Proverbs 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

NIV: For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

NASB: For wisdom will enter your heart, And knowledge will be delightful to your soul;

CSB: For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will delight you.

NLT: For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.

KJV: When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

NKJV: When wisdom enters your heart, And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,

This verse once again connects the concept of discernment to virtuous living. To make this connection, Solomon leverages two additional ideas—the heart and soul—along with wisdom and knowledge. In ancient philosophical thinking, virtuous living meant pursuing several different traits, called virtues. Under that approach, none of the virtues exist independently; therefore, even though the subject of this section is justice, there is a necessary connection with wisdom.

In order to be just, wisdom and knowledge must enter into one's heart and soul. In Jewish culture the heart is considered to be the center of emotional and intellectual life, while the soul is the uniquely endowed breath of life created in humans. Solomon later defines this in Proverbs 20:27. While the terms soul and spirit are not exactly synonymous, we can see the importance of what Solomon is stating here: justice comes when wisdom permeates every aspect of who we are. This is the heart and soul working together to bring about discernment.

Proverbs 2:9–15 refines our understanding of justice, which is possibly the most difficult of the four virtues to master. We have long misunderstood justice as fairness or equality. Everyone is familiar with the common complaint ''that's not fair.'' This is often expressed when someone perceives that they are not being treated identically to others. However, true justice makes no claim to be equal; instead it is equitable. Justice can be defined as giving each person their due. Justice is absolutely fair, it is not necessarily equal.

In Proverbs chapter 2, Solomon highlights various virtues, as well as provides encouragement to live a virtuous life. As in chapter 1, specific concepts wil reoccur, and are used in certain ways. Here, these are ideas such as courage, integrity, wisdom, and justice. The gist of this passage is the positive effect that virtue—including these various aspects—will have on one's life. In contrast, those who pursue non-virtuous living will suffer dire consequences.

The overarching theme of Proverbs chapter 2 is the relationship between virtue and discernment. As described here, virtuous living is moral living. As a person strives to live a moral life, he or she develops a greater ability to discern right from wrong. Further, beyond simple matters of right and wrong, as virtue grows within a person, he or she becomes more proficient at discerning trickier situations. Real life predicaments often present two or more seemingly valid options. Discernment, then, also includes determining which of many different options is actually best. Likewise, many life situations appear to offer only a variety of bad options. There, discernment is once again required, to determine which option presents the correct choice, or to recognize where a ''good'' option has been hidden.

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.

Accessed 5/6/2024 2:10:55 PM