Proverbs 9:10
What does Proverbs 9:10 mean?
A plain-English look at Proverbs 9:10 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Proverbs 9:10 means
Proverbs 9:10 declares that reverence for God is the foundational step towards true wisdom. “The fear of Yahweh” isn't a cowering dread, but a profound respect, awe, and submission to God’s authority and holiness. This respectful acknowledgment of God’s nature and His ultimate reign is depicted as the very "beginning" of wisdom, implying that intellectual pursuit or practical life skills, without this divine foundation, are incomplete or misdirected. Similarly, "knowledge of the Holy One" is equated with "understanding," suggesting that intimately knowing God, His character, and His ways, provides genuine insight and discernment for navigating life.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
KJV
King James Version · 1611The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949The fear of the Lord is the start of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One gives a wise mind
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862The commencement of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> the fear of Jehovah, And a knowledge of the Holy Ones <FI>is<Fi> understanding.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is prudence.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is intelligence.
Context
This verse serves as a climactic statement in Proverbs chapter 9, immediately following Lady Wisdom's invitation to those who lack understanding. Chapters 1-9 of Proverbs are largely a father's exhortation to his son, urging him to embrace wisdom and shun folly. In this specific chapter, Lady Wisdom and Woman Folly both issue invitations, personifying the choices before humanity. Verse 10, then, acts as a definitive declaration within Wisdom's discourse, explaining the essential starting point for all who would respond to her call, emphasizing the divine source of true wisdom and understanding before the chapter concludes with Woman Folly's contrasting invitation.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Proverbs 30:3
And I have not learned wisdom, Neither have I the knowledge of the Holy One.
- Proverbs 1:7
The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; Butthe foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
- Job 28:28
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.
- Matthew 11:27
All things have been delivered unto me of my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, save the Father; neither doth any know the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son willeth to reveal him.
- 1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13
This isthe end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
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