New International Version
Proverbs 1:20
20Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square;
Proverbs 1:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.
Context of Proverbs 1:20
18These men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! 19Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; 21on top of the wall she cries out, at the city gate she makes her speech: 22“How long will you who are simple love your simple ways? How long will mockers delight in mockery 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 13:54Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked.
- Luke 11:49Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’
- 1 Corinthians 1:24but to those whom God has 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 out? Does not understanding raise her voice?
- Proverbs 9:3She has sent out her servants, and she calls from the highest point of the city,
- John 7:37On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty 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
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