Proverbs 4:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

NIV: Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn away from them.

NASB: Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

CSB: Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth.

NLT: Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.

KJV: Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

NKJV: Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs touts the value of wisdom, placing far above any material possession (Proverbs 3:13–15). Wisdom, as used here, comes as the result of learning, which leads to knowledge. Knowledge leads to wisdom: the ability to act according to a truthful, godly perspective. The word in this verse translated as "insight" by the ESV shares the same Hebrew root as the term translated "understanding" in verses such as Proverbs 1:2, where both forms are used. That term implies absorbing wisdom to the point that one can pass along its meaning to others.

David told his son Solomon to get wisdom and insight, and he commanded him not to forget or reject his words. Later in life, it seems Solomon drifted from this advice (1 Kings 11:4), only to return to better understanding after extensive experience (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

At first, however, this fatherly advice seems to have served Solomon well. After he became king, God appeared to Solomon in a dream at Gibeon. The Lord said, "Ask what I shall give you" (1 Kings 3:5). Rather than asking for power, wealth, or something worldly, Solomon asked for something he'd been taught to consider far more valuable. He responded, "Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?" (1 Kings 3:9).

Proverbs 4:1–9 looks back on Solomon's childhood and the wise instruction he received from his father David. He rehearses that instruction and passes it along to his young students. Echoing David, Solomon credits wisdom with the power to protect, honor, and grace the life of whoever acquires it. ''Wisdom,'' used in these passages, means the ability to act according to godly knowledge.

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.