God’s Word Translation
Proverbs 3:20
20By his knowledge the deep waters were divided, and the skies dropped dew.
Proverbs 3:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
- New International Version (NIV)by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew.
- English Standard Version (ESV)by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.
- New King James Version (NKJV)By His knowledge the depths were broken up, And clouds drop down the dew.
Context of Proverbs 3:20
18⌞Wisdom⌟ is a tree of life for those who take firm hold of it. Those who cling to it are blessed. 19By Wisdom the Lord laid the foundation of the earth. By understanding he established the heavens. By his knowledge the deep waters were divided, and the skies dropped dew. 21My son, do not lose sight of these things. Use priceless wisdom and foresight. 22Then they will mean life for you, and they will grace your neck.
Read all of Proverbs 3Proverbs 3:20 word by word
בְּ֭דַעְתּוֹ תְּהוֹמ֣וֹת נִבְקָ֑עוּ וּ֝שְׁחָקִ֗ים יִרְעֲפוּ־טָֽל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 3:20
- Genesis 1:9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was.
- Genesis 7:11On the seventeenth day of the second month of the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, all the deep springs burst open. The sky opened,
- Job 38:8“Who shut the sea behind gates when it burst through and came out of the womb,
- Psalms 104:8The mountains rose and the valleys sank to the place you appointed for them.
- Genesis 27:28May God give you dew from the sky, fertile fields on the earth, and plenty of fresh grain and new wine.
- Deuteronomy 33:28So Israel will live securely. Jacob’s spring will be ⌞left⌟ alone in a land of grain and new wine. Dew will drip from Israel’s skies.
- Job 36:27He collects drops of water. He distills rain from his mist,
- Job 38:26to bring rain on a land where no one lives, on a desert where there are no humans,
- Psalms 65:9You take care of the earth, and you water it. You make it much richer than it was. (The river of God is filled with water.) You provide grain for them. Indeed, you even prepare the ground.
- Jeremiah 14:22The worthless gods of the nations can’t make it rain. By themselves, the skies can’t give showers. But you can, O Lord our God. We have hope in you because you do all these things.
- Joel 2:23People of Zion, be glad and find joy in the Lord your God. The Lord has given you the Teacher of Righteousness. He has sent the autumn rain and the spring rain as before.
Commentaries on Proverbs 3:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20By his knowledge the depths are broken up - He determined in his wisdom how to break up the fountains of the great deep, so as to bring a flood of waters upon the earth; and by his knowledge those fissures in the earth through which springs of water arise have been appointed and determined; and it is by his skill and influence that vapours are exhaled, suspended in the atmosphere, and afterwards precipitated on the earth in rain, dews, etc. Thus the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Compare Genesis 1:7; Genesis 7:11; Job 38. Looking upon the face of Nature, men see two storehouses of the living water, without which it would be waste and barren. From the “depths” rush forth the surging waves, from the “clouds” falls the gentle rain or “dew;” but both alike are ordered by the Divine Wisdom.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-20Verses 13-20 No precious jewels or earthly treasures are worthy to be compared with true wisdom, whether the concerns of time or eternity be considered. We must make wisdom our business; we must venture all in it, and be willing to part with all for it. This Wisdom is the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation, sought and obtained by faith and prayer. Were it not for unbelief, remaining sinfulness, and carelessness, we should find all our ways pleasantness…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20God's wisdom brought harmony to the universe. Being wise means living according to the principles found in creation.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-2019-20. The place of wisdom in the economy of creation and providence commends it to men, who, in proportion to their finite powers, may possess this invaluable attribute, and are thus encouraged by the divine example of its use to seek its possession.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 3:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 3
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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