Proverbs 4:2
New International Version
I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching.

New Living Translation
for I am giving you good guidance. Don’t turn away from my instructions.

English Standard Version
for I give you good precepts; do not forsake my teaching.

Berean Standard Bible
For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

King James Bible
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

New King James Version
For I give you good doctrine: Do not forsake my law.

New American Standard Bible
For I give you good teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.

NASB 1995
For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.

NASB 1977
For I give you sound teaching; Do not abandon my instruction.

Legacy Standard Bible
For I give you sound learning; Do not forsake my instruction.

Amplified Bible
For I give you good doctrine; Do not turn away from my instruction.

Christian Standard Bible
for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
for I am giving you good instruction. Don’t abandon my teaching.

American Standard Version
For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law.

Contemporary English Version
My advice is useful, so don't turn away.

English Revised Version
For I give you good doctrine; forsake ye not my law.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
After all, I have taught you well. Do not abandon my teachings.

Good News Translation
What I am teaching you is good, so remember it all.

International Standard Version
I give you sound teaching, so do not abandon my instruction.

Majority Standard Bible
For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

NET Bible
Because I give you good instruction, do not forsake my teaching.

New Heart English Bible
for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

Webster's Bible Translation
For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.

World English Bible
for I give you sound learning. Don’t forsake my law.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For I have given to you good learning, do not forsake my law.

Young's Literal Translation
For good learning I have given to you, My law forsake not.

Smith's Literal Translation
For I gave to you good instruction; ye shall not forsake my law.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.

Catholic Public Domain Version
I will bestow upon you a good gift. Do not relinquish my law.

New American Bible
Yes, excellent advice I give you; my teaching do not forsake.

New Revised Standard Version
for I give you good precepts: do not forsake my teaching.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Because I give you good doctrine, do not forsake my law.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because I have given you good teaching, forsake not my law.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my teaching.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For I give you a good gift; forsake ye not my law.

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. 3When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother,…

Cross References
Psalm 119:9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. / With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. / I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

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.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

Psalm 19:7-11
The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. / The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. / The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. ...

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

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.

Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. / But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. / He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. / Whoever does not love Me does not keep My words. The word that you hear is not My own, but it is from the Father who sent Me.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Romans 15:4
For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

1 Peter 2:2
Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,


Treasury of Scripture

For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.

good

Proverbs 8:6-9
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things…

Proverbs 22:20,21
Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, …

Deuteronomy 32:2
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:

forsake

1 Chronicles 28:9
And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.

2 Chronicles 7:19
But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;

Psalm 89:30-32
If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; …

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














For I give you
This phrase emphasizes the personal and intentional act of imparting wisdom. The Hebrew root for "give" is "נָתַן" (natan), which conveys the idea of bestowing or granting something of value. In the context of Proverbs, this reflects the earnest desire of the teacher, traditionally Solomon, to pass on wisdom to the next generation. It underscores the relational aspect of wisdom as a gift from a loving mentor or parent, echoing the divine nature of wisdom as a gift from God to His people.

sound teaching
The term "sound" in Hebrew is "טּוֹב" (tov), meaning good, beneficial, or morally right. "Teaching" comes from the Hebrew "לֶקַח" (leqach), which refers to instruction or doctrine. Together, "sound teaching" implies a form of instruction that is not only correct but also beneficial for living a righteous life. This phrase highlights the importance of adhering to teachings that are rooted in truth and moral integrity, reflecting the biblical principle that true wisdom leads to a life of righteousness and blessing.

do not abandon
The Hebrew word for "abandon" is "עָזַב" (azav), which means to leave, forsake, or neglect. This phrase serves as a warning against the neglect of wisdom and instruction. In the historical context of Israel, abandoning the teachings of the elders or the law of God often led to moral and spiritual decline. This admonition is a call to remain steadfast and committed to the path of wisdom, recognizing that turning away from sound teaching can lead to detrimental consequences.

my instruction
The word "instruction" is translated from the Hebrew "תּוֹרָה" (torah), which is often associated with the law or teachings of God. In this context, it refers to the guidance and principles imparted by the teacher. The use of "my" personalizes the instruction, indicating a direct and intimate transmission of wisdom. This reflects the biblical tradition of passing down divine wisdom through generations, emphasizing the responsibility of the recipient to cherish and uphold these teachings as a sacred trust.

Verse 2. - 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 (Gesenius, 'Hebrews Gram.,' § 126. 3). Good doctrine (lekakh tov). The doctrine or instruction is "good," not only intrinsically, but as to the source from which it was derived, and in its effects. Lekakh is, according to its root lakakh, "something which is received or taken." From the standpoint of the teacher it is that instruction which he had received of his father. With respect to his hearers it is the instruction which is communicated to them, and which they receive (see on Proverbs 1:5). The LXX. renders, δῶρον ἀγαθὸν; similarly the Vulgate, donum bonum, "a good gift." Forsake ye not; al-taazovu, from azav, "to leave, forsake" (compare the corresponding phrase, al-tiltosh, from natash, "to leave, forsake," in Proverbs 1:8). Law (torah); as in Proverbs 1:8.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
For
כִּ֤י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

I give
נָתַ֣תִּי (nā·ṯat·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

you
לָכֶ֑ם (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

sound
ט֭וֹב (ṭō·wḇ)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

teaching;
לֶ֣קַח (le·qaḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3948: Something received, instruction, inveiglement

do not
אַֽל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

abandon
תַּעֲזֹֽבוּ׃ (ta·‘ă·zō·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5800: To loosen, relinquish, permit

my instruction.
תּֽ֝וֹרָתִ֗י (tō·w·rā·ṯî)
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:2 For I give you sound learning (Prov. Pro Pr)
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