Wisdom Principles: 2023

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Proverbs 7:1-5, annotated.

This translation is from the New Jerusalem Bible. Other translations are available here. Information about the original Hebrew meaning of what seem to be the key words is provided immediately below the scriptural text. Collections of scriptures dealing with similar principles are hyperlinked at the end of this post.

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My child, keep my words, and treasure my precepts, ²keep my precepts and you will live, keep my teaching as the apple of your eye. ³Bind these to your fingers, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴Say to Wisdom, 'You are my sister!' Call Understanding your relation, ⁵to save yourself from the woman that belongs to another, from the stranger, with her seductive words.

***

child = בֵּן = bēn Blue Letter Bible son, grandson, child, member of a group; male child; young men; children (pl. - male and female); foster son; disciple; one related to a time, place, emotion, condition, status; term of kindliness or endearment; expression of intimate and gracious relation

keep = שָׁמַר = šāmar Blue Letter Bible keep, guard, observe, give heed; retain, treasure up (in memory); preserve; attend to

words = אֵמֶר = 'ēmer Blue Letter Bible utterance, speech, word, saying, promise; command, mandate; something said; appointed unto him; saying, speech, word

treasure = צָפַן = tsaphan Blue Letter Bible hide, treasure, treasure or store up; to hoard or reserve; to protect; esteem; lay up; to guard or defend

AND

אֵת = 'ēṯ Blue Letter Bible with, near, together with; from; among; nearness and vicinity; possession of a thing in the mind; in one's possession or keeping; in one's knowledge or memory; intercourse of different kinds with another

precepts = מִצְוָה = miṣvâ Blue Letter Bible commandment; law, ordinance, precept

keep = שָׁמַר = šāmar Blue Letter Bible keep, guard, observe, give heed; retain, treasure up (in memory); preserve; attend to

precept = מִצְוָה = miṣvâ Blue Letter Bible commandment; law, ordinance, precept

life = חָיָה = ḥāyâ Blue Letter Bible to live, have life, remain alive, sustain life, live prosperously, live forever, be quickened, be alive, be restored to life or health; to revive; refresh; restore to health; nourish up; recover; be whole; perfect; continue in life;preserve alive, let live; the original idea of this word is breathing; to continue safe and sound; to recover health, be healed; to vivify; to make alive; grant or restore life

teaching = תּוֹרָה = tôrâ Blue Letter Bible law; instruction, direction (human or divine); body of prophetic teaching; instruction in Messianic age; body of legal directives; custom, manner; the Deuteronomic or Mosaic Law; precept; statute; doctrine

apple = אִישׁוֹן = 'îšôn Blue Letter Bible pupil of the eye; the middle; midst of

eyes = עַיִן = ʿayin Blue Letter Bible eye; before my eyes; set one eyes on; spring, fountain

bind = קָשַׁר = qāšar Blue Letter Bible to bind, tie, bind together, league together, conspire; confine; robust, vigorous

write =כָּתַב = kāṯaḇ Blue Letter Bible inscribe, engrave, write in, write on; to register, enroll, record; prescribe, direct in writing; describe, to decree

tablet = לוּחַ = lûaḥ Blue Letter Bible tablets (of stone); boards (of wood); plate (of metal)

heart= לֵב = lēḇ Blue Letter Bible inner man, mind, will, understanding; midst; soul; mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory; inclination, resolution, determination (of will); conscience; seat of appetites, emotions, passions, courage; feelings, the will and even the intellect; the centre of anything

***

We Receive Great Blessings If We Seriously Study God’s Ways and Put Them Into Practice

We Must Make Real Effort/Sacrifice to receive all that God offers, But It Is Well Worth It

We Should Strive to Live in God’s Presence

Proverbs 8:12-21, annotated.

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'I, Wisdom, share house with Discretion, I am mistress of the art of thought.

¹³(Fear of Yahweh means hatred of evil.) I hate pride and arrogance, wicked behaviour and a lying mouth.

¹⁴To me belong good advice and prudence, I am perception: power is mine!

¹⁵By me monarchs rule and princes decree what is right;¹⁶by me rulers govern, so do nobles, the lawful authorities.

¹⁷I love those who love me; whoever searches eagerly for me finds me.

¹⁸With me are riches and honour, lasting wealth and saving justice.

¹⁹The fruit I give is better than gold, even the finest, the return I make is better than pure silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of uprightness in the path of justice, ²¹to endow my friends with my wealth and to fill their treasuries.

