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Texts -- Proverbs 4:1-13 (NET)

Context
Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness
4:1 Listen , children , to a father’s instruction , and pay attention so that you may gain discernment . 4:2 Because I give you good instruction , do not forsake my teaching . 4:3 When I was a son to my father , a tender only child before my mother , 4:4 he taught me, and he said to me: “Let your heart lay hold of my words ; keep my commands so that you will live . 4:5 Acquire wisdom , acquire understanding ; do not forget and do not turn aside from the words I speak . 4:6 Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will guard you. 4:7 Wisdom is supreme – so acquire wisdom , and whatever you acquire , acquire understanding ! 4:8 Esteem her highly and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. 4:9 She will place a fair garland on your head ; she will bestow a beautiful crown on you.” 4:10 Listen , my child , and accept my words , so that the years of your life will be many . 4:11 I will guide you in the way of wisdom and I will lead you in upright paths . 4:12 When you walk , your steps will not be hampered , and when you run , you will not stumble . 4:13 Hold on to instruction , do not let it go ; protect it, because it is your life .

Pericope

NET
  • Pro 4:1-27 -- Admonition to Follow Righteousness and Avoid Wickedness

Bible Dictionary

  • Young Men

    [nave] YOUNG MEN. Ex. 24:3-5; 1 Kin. 12:6-15 2 Chr. 10:8. Psa. 119:9; Psa. 148:12, 13; Prov. 1:1-33; Prov. 2:1-22; Prov. 3:1-35; Prov. 4:1-27; Prov. 5:1-23 Prov. 31:1-3. Prov. 6:1-35; Prov. 7:1-27; Prov. 10:1; Prov. 13:1; Prov. 15...

  • Wisdom

    [nave] WISDOM Of Joseph, Gen. 41:16, 25-39; Acts 7:10. Of Moses, Acts 7:22. Of Bezaleel, Ex. 31:3-5; 35:31-35; 36:1. Of Aholiab, Ex. 31:6; 35:34, 35; 36:1; of other skilled artisans, Ex. 36:2; of women, Ex. 35:26. Of Hiram, 1 K...

  • Children

    [nave] CHILDREN In answer to prayer: To Abraham, Gen. 15:2-5, with Gen. 21:1, 2; Isaac, Gen. 25:21; Leah, Gen. 30:17-22; Rachel, Gen. 30:22-24; Haah, 1 Sam. 1:9-20; Zacharias, Luke 1:13. Treatment of, at birth, Ezek. 16:4-6; Luke ...

  • CROWN

    [isbe] CROWN - kroun: The word crown in the Old Testament is a translation of five different Hebrew words, and in the New Testament of two Greek words. These express the several meanings, and must be examined to ascertain the same....
    [smith] This ornament, which is both ancient and universal, probably originated from the fillets used to prevent the hair from being dishevelled by the wind. Such fillets are still common; they gradually developed into turbans, which...

  • GET; GETTING

    [isbe] GET; GETTING - A great many Hebrew words are in the Old Testament translated "get," "got," etc. The word "get" has two meanings: (1) with the idea of movement, "to go," etc.; (2) with that of acquisition, "to gain," "obtain,...

  • RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY

    [isbe] RELATIONSHIPS, FAMILY - re-la'-shun-ships: I. CONSANGUINITY 1. In General 2. Parents and Children 3. Brothers and Sisters 4. Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Kinsmen II. AFFINITY 1. Husband and Wife 2. Father-in-Law, etc. 3. Brother-...

  • RIGHT

    [isbe] RIGHT - rit (yashar, mishpaT; dikaios, euthus): Many Hebrew words are translated "right," with different shades of meaning. Of these the two noted are the most important: yashar, with the sense of being straight, direct, as ...

  • PATH; PATHWAY

    [isbe] PATH; PATHWAY - path, path'-wa (orach, nethibhah, etc.; tribos, trochia): (1) In the Old Testament.--In addition to its obvious literal sense (e.g. Gen 49:17), it has very frequently a figurative meaning. (a) As applied to m...

  • RETAIN

    [isbe] RETAIN - re-tan': Several Hebrew words are thus translated: chazaq, "to hold fast" (Jdg 7:8; 19:4; Job 2:9 the King James Version (the Revised Version (British and American) "hold fast"); Mic 7:18); `atsar, "to shut up" (onl...

  • EXALT

    [isbe] EXALT - eg-zolt' (rum, gabhah (mappiq he), nasa'; hupsoo): The Hebrew word most often translated "exalt," "exalted," is rum; "to lift up," "to be or become high." It is used with reference to both God and man, e.g. Ex 15:2, ...

  • BRING

    [isbe] BRING - dasha' = "to sprout," "spring" (Gen 1:11 the King James Version); sharats = "to wriggle," "swarm" (Gen 1:20 f; 9:7; Ex 8:3); yaladh = "to bear," "beget" (Gen 3:16; 2 Ki 19:3; Job 15:35; 39:1,2; "what a day may bring ...

  • ADORN

    [isbe] ADORN - a-dorn' (kosmeo): Has as its primary meaning "to arrange," "to put In order," "to decorate." It is used with reference to the manner in which Christian women were urged to dress. This was a vital question in the earl...

  • DOCTRINE

    [isbe] DOCTRINE - dok'-trin: Latin doctrina, from doceo, "to teach," denotes both the act of teaching and that which is taught; now used exclusively in the latter sense. 1. Meaning of Terms: (1) In the Old Testament for (a) leqach ...

