Proverbs 3:3
New International Version
Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

New Living Translation
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.

English Standard Version
Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Berean Standard Bible
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

King James Bible
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

New King James Version
Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart,

New American Standard Bible
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

NASB 1995
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

NASB 1977
Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not let lovingkindness and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Amplified Bible
Do not let mercy and kindness and truth leave you [instead let these qualities define you]; Bind them [securely] around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Christian Standard Bible
Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Never let loyalty and faithfulness leave you. Tie them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

American Standard Version
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee: Bind them about thy neck; Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:

Contemporary English Version
Let love and loyalty always show like a necklace, and write them in your mind.

English Revised Version
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Do not let mercy and truth leave you. Fasten them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Good News Translation
Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.

International Standard Version
Do not let gracious love and truth leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,

Majority Standard Bible
Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

NET Bible
Do not let truth and mercy leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

New Heart English Bible
Do not let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thy heart:

World English Bible
Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do not let kindness and truth forsake you, "" Bind them on your neck, "" Write them on the tablet of your heart,

Young's Literal Translation
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee, Bind them on thy neck, Write them on the tablet of thy heart,

Smith's Literal Translation
Mercy and truth shall not forsake thee: bind them upon thy throat; write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let not mercy and truth leave thee, put them about thy neck, and write them in the tables of thy heart:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Let not mercy and truth abandon you: encircle them around your throat, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart.

New American Bible
Do not let love and fidelity forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And peace, mercy, and truth will not forsake you; bind them about your neck; write them upon the tablets of your heart:

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And let not peace, favor and truth forsake you; bind them on your neck and write them upon the tablet of your heart
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; Bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; but bind them about thy neck:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Trust in the LORD
2for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. 3Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
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. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Jeremiah 31:33
“But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD. I will put My law in their minds and inscribe it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

Hebrews 8:10
For this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord. I will put My laws in their minds and inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they will be My people.

2 Corinthians 3:3
It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Psalm 119:11
I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ / This is the first and greatest commandment. / And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ...

1 John 3:18
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.

Romans 13:8-10
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. / The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” / Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Ephesians 4:15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

1 Peter 1:22
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, / gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.

James 2:8
If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.


Treasury of Scripture

Let not mercy and truth forsake you: bind them about your neck; write them on the table of your heart:

mercy

Proverbs 16:6
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.

Proverbs 20:28
Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy.

2 Samuel 15:20
Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? seeing I go whither I may, return thou, and take back thy brethren: mercy and truth be with thee.

bind

Proverbs 6:21
Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck.

Proverbs 7:3
Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.

Exodus 13:9
And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD'S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

write

Jeremiah 17:1
The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

2 Corinthians 3:3
Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

Hebrews 10:16
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

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Bind Faith Faithfulness Forsake Good Hanging Heart Kindness Leave Loving-Kindness Mercy Neck Recorded Round Table Tablet Truth Write
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Bind Faith Faithfulness Forsake Good Hanging Heart Kindness Leave Loving-Kindness Mercy Neck Recorded Round Table Tablet Truth Write
Proverbs 3
1. various exhortations
13. The gain of wisdom
27. Exhortation to goodness
33. the different state of the wicked and upright














Let kindness and truth never leave you
The Hebrew words for "kindness" (חֶסֶד, chesed) and "truth" (אֱמֶת, emet) are rich in meaning. "Chesed" often refers to steadfast love, mercy, and loyalty, reflecting God's covenantal love for His people. It is a love that is enduring and faithful, a love that acts. "Emet" signifies reliability, faithfulness, and truthfulness. Together, these words encapsulate the essence of a life lived in accordance with God's will. Historically, these virtues were central to the covenant relationship between God and Israel, and they remain foundational for Christian ethics today. The exhortation to never let them leave you suggests a continual, active pursuit of these virtues, indicating that they should be integral to one's character and daily conduct.

bind them around your neck
The imagery of binding these virtues around one's neck suggests a visible, constant reminder of their importance. In ancient times, wearing something around the neck was a way to keep it close and visible, much like a necklace or amulet. This metaphor implies that kindness and truth should be as close to us as our own skin, influencing our actions and decisions. The neck, being a vital and visible part of the body, symbolizes the outward expression of these inward virtues. This phrase encourages believers to make kindness and truth evident in their lives, as a testimony to others of their commitment to God's ways.

write them on the tablet of your heart
The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. Writing these virtues on the "tablet of your heart" suggests a deep, internalization of kindness and truth. In ancient times, tablets were used for recording important information, meant to be preserved and remembered. This metaphor indicates that these virtues should be permanently inscribed in our innermost being, guiding our thoughts, decisions, and actions. The heart as a tablet also implies that these virtues are not just for show but are to be genuinely embraced and lived out. This internalization reflects the transformative power of God's Word and Spirit in shaping a believer's character to align with His divine nature.

(3) Mercy.--Or rather, love, shown by God to man (Exodus 34:7), by man to God (Jeremiah 2:2), and to his fellow man (Genesis 21:23); "truth," or rather, faithfulness, especially in keeping promises, is similarly used both of God (Psalm 30:10) and man (Isaiah 59:14). The two are often joined, as in this place. They are the two special attributes by which God is known in His dealings with men (Exodus 34:6-7), and as such must be imitated by man (Matthew 5:48). . . . Verse 3. - Mercy and truth (khesed vermeth); properly, love and truth; Vulgate, misericordia et veritas; LXX., ἐλεημοσύναι καὶ πίστεις. With this verse begin the commandments which are alluded to in ver. 1. The Hebrew khesed has to be understood in its widest sense, though the Vulgate and the LXX. confine it to one aspect of its meaning, viz. that which refers to the relation of man to man, to the pity evoked by the sight of another's misfortunes, and to ahnsgiving. The radical meaning of the word is "ardent desire," from the root khasad, "to eagerly or ardently desire." Delitzsch describes it as "well affectedness." Predicated of God, it indicates God's love and grace towards man; predicated of man, it signifies man's love toward s God, i.e. piety, or man's love towards his neighbour, i.e. humanity. Where this mercy or love is exhibited in man it finds expression in

(1) mutual outward help;

(2) forgiveness of offences;

(3) sympathy of feeling, which leads to interchange of thought, and so to the development of the spiritual life (see Elster, in loc.). . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Never
אַֽל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

let loving devotion
חֶ֥סֶד (ḥe·seḏ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2617: Kindness, piety, reproof, beauty

or faithfulness
וֶאֱמֶ֗ת (we·’ĕ·meṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 571: Stability, certainty, truth, trustworthiness

leave you;
יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥ךָ (ya·‘az·ḇu·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

bind
קָשְׁרֵ֥ם (qā·šə·rêm)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 7194: To tie, gird, confine, compact, in love, league

them
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

around your neck,
גַּרְגְּרוֹתֶ֑יךָ (gar·gə·rō·w·ṯe·ḵā)
Noun - feminine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1621: The throat

write
כָּ֝תְבֵ֗ם (kā·ṯə·ḇêm)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3789: To grave, to write

them on
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the tablet
ל֥וּחַ (lū·aḥ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3871: To glisten, a tablet, of stone, wood, metal

of your heart.
לִבֶּֽךָ׃ (lib·be·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 3:3 Don't let kindness and truth forsake you (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 3:2
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