Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 4:6
Forsake her not - Wisdom personified is here represented as a guardian and companion, who, if not forsaken, will continue faithful; if loved, will continue a protector. read more
Forsake her not - Wisdom personified is here represented as a guardian and companion, who, if not forsaken, will continue faithful; if loved, will continue a protector. read more
Wisdom is the principal thing - חכמה ראשית reshith chochmah , "wisdom is the principle." It is the punctum saliens in all religion to know the true God, and what he requires of man, and for what he has made man; and to this must be added, under the Christian dispensation, to know Jesus Christ whom he hath sent, and for what end He was sent, the necessity of his being sent, and the nature of that salvation which he has bought by his own blood. Get wisdom - Consider this as thy chief... read more
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father. This exhortation is identical with that in Proverbs 1:8 , except that the address, "ye children," indicating a new departure, is now used instead of "my son," which has been hitherto employed (see Proverbs 1:8 ; Proverbs 2:1 ; Proverbs 3:1 , Proverbs 3:21 ), and "of thy father" is altered to "of a father." The verb is the same, occurring here, of course, in the plural number. The appeal is evidently intended to rouse attention.... read more
A family heirloom I. DIVINE WISDOM IS THE BEST OF FAMILY HEIRLOOMS . Solomon transmits to his son the instruction which he has received from his father. Thus he aims at making it an old household treasure. He also hands down royal power, great possessions, national fame. But wisdom is to him an inheritance more precious than all other things. The rest may go rather than that the entail shall be cut off this most prized part of the family estate. It would be well if fathers... read more
The tradition of piety The writer, here and in Proverbs 5:7 and Proverbs 7:24 , addresses his audience as children, thinking of himself as a son, who had been the object of fatherly counsels and warnings in his youth. He would hand on the torch of wisdom, the tradition of piety, to the next generation. I. PIETY SHOULD BE A FAMILY TRADITION . ( Proverbs 7:1-3 .) Handed down from father to son and grandson, or from mother to daughter and grandchild, from Lois to Eunice,... read more
The solicitude of the wise father: a sermon to parents and children In these verses we have a peep into the royal house at Jerusalem while David was on the throne. And we have such a glimpse as we should expect to gain. We see the devout man extremely solicitous that his son should walk in the ways of Divine and heavenly wisdom. David, like the rest of human parents, and more than most of them, was under— I. A STRONG TEMPTATION TO MAKE A FALSE ESTIMATE . So near to us is... read more
7. Seventh admonitory discourse. We here enter upon the second group of admonitory discourses, as is indicated by the opening address, "my children," and which occurs again in Proverbs 5:7 and Proverbs 7:24 . This group extends to the end of Proverbs 7:1-27 . Its prevailing tone is that of warning rather than of positive exhortations, which have been the rule hitherto. The general aim of the discourse before us, as of those preceding, is to exalt Wisdom, to exhibit her as a subject... read more
For I give you good doctrine. This, while stating the reason for the exhortation in the previous verse, signifies that what the teacher has given and is giving, he has received from his father. I give ; nathati, literally, "I gave," is the kal perfect of nathan, "to give," but the perfect is here used for the present, as denoting not only a past action, but one that is still continuing. Good doctrine ( lekakh tov ) . The doctrine or instruction is "good," not only... read more
For I was my father's son. This is more than the mere statement of a physical fact. It indicates that the teacher was in the highest degree an object of endearment to his father, just as he states in the second hemistich that he held a unique position in the affection of his mother. `The statement agrees with the historical record. Solomon would be more than ordinarily dear to his father, as being a child of promise, as "the beloved of the Lord," and as the son whom the Divine will had... read more
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 4:5
Get wisdom - True religion is essential to thy happiness; never forget its teachings, nor go aside from the path it prescribes. read more