Proverbs 1:7

Proverbs 1:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• New International Version (NIV)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Context of Proverbs 1:7

5A wise person will hear and increase in learning, And a person of understanding will acquire wise counsel, 6To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, And do not ignore your mother’s teaching; 9For they are a graceful wreath for your head And necklaces for your neck.

Proverbs 1:7 word by word

יִרְאַ֣ת יְ֭הוָה רֵאשִׁ֣ית דָּ֑עַת חָכְמָ֥ה וּ֝מוּסָ֗ר אֱוִילִ֥ים בָּֽזוּ׃ פRead the interlinear

• The fearיִרְאָהyir'âh · fearH3374
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• is the beginningרֵאשִׁיתrê'shîyth · first: beginningH7225
• of knowledgeדַּ֫עַתda‛ath · knowledgeH1847
• Foolsאֱוִיל'ĕvîyl · fool(ish)H191
• despiseבּוּזbûz · to despiseH936
• wisdomחׇכְמָהchokmâh · wisdomH2451
• and instructionמוּסָרmûsâr · discipline: instructionH4148

Cross-references for Proverbs 1:7

• Proverbs 9:10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
• Job 28:28And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
• Psalms 111:10The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; All those who follow His commandments have a good understanding; His praise endures forever.
• Psalms 112:1Praise the Lord! Blessed is a person who fears the Lord, Who greatly delights in His commandments.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.
• Proverbs 1:22“How long, you naive ones, will you love simplistic thinking? And how long will scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge?
• Proverbs 5:12And you say, “How I hated instruction! And my heart disdainfully rejected rebuke!
• Proverbs 15:5A fool rejects his father’s discipline, But he who complies with rebuke is sensible.
• Proverbs 18:2A fool does not delight in understanding, But in revealing his own mind.
• John 3:18The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
• Romans 1:28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a depraved mind, to do those things that are not proper,

Commentaries on Proverbs 1:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7The fear of the Lord - In the preceding verses Solomon shows the advantage of acting according to the dictates of wisdom; in the following verses he shows the danger of acting contrary to them. The fear of the Lord signifies that religious reverence which every intelligent being owes to his Creator; and is often used to express the whole of religion, as we have frequently had occasion to remark in different places. But what is religion? The love of God…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7The beginning of wisdom is found in the temper of reverence and awe. The fear of the finite in the presence of the Infinite, of the sinful in the presence of the Holy (compare Job 42:5-6), this for the Israelite was the starting-point of all true wisdom. In the Book of Job 28:28 it appears as an oracle accompanied by the noblest poetry. In Psalm 111:10 it comes as the choral close of a temple hymn. Here it is the watchword of a true ethical education…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-9Verses 7-9 Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God. Children are reasonable creatures, and when we tell them what they must do, we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Let Divine truths and commands be to us most honourable; let us value them, and then they shall be so to us.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7Fear of the Lord means relying completely on God for everything, including knowledge and wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). It is not just a way of thinking; it involves serving, loving, and obeying God’s laws (see Deuteronomy 10:12–13). Fear of the Lord is the basis of all knowledge. How can we understand life without knowing its most basic truth—that God created it?Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. The fear of the Lord--the principle of true piety (compare Pr 2:5; 14:26, 27; Job 28:28; Psa 34:11; 111:10; Ac 9:31). beginning--first part, foundation. fools--the stupid and indifferent to God's character and government; hence the wicked.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 1:7

• Blindness
• Fear of God
• Fool
• Knowledge
• Wisdom
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Call
• Consent
• Despise
• Entice
• Fear of the Lord the
• Hate
• Lurk
• Naught
• Prosperity
• Proverb

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