Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. New Living Translation My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, English Standard Version Hear, O sons, a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight, Berean Standard Bible Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. King James Bible Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. New King James Version Hear, my children, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding; New American Standard Bible Listen, my sons, to the instruction of a father, And pay attention so that you may gain understanding, NASB 1995 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, NASB 1977 Hear, O sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention that you may gain understanding, Legacy Standard Bible Hear, O sons, the discipline of a father, And pay attention that you may know understanding, Amplified Bible Hear, O children, the instruction of a father, And pay attention [and be willing to learn] so that you may gain understanding and intelligent discernment. Christian Standard Bible Listen, sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, Holman Christian Standard Bible Listen, my sons, to a father’s discipline, and pay attention so that you may gain understanding, American Standard Version Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding: Contemporary English Version My child, listen closely to my teachings and learn common sense. English Revised Version Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding: GOD'S WORD® Translation Sons, listen to [your] father's discipline, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. Good News Translation My children, listen to what your father teaches you. Pay attention, and you will have understanding. International Standard Version Listen, children, to your father's instruction, and pay attention in order to gain understanding. Majority Standard Bible Listen, my sons, to a father?s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. NET Bible Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment. New Heart English Bible Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding; Webster's Bible Translation Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. World English Bible Listen, sons, to a father’s instruction. Pay attention and know understanding; Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionHear, you sons, the instruction of a father, "" And give attention to know understanding. Young's Literal Translation Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding. Smith's Literal Translation Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleHear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence. Catholic Public Domain Version Listen, sons, to the discipline of a father, and pay attention, so that you may know prudence. New American Bible Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding! New Revised Standard Version Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight; Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleHEAR, O my children, the instruction of a father, and give ear to knowledge and understanding. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated Hear, children, the instruction of a father, and listen to knowledge and understanding. OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding. Brenton Septuagint Translation Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context A Father's Instruction1Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. 2For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.… Cross References Proverbs 1:8 Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. Proverbs 6:20 My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Ephesians 6:1-3 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. / “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), / “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Colossians 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Proverbs 3:1-2 My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; / for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. Proverbs 13:1 A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke. Proverbs 15:5 A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent. Hebrews 12:9 Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live? Proverbs 23:22 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Proverbs 19:20 Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days. 1 Timothy 5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to show godliness to their own family and repay their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 1:2-4 for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight, / and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity. / To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young, Treasury of Scripture Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. attend Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; … Proverbs 5:1 My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: Proverbs 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman: Jump to Previous Attend Attention Attentive Children Ear Father's Gain Hear Insight Instruction Intelligence Pay Teaching UnderstandingJump to Next Attend Attention Attentive Children Ear Father's Gain Hear Insight Instruction Intelligence Pay Teaching UnderstandingProverbs 4 1. persuades to wisdom14. and to show wickedness 20. He exhorts to sanctification Listen The Hebrew word for "listen" is "שְׁמַע" (shema), which carries a deeper meaning than merely hearing. It implies an active, attentive listening that leads to obedience. In the Jewish tradition, the "Shema" is a central declaration of faith, emphasizing the importance of listening to God's commandments. This word sets the tone for the verse, urging the reader to not only hear but to internalize and act upon the wisdom being imparted. my sons to a father’s instruction pay attention and gain understanding (g) Seventh Discourse:--Recollections of his Father's Instructions (Proverbs 4:1 to Proverbs 5:6). (1) A father.--That is, of me, your teacher. Verses 1-27. - 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 ch. 7. 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 worthy of all earnest endeavour and sacrifice, but it is noticeable that the teacher introduces a fresh feature into his teaching or mode of instruction, in order to procure attention to, and acceptance of, his precepts on the part of his hearers. He has already spoken in his own name and with his own authority; he has brought forward Wisdom personified as making her appeal; he now adduces the authority of his own father's advice to himself. But as the mode of emphasizing his admonitions varies, so Wisdom is many-sided, and the aspect under which she is now presented seems to be especially that of discipline and obedience. The keynote of the discourse seems to be struck in the word "instruction," i.e. discipline, in the original, musar, thus recalling the admonition in Proverbs 1:8, "My son, hear the instruction of thy father." Bohlius, in his 'Ethica Sacra,' disp. 6. p. 65, sqq., assigns "discipline" (musar) to this chapter; and Melancthon describes the admonitions of the chapter before us as "adhortationes ad studium obedientiae." Discipline rising into obedience seems to be the predominant thought to which all others are made subordinate. The discourse is an enlargement or amplification of this aspect of Wisdom. In structure the discourse consists mainly of the father's advice (vers. 4-19), preceded and followed by the teacher's own admonitions in vers. 1-3 and 20-27. The chief topics touched upon are(1) the supreme importance of Wisdom as being "the principal thing" to be obtained before everything else (vers. 7-9); (2) the two ways that lie open to the choice of youth, distinguished respectively as the way of light and the way of darkness (vers. 14-19); and (3) the guarding of the heart with all diligence, as being the seat of conscience and the fountain of life in its moral sense (vers. 23-27). The first part of the discourse is characterized by exhortations accompanied by promises; the latter part takes the form of warning, and warning of an alarming nature. The harmony which exists between the allusions in the discourse and the facts recorded in the historical books of Samuel and Chronicles serves to indicate that we have before us, in substance at least, the advice which David gave to Solomon, and that the discourse is Solomonic. Compare especially ver. 3 with 1 Chronicles 28:5 and 1 Chron 22:9, and ver. 18 with the last words of David in 2 Samuel 23:4. Verse 1. - 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, 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. Attention is especially necessary to secure a knowledge of Divine truth. Ye children (bhanim). This address occurs again twice in the second group of admonitory discourses - in Proverbs 5:7 and Proverbs 7:24, and also in the appeal of Wisdom personified in Proverbs 8:32, and, with these exceptions, nowhere else in the Proverbs. It is used by David, and it is possible that when the teacher penned these words he had in mind Psalm 34:11, "Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord." The similarity in the address serves to connect the teacher of wisdom with David, and thus to identify him with Solomon, while it also leads to the conclusion that the advice which follows in vers. 4-19 is in substance that which David had given his son. On "instruction," see ch. 1:8. Of a father (av). It is difficult, owing to the want of the pronominal suffix, to determine accurately whether the teacher is referring to himself or to his own father in the expression. The following verse . . . Hebrew Listen,שִׁמְע֣וּ (šim·‘ū) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently my sons, בָ֭נִים (ḇā·nîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 1121: A son to the instruction מ֣וּסַר (mū·sar) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 4148: Chastisement, reproof, warning, instruction, restraint of a father; אָ֑ב (’āḇ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1: Father pay attention וְ֝הַקְשִׁ֗יבוּ (wə·haq·šî·ḇū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine plural Strong's 7181: To prick up the ears, hearken and gain לָדַ֥עַת (lā·ḏa·‘aṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 3045: To know understanding. בִּינָֽה׃ (bî·nāh) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 998: An understanding Links Proverbs 4:1 NIVProverbs 4:1 NLT Proverbs 4:1 ESV Proverbs 4:1 NASB Proverbs 4:1 KJV Proverbs 4:1 BibleApps.com Proverbs 4:1 Biblia Paralela Proverbs 4:1 Chinese Bible Proverbs 4:1 French Bible Proverbs 4:1 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:1 Listen sons to a father's instruction (Prov. 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