Proverbs 2:1-9

CHAPTER 2
TEXT Proverbs 2:1-9

1.

My son, if thou wilt receive my words,

And lay up my commandments with thee;

2.

So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom,

And apply thy heart to understanding;

3.

Yea if thou cry after discernment,

And lift up thy voice for understanding;

4.

If thou seek her as silver,

And search for her as for hid treasures:

5.

Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah,

And find the knowledge of God.

6.

For Jehovah giveth wisdom;

Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:

7.

He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;

He is a shield to them that walk in integrity;

8.

That he may guard the paths of justice,

And preserve the way of his saints.

9.

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,

And equity, yea, every good path.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 2:1-9

1.

Would you draw a distinction between my words and my commandments in Proverbs 2:1?

2.

What is heard by the ear must be considered in the ............... (Proverbs 2:2).

3.

What words in Proverbs 2:3 show earnestness in seeking knowledge?

4.

How earnestly should knowledge be sought (Proverbs 2:4)?

5.

What knowledge should fathers especially want their sons to have (Proverbs 2:5)?

6.

Do the words of understanding come to man from God's mouth directly or by inspiration (Proverbs 2:6)?

7.

What does integrity mean (Proverbs 2:7)?

8.

What word in Proverbs 2:7 goes along with guard and preserve in Proverbs 2:8?

9.

How different would the world be if everybody understood these things (Proverbs 2:9)?

PARAPHRASE OF 2:1-9

1-5.

Every young man who listens to me and obeys my instructions will be given wisdom and good sense. Yes, if you want better insight and discernment, and are searching for them as you would for lost money or hidden treasure, then wisdom will be given you and knowledge of God Himself; you will soon learn the importance of reverence for the Lord and of trusting Him.

6-9.

For the Lord grants wisdom! His every word is a treasure of knowledge and understanding. He grants good sense to the godlyHis saints. He is their shield, protecting them and guarding their pathway. He shows how to distinguish right from wrong, how to find the right decision every time.

COMMENTS ON 2:1-9

Proverbs 2:1. Other Chapter s that begin with My son: Chapter s 3, 5, 6, 7. We will point out the doublets as they occur in this and the following 4 verses: (receive my words; and (2) hide my commandments. Other passages on laying up parental instructions in one's heart: Proverbs 4:21; Proverbs 7:1. The...-if-' is conditional, and serves to introduce the series of clauses (Proverbs 2:1-4) which lay down the conditions upon which the promises depend...There is a gradation in emphasis in the various terms here used...Just as -commandments-' is stronger than -words,-' so -hide-' is stronger than -receive-'...The Divine commands...are to be hidden in safe custody in the memory, in the understanding, in the conscience, and in the heart...The psalmist expresses the same idea in Psalms 119:11: -Thy word have I hid in my heart-' (Pulpit Commentary).

Proverbs 2:2. Doublet: (1 incline thine ear unto wisdom; and (2) apply thy heart to understanding. Solomon wanted his son to develop an inclination for wisdom (incline). Just as a ball will roll down an incline, so if one is inclined toward wisdom will he assuredly apply his heart (put himself into getting understanding).

Proverbs 2:3. Doublet: (1) cry after discernment; and (2) lift up thy voice for understanding. The picture in this verse is even stronger than incline in Proverbs 2:4. Here the son is urged to cry after, to lift up his voice for discernment (the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and error, wisdom and foolishness).

Proverbs 2:4. The ifs in these first 4 verses might be thought of as progressive as follows: if you receive and lay up my commandments (as a child); if you develop an inclination toward wisdom and develop an understanding heart (in youth); and if you cry after and seek for discernment and understanding (as an adult), Proverbs 2:5 says it will be yours. The comparison here made between the search for wisdom and the search for the hidden treasures of the earth was not unfamiliar to the Hebrew mind as it is found worked out with great beauty of detail in Job 28 (Pulpit Commentary). Proverbs 3:14: For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her (Proverbs 3:14-15).

Proverbs 2:5. If the conditions of Proverbs 2:1-4 are met, then this wonderful promise will apply: the son will understand the fear of Jehovah and will find the knowledge of God. And this fear of Jehovah will then lead to even more wisdom and knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).

Proverbs 2:6. If one seeks for wisdom according to Proverbs 2:1-4, then God will give it to him. Involved in this quest is to acknowledge God as the source of all wisdom and to go to Him for it: If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him (James 1:5). This is what Solomon did (Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and evil1 Kings 3:9), and God gave it to him (Behold, I have done according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee1 Kings 3:12). In our section Solomon is merely teaching his son from his own experience.

Proverbs 2:7. God gives wisdom as well as other blessings to the upright: No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly (Psalms 84:11). As to God's being a shield to those who walk in integrity, Proverbs 20:5 says, He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him. God is Himself a buckler or shield...This aspect of God's direct protecting power is met with in other parts of Scripture: Genesis 15:1; Psalms 33:20; Psalms 84:11; Psalms 89:18; Psalms 144:2 (Pulpit Commentary).

Proverbs 2:8. Yes, Jehovah guards the paths of justice. Is it not remarkable that even though men themselves do not always do what is right that the old basics of what is right and wrong still survive (such as love, kindness, truth-telling, the wrongness of killing, stealing, etc.)? He not only guards the paths of justice but particularly preserves the way of those who walk in those paths: The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous (1 Peter 3:12); He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth thee will not slumber...Jehovah is thy keeper...Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; He will keep thy soul. Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in (Psalms 121:3-8); He will keep the foot of his holy ones (1 Samuel 2:9). Note that even God's Old Testament people were called saints, which means holy ones.

Proverbs 2:9. Here are things that every person should understand and not be confused about. If one so applies himself to get wisdom, God will bless him with it, and that will include an understanding of these basic things.

STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 2:1-9

1.

What other Chapter s begin with my son (Proverbs 2:1)?

2.

How many of these opening verses contain doublets (Proverbs 2:1)?

3.

Comment upon incline and apply in Proverbs 2:2.

4.

Comment on the stronger words used in Proverbs 2:3 than those used in Proverbs 2:2.

5.

Comment on the possible progressiveness of the ifs in Proverbs 2:1-4.

6.

What great promise is found in Proverbs 2:5?

7.

How did Solomon himself get wisdom (Proverbs 2:6)?

8.

God gives wisdom to what group in Proverbs 2:7?

9.

Comment on God guarding the paths of justice (Proverbs 2:8).

10.

What will one understand if God blesses him with wisdom (Proverbs 2:9)?