Proverbs 4:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life.

NIV: Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.

NASB: Take hold of instruction; do not let go. Guard her, for she is your life.

CSB: Hold on to instruction; don’t let go. Guard it, for it is your life.

NLT: Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.

KJV: Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

NKJV: Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.

Here Solomon pleads with his son to hold instruction firmly in his grip and not let go. He advises his son to guard instruction, because it gives life. The importance of this idea was even illustrated in Solomon's own life. He drifted from wisdom (1 Kings 11:4), only to realize later how foolish that was (Ecclesiastes 12:13). There's a sense in which this teaching might include the warning "don't make the mistakes I did."

"Wisdom" in this book refers to an ability to act according to godly knowledge. The most important expression of this is in how someone reacts to the gospel of salvation through Christ. Those who receive instruction about the gospel and respond positively by trusting in Christ as Savior receive eternal life. First John 5:12 declares, "Whoever has the Son has life." In 2 Timothy 1:10 Paul wrote that Christ "abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." When a person believes in Jesus, he passes from spiritual death to spiritual life; and when he dies physically, he enters heaven, where he is immortal and incapable of dying.

Further, responding to instruction properly by trusting in Christ also brings about a joyful and meaningful life instead of a mere existence (John 10:10). The apostle Paul testified, "For to me to live is Christ" (Philippians 1:21), and in his letter to the Philippians wrote frequently about his joy, even though he was imprisoned by the Romans at the time.

Proverbs 4:10–19 contains both positive and negative counsel: ''do'' and ''do not'' statements. Solomon urges his son to choose the positive path of wisdom and avoid the negative ways of wickedness. Those caught in evil are portrayed as overcome, addicted, and desperate. Solomon concludes this section by comparing the path of the righteous to bright light and the way of the wicked to deep darkness.

Common for the first nine chapters of Proverbs, Solomon urges his sons—possibly also other students—to listen to his words. He recalls his early years, when he heard some of these words from his father, David. Wisdom is upheld as the most beneficial thing a person can acquire in life. It brings honor and safety. In contrast, the wicked are perpetual wrongdoers whose goal is to lead others astray. They live for wickedness and violence, and they stumble in the darkness. Solomon urges his sons not to deviate from the path of godly wisdom, either ''to the right or to the left.''

The first nine chapters of the book of Proverbs focus on extolling the value of godly wisdom. In this chapter King Solomon continues to pass along this message to his son. His advice to his sons—possibly also meaning his students—in chapter 4 is similar to what he says in Proverbs 1:8–9; 2:1–6; 3:1–2, 21–26; 5:1–2; 6:20–22; 7:1–3, 24; and 8:22–36. The words of this chapter are partly taken from advice Solomon recalls hearing from his own father, David.

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.