***

Discretion = עָרְמָה = ʿārmâ Blue Letter Bible shrewdness, craftiness, prudence; discretion; guile; subtilty; wiliness; wisdom; craftiness

art of thought = דַּעַת = daʿaṯ Blue Letter Bible knowledge, perception, skill; discernment, understanding, wisdom; cunning; knowing; intelligence

AND

מְזִמָּה = mᵊzimmâ Blue Letter Bible purpose, discretion; sagacity; thought; prudence; counsel; power of devising

evil = רַע = raʿ Blue Letter Bible bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, displeasing; sad, unhappy; hurtful; unkind, vicious in disposition, wicked (ethically)

pride = גֵּאָה = gē'â Blue Letter Bible pride, arrogance

arrogance = גָּאוֹן = gā'ôn Blue Letter Bible pride; arrogance; pomp, swelling; exaltation, majesty, pride; excellence; ornament, glory, splendor; sublimity

wicked = רַע = raʿ Blue Letter Bible bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery, displeasing; sad, unhappy; hurtful; unkind, vicious in disposition, wicked (ethically)

behavior = דֶּרֶךְ = dereḵ Blue Letter Bible way, road, distance, journey, manner; path; mode; habit, way; course of life; mode of action

lying = תַּהְפֻּכוֹת = tahpuḵôṯ Blue Letter Bible perversity; deceit, fraud; foolishness

good = תּוּשִׁיָּה = tûšîyâ Blue Letter Bible wisdom, sound or efficient wisdom; counsel; sound knowledge; abiding success; to substantiate; support or (by implication) ability, i.e. (direct) help; lifting up, erecting

advice = עֵצָה = ʿēṣâ Blue Letter Bible advice; plan; prudence, wisdom; sagacity, consultation

perception = בִּינָה = bînâ Blue Letter Bible discernment; knowledge; insight; wisdom; intelligence; insight; skill

strength = גְּבוּרָה = gᵊḇûrâ Blue Letter Bible strength, might; valor, bravery; mighty deeds; force, mastery; power; fortitude; military virtue

rule = מָלַךְ = mālaḵ Blue Letter Bible to be or become king or queen; to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; to be king; to counsel, advise

right = צֶדֶק = tsedeq Blue Letter Bible rightness, righteousness; what is right or just or normal, rightness, justness (of weights and measures); righteousness, justice (in case or cause); righteousness (as vindicated), justification (in controversy), deliverance, victory, prosperity; rectitude; what ought to be

love = אָהַב = 'ahab Blue Letter Bible human love for another, includes family, and sexual; act of being a friend; have affection for (sexually or otherwise); desire, breathe after; delight; be verdant, germinate

searches diligently = שָׁחַר = šāḥar Blue Letter Bible to seek; seek early or earnestly; look diligently for; be (up) early at any task (with the implication of earnestness); painstaking; turn oneself to

find =מָצָא = matsa' Blue Letter Bible attain to, secure, acquire, get (thing sought); to find (what is lost); to learn, devise; to be discovered, be detected; to be gained, be secured; attain, i.e. find or acquire; find out by thinking; to wish to find, seek

riches = עֹשֶׁר = ʿōšer Blue Letter Bible wealth, riches

honor = כָּבוֹד = kāḇôḏ Blue Letter Bible glory, honour, glorious, abundance; weight, but only figuratively in a good sense; heaviness; splendor or copiousness; dignity of position; reputation, of character; majesty

lasting = עָתֵק = ʿāṯēq Blue Letter Bible handed forward; advanced; enduring, durable; valuable; eminent; surpassing; antique, i.e. valued; shining, handsome

wealth = הוֹן = hôn Blue Letter Bible wealth, riches; high value; substance; lightness, easiness; ability to do anything

justice = צְדָקָה = ṣᵊḏāqâ Blue Letter Bible righteousness; righteousness (as vindicated); righteousness (in government); justification, salvation; truthfulness; ethically right; rectitude; virtue; ethically right; things done justly; rightness, moderation

fruit = פְּרִי = pᵊrî Blue Letter Bible fruit, fruit of the ground, of produce in general; the result of labor or endeavor; offspring, children, progeny

better = טוֹב = ṭôḇ Blue Letter Bible good, pleasant, agreeable; excellent; rich, valuable in estimation; appropriate, becoming; happy, prosperous, kind, benign; right (ethical); welfare, prosperity, happiness; good things (collective) good, benefit; moral good; blessing of good things

walk = הָלַךְ = halak Blue Letter Bible to go; proceed, move; enter; follow; go along; proceed; go with, have intercourse with; go after; pursue; live, manner of life; go on, go forward; traverse; march; flow, be poured out

path = אֹרַח = 'ōraḥ Blue Letter Bible way, path; road; way of living; a well-trodden road; by-, high-) way; course of living and acting; way of living; mode of living, or of character

uprightness = צְדָקָה = ṣᵊḏāqâ Blue Letter Bible righteousness; righteousness (as vindicated); righteousness (in government); justification, salvation; truthfulness; ethically right; rectitude; virtue; ethically right; things done justly; rightness, moderation

path = נָתִיב = nāṯîḇ Blue Letter Bible trodden with the feet, path, pathway; path, pathway, traveler; foot path, by way; course of life

justice = מִשְׁפָּט = mishpat. Blue Letter Bible judgment, justice, ordinance; act of deciding a case; process, procedure, litigation (before judges); right, rectitude; proper, fitting; that which is just, lawful

friends = אָהַב = 'ahab Blue Letter Bible human love for another, includes family, and sexual; act of being a friend; have affection for (sexually or otherwise); desire, breathe after; delight; be verdant, germinate

wealth = יֵשׁ = yēš Blue Letter Bible being; existence; substance; to stand out, or exist

fill = מָלָא = mālā' Blue Letter Bible fulness, abundance; to be full; make full; fill a place; mutually fill; satisfied

