Proverbs2

English Standard Version

TranslationKJV WEB ASV ESV NIV NASB NKJV NLT

¹My , you my and my with you,

²making your to and your to ;

³yes, you call for and for ,

⁴ you it like and for it as for ,

⁵ you will the of the Lord and the of .

⁶ the Lord ; from his come and ;

⁷he for the ; he is a to those who in ,

⁸ the of and the of his .

⁹Then you will and and , ;

¹⁰for will your , and will be to your ;

¹¹ will you, will you,

¹² you from the of , from of ,

¹³who the of to in the of ,

¹⁴who in and in the of ,

¹⁵men are , and who are in their .

¹⁶So you will be the , the with her ,

¹⁷who the of her and the of her ;

¹⁸ her to , and her to the ;

¹⁹ who to her come , nor do they the of .

²⁰ you will in the of the and to the of the .

²¹ the will the , and those with will in it,

²²but the will be from the , and the will be of it.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Proverbs 2.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Promises to those who seek wisdom. (1–9). The advantages of wisdom. (10–22).

vv1-9

Those who earnestly seek heavenly wisdom, will never complain that they have lost their labour; and the freeness of the gift does not do away the necessity of our diligence, Joh 6:27 Let them seek, and they shall find it; let them ask, and it shall be given them. Observe who are thus favoured. They are the righteous, on whom the image of God is renewed, which consists in righteousness. If we depend upon God, and seek to him for wisdom, he will enable us to keep the paths of judgment.

vv10-22

If we are truly wise, we shall be careful to avoid all evil company and evil practices. When wisdom has dominion over us, then it not only fills the head, but enters into the heart, and will preserve, both against corruptions within and temptations without. The ways of sin are ways of darkness, uncomfortable and unsafe: what fools are those who leave the plain, pleasant, lightsome paths of uprightness, to walk in such ways! They take pleasure in sin; both in committing it, and in seeing others commit it. Every wise man will shun such company. True wisdom will also preserve from those who lead to fleshly lusts, which defile the body, that living temple, and war against the soul. These are evils which excite the sorrow of every serious mind, and cause every reflecting parent to look upon his children with anxiety, lest they should be entangled in such fatal snares. Let the sufferings of others be our warnings. Our Lord Jesus deters from sinful pleasures, by the everlasting torments which follow them. It is very rare that any who are caught in this snare of the devil, recover themselves; so much is the heart hardened, and the mind blinded, by the deceitfulness of this sin. Many think that this caution, besides the literal sense, is to be understood as a caution against idolatry, and subjecting the soul to the body, by seeking any forbidden object. The righteous must leave the earth as well as the wicked; but the earth is a very different thing to them. To the wicked it is all the heaven they ever shall have; to the righteous it is the place of preparation for heaven. And is it all one to us, whether we share with the wicked in the miseries of their latter end, or share those everlasting joys that shall crown believers?

Key Words

sonH1121Hebrew

בֵּן: a son (as a builder of the family name), in the widest sense (of literal and figurative relationship, including grandson, subject, nation, quality or condition, etc., (like father or brother), etc.)

ifH518Hebrew

אִם: used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also Oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not

receiveH3947Hebrew

לָקַח: to take (in the widest variety of applications)

wordsH561Hebrew

אֵמֶר: something said

treasure upH6845Hebrew

צָפַן: to hide (by covering over); by implication, to hoard or reserve; figuratively to deny; specifically (favorably) to protect, (unfavorably) to lurk

commandmentsH4687Hebrew

מִצְוָה: a command, whether human or divine (collectively, the Law)

earH241Hebrew

אֹזֶן: broadness. i.e. (concrete) the ear (from its form in man)

attentiveH7181Hebrew

קָשַׁב: to prick up the ears, i.e. hearken

wisdomH2451Hebrew

חׇכְמָה: wisdom (in a good sense)

incliningH5186Hebrew

נָטָה: to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application