Proverbs 4:1
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:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Hear, children, the instruction of a father, and listen to knowledge and understanding.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

Contemporary English Version
My child, listen closely to my teachings and learn common sense.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend that you may know prudence.

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.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding.

Literal Standard Version
Hear, you sons, the instruction of a father, | And give attention to know understanding.

Majority Standard Bible
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

New American Bible
Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!

NET Bible
Listen, children, to a father's instruction, and pay attention so that you may gain discernment.

New Revised Standard Version
Listen, children, to a father’s instruction, and be attentive, that you may gain insight;

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;

Young's Literal Translation
Hear, ye sons, the instruction of a father, And give attention to know understanding.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Father's Instruction
1Listen, 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
Psalm 34:11
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

Proverbs 1:2
for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight,

Proverbs 1:8
Listen, my son, to your father's instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

Proverbs 2:2
if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

Proverbs 8:33
Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.

Proverbs 19:20
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.

Jeremiah 35:8
And we have obeyed the voice of our forefather Jonadab son of Rechab in all he commanded us. So we have not drunk wine all our lives--neither we nor our wives nor our sons and daughters.


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:

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Proverbs 4
1. persuades to wisdom
14. and to show wickedness
20. He exhorts to sanctification














IV.

(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 . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


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


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:1 Listen sons to a father's instruction (Prov. Pro Pr)
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