Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
Parallel Translations
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Tell wisdom, “You are my sister.” Call understanding your relative,
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Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:
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Say unto wisdom: 'Thou art my sister', and call understanding thy kinswoman;
Cross-references (6)
Passages linked to Proverbs 7:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 2:2-4 so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:
- Proverbs 4:6-8 Don’t forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor when you embrace her.
- Job 17:14 if I have said to corruption, ‘You are my father;’ to the worm, ‘My mother,’ and ‘My sister,’
- Song of Solomon 8:1 Oh that you were like my brother, who nursed from the breasts of my mother! If I found you outside, I would kiss you; yes, and no one would despise me.
- Matthew 12:49-50 He stretched out his hand toward his disciples, and said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
- Luke 11:27-28 It came to pass, as he said these things, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts which nursed you!” But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister;…
Pro 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:
Ver. 4. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister,] q.d., If thou must needs have a lady to set thy love upon, let me commend a mistress to thee more amiable and affable than any that thou canst meet with, and that is heavenly wisdom. Say unto her, Thou art my sister, &c. Christ oft woos his spouse by this title, "My sister, my spouse." As the nearest affinity is spouse, so the nearest consanguinity is sister. There are all bonds to knit us to Christ, there shall be all to knit Christ to us, if we fall in with wisdom; this is to become akin to Christ. {Mat 12:50} And that is the truest nobility where God himself is top of the kin, and religion the root, in regard whereof all the rest (riches, retinue, &c.) are but shadows and shapes of nobleness.
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Call understanding thy kinswoman,] i.e., Be thoroughly and familiarly acquainted with her. Surely as in nature he is accounted a singular idiot that knows not his own sisters or near kinsfolk, so in religion he is strangely simple and stupid that is not acquainted with the grounds of behaviour and comfort, as they are contained in the word.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain When other foolish young men seek wanton mistresses, whom…
When other foolish young men seek wanton mistresses, whom they frequently call
sisters or
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kinswomen, let wisdom be thy mistress; acquaint and delight thyself with her, and let her have the command of thy heart, and the conduct of thy life.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister,.... Intimately acquainted,…
Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister,.... Intimately acquainted, greatly beloved, and highly delighted in: this may be understood both of the Gospel, the wisdom of God in a mystery, which men should be conversant with, be strongly affected to, and take delight and pleasure in; and of Christ, the essential Wisdom of God, and who stands in the relation of a brother to his people, and should be respected as such;
and call understanding thy kinswoman; or "kinsman" (a); such Christ is in our nature, our "goel", our near kinsman, partaker of the same flesh and blood, and therefore is not ashamed to call us brethren, nor should we be ashamed to call him kinsman: moreover, his Word and Gospel, and the understanding of it, should be familiar to us; it should be well "known" (b) by us, as the word used signifies, and dwell richly in us.
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(a) "cognatum", Piscator. (b) "Notam", Montanus, Michaelis.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain And call - Acquaint and delight thyself with her.
And call - Acquaint and delight thyself with her.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 4. Thou art my sister] Thou art my…
Verse 4. Thou art my sister] Thou art my dearest friend, and I will treat thee as such.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 4. My sister… kinswoman — Or familiar acquaintance; that…
4. My sister… kinswoman — Or familiar acquaintance; that is, respect, love, and cherish her. Cp. Job_17:14; Job_30:29; also, Psa_55:13; Psa_88:8.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 4. kinswoman] Lit. known, i.e. acquaintance, or intimate friend,…
4. kinswoman] Lit. known, i.e. acquaintance, or intimate friend, γνώριμος, LXX.; amica, Vulg. In the only two other places, however, in which the word occurs (Rth_2:1; Rth_3:2) it is used in the sense of kinsman. Comp. Job_17:14.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Vers. 4 and 5 contain earnest admonitions to the…
Vers. 4 and 5 contain earnest admonitions to the pursuit of Wisdom, which is worthy of the purest love.
Say unto Wisdom, Thou art my sister. Wisdom is personified, and the connection with her indicated by the relationship which best expresses love, purity, confidence. In the Book of Wisdom 8 she is represented as wife. Christ calls those who do God"s will his brother, and sister, and mother. (Mat_12:50) Call Understanding thy kinswoman; moda, "familiar friend." Let prudence and sound sense be as dear to thee as a close friend.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Say to wisdom, "You are my sister
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister
Here wisdom is spoken of as if it were a person. AT: "Value wisdom as you would love your sister" (See: Personification)
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call understanding your kinsman
Here the quality of understanding is spoken of as if it were a kinsman or relative. AT: "treat understanding as you would treat your kinsman" (See: Personification)
kinsman
"relative" or "family member"
the adulterous woman
This refers to any woman to whom a man is not married. AT: "the woman whom you should have nothing to do with"
the immoral woman
This refers to any woman who is not known to a man.
with her smooth words
Words intended to deceive are spoken of as if they were smooth objects. AT: "who says pleasant things, but wants to deceive you"
translationWords
wise
word
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 7:4 In Hebrew, sister is a term of endearment…
7:4 In Hebrew, sister is a term of endearment that expresses intimacy (see Song 4:9-10).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.