  • EDUCATION

    [isbe] EDUCATION - ed-u-ka'-shun: I. EDUCATION DEFINED II. EDUCATION IN EARLY ISRAEL 1. Nomadic and Agricultural Periods 2. The Monarchical Period 3. Deuteronomic Legislation 4. Reading and Writing III. EDUCATION IN LATER ISRAEL 1....

  • EMBRACE

    [isbe] EMBRACE - em-bras': The word has two distinct meanings in the Old Testament: (1) to clasp and hold fondly in the arms, pointing to a common custom (Gen 29:13; 33:4; 48:10; 2 Ki 4:16; Song 2:6; 8:3; compare Acts 20:10), and (...

  • Honey

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. ya'ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25, 27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods. (2.) Nopheth, honey that drops (Ps. 19:10; ...

Arts

Questions

  • The passage in Prov. 23:23 --- "buy the truth and sell it not" --- is not to be interpreted as meaning that both the buying and selling must be wrong. On the contrary, the meaning is that we should get the truth, whatever it ...

Sermon Illustrations

What to Expect from Your Pastor; Quotes; Proverbs

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The title of this book in the Hebrew Bible is "The Proverbs of Solomon, the Son of David, King in Israel"(cf. 1:1). The Greek Septuagint called this book "Proverbs of Solomon."The Latin Vulgate named it "The Book of Proverbs....
  • Proverbs claims to be a compendium of the wise sayings of several different individuals.4Solomon originated some of them (10:1-22:16 and chs. 25-29 definitely, and probably chs. 1-9 as well).5Unnamed wise men (sages) wrote ot...
  • The Book of Proverbs contains no history. It is purely didactic. It is a book of explicit instruction. Like the other Old Testament wisdom books, Job and Ecclesiastes, it does not contain references to Israel's laws, rituals,...
  • I. Discourses on wisdom chs. 1-9A. Introduction to the book 1:1-71. The title of the book 1:12. The purpose of the book 1:2-63. The thesis of the book 1:7B. Instruction for young people 1:8-7:271. Warning against consorting w...
  • Verse one introduces both the book as a whole and chapters 1-9 in particular. The Book of Proverbs is a collection of at least five separate groups of proverbs. There are those that Solomon spoke and or wrote (possibly chs. 1...
  • The two ways (paths) introduced in 1:7 stretch out before the reader (cf. Matt. 7:13-14). In this section Solomon spoke to his son guiding him into God's way. "My son"was and is a customary way of addressing a disciple."It de...
  • The first section of verses in this chapter shows how parents can pass along the love of wisdom, mainly by personal influence. Note how positive Solomon's instruction is. Rather than saying, "Don't do this and that!"which he ...
  • In verses 10-19 two paths again lie before the youth, the way of wisdom (vv. 10-13) and the way of the wicked (vv. 14-17).60"Upright"paths (v. 11) are straightforward ways of behaving morally and practically. God's way is the...
  • The parallel between wisdom's invitation and the one Jesus Christ extended to everyone to come to His feast shows the similarity between wisdom and responding positively to God's Word (Matt. 22:1-14; Luke 14:15-24). The "seve...
  • Chapters 1-9, as we have seen, contain discourses that Solomon evidently wrote urging his sons to choose the way of wisdom for their lives.92At 10:1 we begin the part of the book that sets forth what the wise way is in a vari...
  • A third major section of the Book of Proverbs begins with 22:17. This is clear from several indicators. The proverbs lengthen out again from the typical one verse couplet that characterizes 10:1-26:16 (cf. chs. 1-9). The phra...
  • As in chapters 1-9, the writer began this section of the book with an exhortation to hear and give heed to the words of wisdom that follow (22:17-21)."This extended introduction reminds us that the wise sayings were not curio...
  • We return now to the proverbs of Solomon (cf. 1:1-22:16). Chapters 25-26 contain proverbs that are mainly comparisons. The key words in these chapters are "like . . . so."Chapter 27 is a mixture of comparative and antithetica...
  • 25:1 A group of scholars who served during King Hezekiah's reign (715-686 B.C.) added more of Solomon's 3,000 proverbs (1 Kings 4:32) to the former collection (1:1-22:16). These men lived about 250 years after Solomon. Solomo...
  • This poem recalls the earlier discourses in chapters 1-9. In this one, Solomon gave some basic and practical advice designed to assure success in the context of Israel's most common occupation, animal husbandry.The essentials...
  • Chapters 30 and 31 form a distinct section in Proverbs because neither Solomon (1:1-22:16; chs. 25-29) nor the unnamed sages (22:17-24:34) wrote them. Two other wise men whose names the text records did. Some expositors specu...
  • The quality of wisdom that Proverbs presents is much more than the ability to apply knowledge to various situations in life effectively. It also involves submission to the way of God that is the order of life God has revealed...
  • Aitken, Kenneth T. Proverbs. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1986.Alden, Robert L. Proverbs: A Commentary on an Ancient Book of Timeless Advice. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984.Archer, Gleason L., Jr. Encyclopedia of Bi...
  • Even though the righteous sometimes do not receive a reward in this life and the wicked prosper, it is still better to live righteously."Proper evaluation of a man's character helps to explain the apparent inequalities in div...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. 11. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. 12. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when th...
  • When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not Stumble.'--Proverbs 4:12.The old metaphor likening life to a path has many felicities in it. It suggests constant change, it suggests c...
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