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The Bible · 630 of 1189

Proverbs 2

1.My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; 2. So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; 3. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; 4. If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; 5. Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 7. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8. He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10.When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul; 11. Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee: 12. To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; 13. Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; 14. Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; 15. Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths: 16. To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words; 17. Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. 18. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead. 19. None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life. 20. That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous. 21. For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it. 22. But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

Asked of Guide

Why does Proverbs 2 emphasize seeking wisdom like hidden silver?

Proverbs 2 treats wisdom as something to pursue actively—“seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures”—because wisdom opens access to “the fear of the LORD” and the “knowledge of God.” The chapter says God gives wisdom and stores up “sound wisdom for the righteous,” so searching for wisdom is the route to moral protection and right understanding.

That pursuit has a concrete aim: wisdom preserves and delivers you from harmful paths—evildoers, “the strange woman,” and ways that lead to death—so you may “walk in the way of good men” and dwell securely. If you want a parallel, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 6 praises seeking wisdom as a guarded treasure that grants prudence and stability in life.

Guide is the guide inside the Gnosis app, where every book on these shelves is free to read. Guide is the part you pay for — your guide has read all of them, and answers about the passage you’re actually on. Ask your guide your own question.