Proverbs 23:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.

NIV: Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

NASB: Apply your heart to discipline, And your ears to words of knowledge.

CSB: Apply yourself to discipline and listen to words of knowledge.

NLT: Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.

KJV: Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

NKJV: Apply your heart to instruction, And your ears to words of knowledge.

The entire book of Proverbs centers around the value of godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; 3:1–8). A large section of the book was composed of good advice attributed to Solomon (Proverbs 10:1). After several chapters of these teachings, Solomon introduced thirty wise sayings which he endorsed, but did not necessarily write (Proverbs 22:17–21). While relaying these thirty teachings, he occasionally stops to highlight the importance of those words. This verse is one of those reminders (Proverbs 23:19, 26).

Discipline and close attention are necessary if a person wants to gain godly wisdom (Proverbs 1:1–7). The book of Proverbs uses certain terms to depict levels of instruction. "Learning" is acquiring information. "Knowledge" is learning retained for long-term use. "Wisdom" is the capacity to act correctly based on knowledge. "Understanding" is a developed level of wisdom which should be shared with others.

This means that true wisdom requires intentional choices; a person can "know" what is right, but the heart must apply that knowledge to real-life situations. James exhorts his readers to "be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22). He explains that whoever reads into God's Word but fails to apply it is like someone who looks into a mirror and immediately forgets what his face looks like (James 1:23–24). He reasons that blessing comes to the person who acts upon what God's Word reveals (James 1:25). Jesus said, "Take care then how you hear" (Luke 8:18)—meaning we ought not merely perceive His Word, but also obey it.

Proverbs 23:12–21 lays out more of the thirty wise sayings which Solomon recorded for others to hear (Proverbs 22:17–21). Verses 12 and 19 repeat the call to heed wisdom. The following helpful statements touch on child discipline, personal integrity, caution about one's companions, and the benefits of listening to godly parental advice.

This portion of wise sayings (Proverbs 22:17–21) starts with the sixth of thirty mentioned in chapter 22. These include advice on presenting oneself well to a host, while not being unduly influenced by such hospitality. The passage also speaks on the right time to share wisdom, ethics, discipline, and the joys associated with godly children. Also included are warnings about relationships and those who lack self-control. The chapter ends with the Bible's most strident warning about the dangers of alcohol abuse; this is the eighteenth of the thirty promised teachings.

This chapter continues Solomon's collection of the sayings of wise men (Proverbs 22:17–21). These lessons continue through Proverbs 24:34. Here, Solomon addresses his "son," perhaps meaning a student, with warnings about money, gluttony, speaking in the company of a fool, dishonesty, withholding discipline from a child, keeping company with drunkards, and the abuse of alcohol. The description of alcohol's risks is the most extensive such caution given in Scripture.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.