Proverbs 4:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: he taught me and said to me, “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.

NIV: Then he taught me, and he said to me, 'Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.

NASB: He taught me and said to me, 'Let your heart take hold of my words; Keep my commandments and live;

CSB: he taught me and said, "Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live.

NLT: My father taught me, 'Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.

KJV: He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

NKJV: He also taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words; Keep my commands, and live.

This memory of Solomon's father, David (Proverbs 4:3), echoes many of the same statements Solomon is now making in Proverbs. David taught Solomon to retain his words in his heart and keep his commandments. The fact that David told Solomon to let his heart hold fast his words show us that intellectual knowledge of Scripture cannot by itself produce wisdom and godliness. We must love God's Word with our hearts. Even though Proverbs explains why wisdom is valuable, merely having wisdom does not guarantee a person will follow it. Solomon, himself, seems to have struggled with this (1 Kings 11:4).

First Chronicles 28:9 quotes David's counsel to Solomon prior to Solomon's construction of the temple in Jerusalem. He told Solomon, "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind." A father can give sound advice to his son, but the best advice is exactly that. Solomon seems to have only embraced this truth after learning, through his own life, just how true it is (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

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.

Accessed 5/8/2024 5:04:19 AM