Proverbs 1

The importance of wisdom who is like a valuable woman
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Text
Explanation
.1 ¶ The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
.2  To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
 3  To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
 4  To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
 5  A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
 6  To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
  1 - Proverbs The Hebrew word may also mean sayings or parables. ez1702, 1sa1012, ps4414, de2837, nu2127, ps04903.
  After the title in verse 1, Solomon sets forth the purpose of his collection of proverbs.
  2 - Wisdom The Hebrew word chokmah has broad meaning including manual skill, ex2803, cleverness 1ki0206, jb3917, worldly wisdom 1ki0430, is4710, pious wisdom de0406, ps03730, divine wisdom ps10424, je1012.
.7 ¶ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but .fools despise wisdom and instruction.
.8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
 9  For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
  7 - The fear of the Lord Here's where we begin. For "fear" see on mal0316. Also see v29.
  9 - Ornament Here from livyah meaning "garland" which is a type of crown. Our beauty is to be beauty of character 1pe0304.
 10 ¶ My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
 11  If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
 12  Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
 13  We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
 14  Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
.15  My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
.16  For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
.17  Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
 18  And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
 19  So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
  15 - Walk not ... with We are easily influenced by those we spend time with.
  16 - Run to evil Expression of eagerness.
  16 - Make haste to shed blood The God who reads our hearts would would not approve killing and competing with sports and video games.
  19 - Greedy of gain Today this vice is more sophisticated. See verses 10-19. 
.20 ¶ Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
 21  She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
 22  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
 23  Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
.24  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
 25  But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
  20 - Wisdom crieth without Wisdom here is personified as a woman outside of the dwelling places of those who need her. See on pr08.
 26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
 27  When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
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.28  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
.29  For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
.30  They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
 31  Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
 32  For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
 33  But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
 29 - Hated knowledge In His great love and wisdom, God gives us the freedom to choose His way of happiness or to reject it de3219.
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