New Living Translation
Proverbs 4:7
7Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment.
Proverbs 4:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
- New International Version (NIV)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.
Context of Proverbs 4:7
5Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. 6Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. 8If you prize wisdom, she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will honor you. 9She will place a lovely wreath on your head; she will present you with a beautiful crown.”
Read all of Proverbs 4Proverbs 4:7 word by word
רֵאשִׁ֣ית חָ֭כְמָה קְנֵ֣ה חָכְמָ֑ה וּבְכָל־קִ֝נְיָנְךָ֗ קְנֵ֣ה בִינָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 4:7
- Ecclesiastes 7:12Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.
- Ecclesiastes 9:16So even though wisdom is better than strength, those who are wise will be despised if they are poor. What they say will not be appreciated for long.
- Matthew 13:44“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.
- Luke 10:42There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
- Philippians 3:8Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ
- Proverbs 16:16How much better to get wisdom than gold, and good judgment than silver!
- Proverbs 21:6Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
- Psalms 49:16So don’t be dismayed when the wicked grow rich and their homes become ever more splendid.
- Ecclesiastes 2:4I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.
- Mark 8:36And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?
- Luke 12:20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
- Psalms 119:104Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life.
Commentaries on Proverbs 4:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Wisdom is the principal thing - חכמה ראשית reshith chochmah, "wisdom is the principle." It is the punctum saliens in all religion to know the true God, and what he requires of man, and for what he has made man; and to this must be added, under the Christian dispensation, to know Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, and for what end He was sent, the necessity of his being sent, and the nature of that salvation which he has bought by his own blood. Get wisdom…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-20Verses 4-20 The counsel which has come to him, in substance, from his father. Compare it with 2 Samuel 23:2 etc.; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalm 15:1-5; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 4:7 Or, “The beginning of wisdom is - get wisdom.” To seek is to find, to desire is to obtain. Proverbs 4:12 The ever-recurring parable of the journey of life. In the way of wisdom the path is clear and open, obstacles disappear; in the quickest activity (“when thou…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7-8Wisdom often leads to better relationships and more wealth, but not always.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. (Compare Job 28:28). getting--or possession; a desire for wisdom is wise.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 4:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 4
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries