Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 4:3
3When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother,
Proverbs 4:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
- New International Version (NIV)For I too was a son to my father, still tender, and cherished by my mother.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When I was a son with my father, tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,
- New King James Version (NKJV)When I was my father’s son, Tender and the only one in the sight of my mother,
Context of Proverbs 4:3
1Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, 2for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching. When I was a son with my father, tender and precious to my mother, 4he taught me and said, “Your heart must hold on to my words. Keep my commands and live. 5Get wisdom, get understanding; don’t forget or turn away from the words from my mouth.
Read all of Proverbs 4Proverbs 4:3 word by word
כִּי־בֵ֭ן הָיִ֣יתִי לְאָבִ֑י רַ֥ךְ וְ֝יָחִ֗יד לִפְנֵ֥י אִמִּֽי׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 4:3
- 2 Samuel 12:24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba; he went to her and slept with her. She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved him,
- 1 Kings 1:13Go, approach King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, did you not swear to your servant: Your son Solomon is to become king after me, and he is the one who is to sit on my throne? So why has Adonijah become king?’
- 1 Chronicles 3:5These sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were born to him by Bath-shua daughter of Ammiel.
- 1 Chronicles 22:5David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands. Therefore, I will make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.
- 1 Chronicles 29:1Then King David said to all the assembly, “My son Solomon — God has chosen him alone — is young and inexperienced. The task is great because the building will not be built for a human but for the Lord God.
- Jeremiah 10:23I know, Lord, that a person’s way of life is not his own; no one who walks determines his own steps.
- Romans 12:16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Commentaries on Proverbs 4:3
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Probably the words of Solomon himself, who looks back from his glorious throne and his matured wisdom to the training which was the starting point. The part taken by Bathsheba in Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:12) in its derived sense, “beloved like an only son.” The Vulgate gives “unigenitus.” Compare the words applied to our Lord, as the “only begotten” John 1:14, the “beloved” Ephesians 1:6.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3a son to my father...the only child of my mother: In Proverbs, both parents teach wisdom. This joint involvement is unique in ancient Near Eastern traditions.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. father's son--emphatic, a son specially regarded, and so called tender, as an object of special care (compare 1Ch 22:7; 29:1); an idea further expressed by only beloved--or, "as an only son" (Ge 22:2), though he had brothers (see on 1Ch 3:5).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 4:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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