***

We Receive Great Blessings If We Seriously Study God’s Ways and Put Them Into Practice

We Must Make Real Effort/Sacrifice to receive all that God offers, But It Is Well Worth It

We Should Strive to Live in God’s Presence

Proverbs 8:22-31, annotated.

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“The Lord created me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. ²³From eternity I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.²⁴When there were no ocean depths, I was born, when there were no springs abounding with water. ²⁵Before the mountains were settled, before the hills, I was born; ²⁶while He had not yet made the earth and the fields, nor the first dust of the world.

²⁷When He established the heavens, I was there; when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, ²⁸when He made firm the skies above, when the springs of the deep became fixed, ²⁹when He set a boundary for the sea so that the water would not violate His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth; ³⁰Then I was beside Him, as a master workman; and I was His delight daily, rejoicing always before Him, ³¹rejoicing in the world, His earth, and having my delight in the sons of mankind.

***

created = קָנָה = qānâ Blue Letter Bible get, acquire, create, buy, possess; procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own

established = נָסַךְ = nāsaḵ Blue Letter Bible to pour out, pour, to be poured out; offer; cast; to anoint (a king), be anointed; to set, install; make a libation

beside = אֵצֶל = 'ēṣel Blue Letter Bible beside, by, near, nearness, joining, proximity; conjunction; contiguous to

master workman = אָמוֹן = 'āmôn Blue Letter Bible artificer, architect; master workman, skilled workman; firm and sure in his workman-ship; son, foster son

delight = שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים = šaʿăšûʿîm Blue Letter Bible delight, enjoyment, pleasure; object of delight

rejoicing = שָׂחַק = śāḥaq Blue Letter Bible to laugh, play; sport; to jest; to play (including instrumental music, singing, dancing); make merry; smile upon; dance

Proverbs 8:32-36, annotated.

This translation is from the New American Standard Bible. Other translations are available here. Information about the original Hebrew meaning of what seem to be the key words is provided immediately below the scriptural text. Collections of scriptures dealing with similar principles are hyperlinked at the end of this post.

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Now then, sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³Listen to instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.
³⁴Blessed is the person who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my doorposts.
³⁵For one who finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord.
³⁶But one who sins against me injures himself; all those who hate me love death.”

***

listen = שָׁמַע = šāmaʿ Blue Letter Bible listen to, obey; perceive by ear; hear with attention or interest; give heed; consent, agree; yield to; be obedient; hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.); hear and answer

keep = שָׁמַר = šāmar Blue Letter Bible keep, guard, observe, give heed; retain, treasure up (in memory); preserve; attend to

instruction = מוּסָר = muwcar Blue Letter Bible discipline, chastening, correction; reproof, warning or instruction; doctrine, instruction, rebuke; admonition; restraint

neglect = פָּרַע = pāra Blue Letter Bible to let go, let loose, ignore, let alone; avoid, neglect; be loosened of restraint; overlook/reject counsel; unbridled; lawless; cause to refrain; dismiss; refuse

listens = שָׁמַע = šāmaʿ Blue Letter Bible listen to, obey; perceive by ear; hear with attention or interest; give heed; consent, agree; yield to; be obedient; hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.); hear and answer

daily = יוֹם = yôm Blue Letter Bible day, time, year; a working day, a day's journey; the heat of the day; day time, daily; perpetually; lifetime; daily duties, observances, etc.

gates = דֶּלֶת = deleṯ Blue Letter Bible door, gate; something swinging; the valve of a door; lid

waiting = שָׁמַר = šāmar Blue Letter Bible keep, guard, observe, give heed; retain, treasure up (in memory); preserve; attend to

doorposts = מְזוּזָה = mᵊzûzâ Blue Letter Bible doorpost, gatepost

watching = שָׁקַד = šāqaḏ Blue Letter Bible to wake, watch, awake, be alert; on the lookout, sleepless

finds =מָצָא = matsa' Blue Letter Bible attain to, secure, acquire, get (thing sought); find (what is lost); learn, devise; discovered, detected; gained, secured; attain, i.e. find or acquire; find out by thinking; to wish to find, seek

***

We Receive Great Blessings If We Seriously Study God’s Ways and Put Them Into Practice

We Must Make Real Effort/Sacrifice to receive all that God offers, But It Is Well Worth It

We Should Strive to Live in God’s Presence