English Standard Version
Proverbs 1:20
20Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;
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;
- New King James Version (NKJV)Wisdom calls aloud outside; She raises her voice in the open squares.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.
Context of Proverbs 1:20
18but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives. 19Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors. Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; 21at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: 22"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?
Read all of Proverbs 1Proverbs 1:20 word by word
חָ֭כְמוֹת בַּח֣וּץ תָּרֹ֑נָּה בָּ֝רְחֹב֗וֹת תִּתֵּ֥ן קוֹלָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 1:20
- Matthew 13:54and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
- Luke 11:49Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,'
- 1 Corinthians 1:24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
- Colossians 2:3in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
- Proverbs 8:1Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?
- Proverbs 9:3She has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town,
- John 7:37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, 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
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries