New International Version
Proverbs 3:20
20by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the 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.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)By his knowledge the deep fountains of the earth burst forth, and the dew settles beneath the night sky.
Context of Proverbs 3:20
18She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed. 19By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the watery depths were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew. 21My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; 22they will be life for you, an ornament to 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 1:9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.
- Genesis 7:11In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.
- Job 38:8“Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
- Psalms 104:8they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.
- Genesis 27:28May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness— an abundance of grain and new wine.
- Deuteronomy 33:28So Israel will live in safety; Jacob will dwell secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew.
- Job 36:27“He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams;
- Job 38:26to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert,
- Psalms 65:9You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.
- Jeremiah 14:22Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers? No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.
- Joel 2:23Be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, 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
New International Version — © NIV® 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica
Commentaries