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

5(Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!) 6To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles. Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. 8Listen, my child, to the instruction from your father, and do not forsake the teaching from your mother. 9For they will be like an elegant garland on your head, and like pendants around your neck.

Proverbs 1:7 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• The fearיִרְאָהyir'âh · fearH3374
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• 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 beginning of wisdom is to fear the Lord, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding.
• Job 28:28And he said to mankind, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
• Psalms 111:10To obey the Lord is the fundamental principle for wise living; all who carry out his precepts acquire good moral insight. He will receive praise forever.
• Psalms 112:1Praise the Lord! How blessed is the one who obeys the Lord, who takes great delight in keeping his commands.
• Ecclesiastes 12:13Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
• Proverbs 1:22“How long will you simpletons love naiveté? How long will mockers delight in mockery and fools hate knowledge?
• Proverbs 5:12And you will say, “How I hated discipline! My heart spurned reproof!
• Proverbs 15:5A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds reproof shows good sense.
• Proverbs 18:2A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in disclosing what is on his mind.
• John 3:18The one who believes in him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
• Romans 1:28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.

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