. He is writing what might be called an ethical handbook for the young, though not for the young only. Of all books in the Old Testament, this is the one which we may think of as most distinctively educational. A comparison of it with a similar manual, the “sayings of the fathers,” in the Mishna, would help the student to measure the difference between Scriptural and rabbinical teaching.

Wisdom - The power by which human personality reaches its highest spiritual perfection, by which all lower elements are brought into harmony with the highest, is presently personified as life-giving and creative. Compare the notes of Job 28:23, etc.

Instruction - i. e., discipline or training, the practical complement of the more speculative wisdom.

Understanding - The power of distinguishing right from wrong, truth from its counterfeit. The three words σοφία sophia, παιδεία paideia, φρόνησις phronēsis (Septuagint), express very happily the relation of the words in the Hebrew.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 1:2. To know wisdom — That is, this is the design of parabolical writing in general; and the particular aim of the present work.

This and the two following verses contain the interpretation of the term parable, and the author's design in the whole book. The first verse is the title, and the next three verses are an explanation of the nature and design of this very important tract.

Wisdom — חכמה chochmah may mean here, and in every other part of this book, not only that Divine science by which we are enabled to discover the best end, and pursue it by the most proper means; but also the whole of that heavenly teaching that shows us both ourselves and God, directs us into all truth, and forms the whole of true religion.

And instruction — מוסר musar, the teaching that discovers all its parts, to understand, to comprehend the words or doctrines which should be comprehended, in order that we may become wise to salvation.


 
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