Proverbs 1:20

Proverbs 1:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
• New International Version (NIV)Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
• English Standard Version (ESV)Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
• New King James Version (NKJV)Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.

Context of Proverbs 1:20

18And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives. 19So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors. Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways; 21she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words: 22How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?

Proverbs 1:20 word by word

חָ֭כְמוֹת בַּח֣וּץ תָּרֹ֑נָּה בָּ֝רְחֹב֗וֹת תִּתֵּ֥ן קוֹלָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

• voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963

Cross-references for Proverbs 1:20

• Matthew 13:54And having come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Whence has this [man] this wisdom and these works of power?
• Luke 11:49For this reason also the wisdom of God has said, I will send to them prophets and apostles, and of these shall they kill and drive out by persecution,
• 1 Corinthians 1:24but to those that [are] called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ God's power and God's wisdom.
• Colossians 2:3in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.
• Proverbs 8:1Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding give forth her voice?
• Proverbs 9:3she hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the summits of the high places of the city,
• John 7:37In the last, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried saying, If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.

Commentaries on Proverbs 1:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Wisdom crieth - Here wisdom is again personified, as it is frequently, throughout this book; where nothing is meant but the teachings given to man, either by Divine revelation or the voice of the Holy Spirit in the heart. And this voice of wisdom is opposed to the seducing language of the wicked mentioned above. This voice is everywhere heard, in public, in private, in the streets, and in the house. Common sense, universal experience, and the law of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Wisdom is personified. In the Hebrew the noun is a feminine plural, as though this Wisdom were the queen of all wisdoms, uniting in herself all their excellences. She lifts up her voice, not in solitude, but in the haunts of men “without,” i. e., outside the walls, in the streets, at the highest point of all places of concourse, in the open space of the gates where the elders meet and the king sits in judgment, in the heart of the city itself Proverbs…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-33Verses 20-33 Solomon, having showed how dangerous it is to hearken to the temptations of Satan, here declares how dangerous it is not to hearken to the calls of God. Christ himself is Wisdom, is Wisdoms. Three sorts of persons are here called by Him: 1. Simple ones. Sinners are fond of their simple notions of good and evil, their simple prejudices against the ways of God, and flatter themselves in their wickedness. 2. Scorners. Proud, jovial people, that…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20-33The author describes wisdom as a woman. In Hebrew, the word for wisdom, khokmah, is grammatically feminine. The author encourages his son to embrace wisdom (see Proverbs 3:18; 8:1–9:6).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 20-3320-33. Some interpreters regard this address as the language of the Son of God under the name of Wisdom (compare Lu 11:49). Others think that wisdom, as the divine attribute specially employed in acts of counsel and admonition, is here personified, and represents God. In either case the address is a most solemn and divine admonition, whose matter and spirit are eminently evangelical and impressive (see on Pr 8:1). Wisdom--literally, "Wisdoms," the plural…Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 1:20

• Instruction
• Salvation
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Call
• Consent
• Despise
• Entice
• Hate
• Lurk
• Naught
• Prosperity
• Proverb
• Refrain

Commentaries on Proverbs 1

• 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
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings