Solomon's second letter to his son
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 .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. 1 - My son Good counsel for daughters, too. 1 - If We begin the first of several conditions. At v5 we come to the "then." 2 - Incline Self-discipline is needed "My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;" (verses 1 and 2, RSV). 4 - Seekest her as silver Jesus spoke of seeking the hidden treasure mt1344, mt0707. 5 - Understand We see more than intellectual knowledge jn1703. 6 - The Lord gives wisdom And the words of His mouth are in the Scriptures mt0404. 9 - Then you will understand When you seek divine wisdom with all your heart. Image
© Corel
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| 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: |
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- When wisdom enters your heart Literally, "Because wisdom enters
your mind." (The long sentence continues.)
11 - Discretion and understanding These gifts depend on the conditions already discussed. 12 - To deliver you from evil The word "man," after "evil" is not in the original. Thus we remember a phrase Jesus used in His model prayer mt0613. 12 - From man who speaks froward things The more common, modern word for "froward" is "perverse" or "crooked." Relying on divine wisdom we will not yield to the temptations offered by an evil companion. We remember the rest of the sentence in Jesus' prayer. 14 - Delight in perversity of the wicked Most modern entertainment offered by the media (including novels) today is based on sex and violence! |
| 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. |
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- Guide Or "familiar one" or "confidant." See the word used in pr1628,
je0304,
mi0705.
The person was perhaps her husband.
17 - Covenant Could refer to marriage vows mal0214 but consider her pledge to keep the commandments ex2014. 19 - None ... return This is true of death jb0710. And it is true of those who permanently turn away from truth he0604. |
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