Old Testament Commentary - Proverbs 1

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 1 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge—If sinners entice thee, consent thou not—Those who hearken to wisdom shall dwell safely.		P R O V E R B A Truth of Wisdom A Saying to Live By
1 THE ^aproverbs of Solomon the son of David^a, king of Israel; 2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; 3 To receive the ^ainstruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the ^asimple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.	1^a proverbs of Solomon the son of David It is considered that Solomon is the primary source of the proverbs, yet it is quite likely that in a number of cases these statements of wisdom were likely folk says which Solomon pick up on and they were made famous under his name.	1^a 1 Kings 4:32; Prov. 10:1; Prov. 25:1 3^a TG Edification; TG Teachable 4^a Prov. 8:5
5 A wise man will hear, and will increase ^alearning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels: 6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their ^adark sayings.		5^a TG Education; TG Learning 6^a OR riddle
7 ¶ The ^afear of the LORD is the beginning of ^bknowledge: but fools despise ^cwisdom and ^dinstruction. 8 My son, hear the ^ainstruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy ^bmother: 9 For they shall be an ^aornament of ^bgrace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.		7^a OR reverence of the LORD; TG Reverence ^b TG Discernment, Spiritual; TG Knowledge ^c TG Wisdom ^d TG Problem-solving 8^a TG Education ^b TG Family, Children, Duties of 9^a prov. 25:12 ^b prov. 3:22
10 ¶ My son, if sinners ^aentice thee, ^bconsent thou not. 11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us ^alurk privily for the innocent without cause: 12 Let us ^aswallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the ^bpit: 13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: 14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: 15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them^a; ^arefrain thy foot from their path: 16 For their feet run to ^aevil, and make haste to shed blood.	15^a walk not thou in the way with them It is easy to say, but when all about you and even the law teaches it, it is sometimes difficult to resist the way(s) of the world. Today is such a day. They teach it in the school, they pass the laws which support and even encourage it by making it an 'evil' to protest or teach against it. But still the Lord's commandments are to be obeyed and followed. The teaching of 'abstinence' is no longer taught as it ought to be. But sin is still sin in the eyes of the Lord and he expect his children to exercise self control and mastery of the spirit over the natural man, the creature. Today the world teaches and practices giving in to the desires of the flesh and wickedness, even going so far to present it as 'good' and 'no longer evil' as it has been taught for the ages past. This does not make it so. And this must still be taught and observed in the house, church and kingdom of God.	10^a TG Temptation ^b Ps. 1:1-2; Eph. 5:11 (8-13) 11^a OR ambush, lie in wait 12^a Ps. 124:3 ^b Ps. 28:1 15^a TG Abstinence; TG Self-mastery 16^a Isa. 59:7; 2 Ne. 19:17; D&C 64:16
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. 18 And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. 19 So are the ways of every one that is ^agreedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.		19^a TG Selfishness
20 ¶ Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: 21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, 22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their ^ascorning, and fools ^bhate ^cknowledge? 23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will ^apour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.		22^a TG Malice ^b TG Hate ^c TG Knowledge 22^a Isa. 42:1; D&C 19:38; D&C 95:4
24 ¶ Because I have called, and ye ^arefused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at ^anought all my ^bcounsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.		24^a TG Disobedience 25^a Hel. 4:21 ^b TG Counsel
28 Then shall they ^acall upon me, but I will not ^banswer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not ^achoose the fear of the LORD: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my ^areproof.		28^a TG God, Access to ^b Judg. 10:14 (13-14); 2 Kings 3:13; Job 27:9; Ps. 66:18; Jer. 2:28 (26-37); D&C 101:7 29^a TG Agency 30^a TG Reproof
31 Therefore shall they eat of the ^afruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. 32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. 33 But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.		31^a Jer. 6:19 (18-25)