Proverbs 2:2

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
listening closely to wisdomand directing your heart to understanding;

Hebrew Names Version
So as to turn your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

King James Version
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

English Standard Version
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

New Century Version
Listen carefully to wisdom; set your mind on understanding.

New English Translation
by making your ear attentive to wisdom, and by turning your heart to understanding,

Amplified Bible
So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

New American Standard Bible
Make your ear attentive to wisdom; Incline your heart to understanding.

World English Bible
So as to turn your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

Geneva Bible (1587)
And cause thine eares to hearken vnto wisdome, and encline thine heart to vnderstanding,

Legacy Standard Bible
To make your ear pay attention to wisdom,Incline your heart to discernment;

Contemporary English Version
Keep in tune with wisdom and think what it means to have common sense.

Complete Jewish Bible
paying attention to wisdom inclining your mind toward understanding —

Darby Translation
so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom [and] thou apply thy heart to understanding;

Easy-to-Read Version
Listen to wisdom, and do your best to understand.

George Lamsa Translation
And incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding,

Good News Translation
Listen to what is wise and try to understand it.

Lexham English Bible
in order to incline your ear toward wisdom, then you shall apply your heart to understanding.

Literal Translation
so that you attend to wisdom, you shall extend your heart to understanding.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
that thine eare maye herken vnto wysdome, applie thine herte then to vnderstodinge.

American Standard Version
So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding;

Bible in Basic English
So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So that thou make thine ear attend unto wisdom, and thy heart incline to discernment;

King James Version (1611)
So that thou incline thine eare vnto wisedome, and apply thine heart to vnderstanding:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That thou wylt encline thine eares vnto wisdome: applye thine heart then to vnderstandyng.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
thine ear shall hearken to wisdom; thou shalt also apply thine heart to understanding, and shalt apply it to the instruction of thy son.

English Revised Version
So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that thin eere here wisdom, bowe thin herte to knowe prudence.

Update Bible Version
So as to incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

Webster's Bible Translation
So that thou incline thy ear to wisdom, [and] apply thy heart to understanding;

New King James Version
So that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding;

New Living Translation
Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

New Life Bible
make your ear open to wisdom. Turn your heart to understanding.

New Revised Standard
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So that thou direct, unto wisdom, thine ear, bend thy heart, unto understanding;

Douay-Rheims Bible
That thy ear may hearken to wisdom: incline thy heart to know prudence.

Revised Standard Version
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

Young's Literal Translation
To cause thine ear to attend to wisdom, Thou inclinest thy heart to understanding,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Make your ear attentive to wisdom, Incline your heart to understanding;

Contextual Overview

¹My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, ²if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,³if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, ⁴if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, ⁵then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. ⁶For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. ⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity, ⁸to guard the paths of justice and protect the way of His saints. ⁹Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity-every good path.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou: Proverbs 18:1, Psalms 119:111, Psalms 119:112, Isaiah 55:3, Matthew 13:9

apply: Proverbs 22:17-21, Proverbs 23:12, Psalms 90:12, Ecclesiastes 7:25, Ecclesiastes 8:9, Ecclesiastes 8:16, Acts 17:11

Reciprocal: Leviticus 11:3 - cheweth Joshua 18:3 - How long are Joshua 24:23 - incline 2 Chronicles 1:10 - Give me Proverbs 4:5 - Get wisdom Proverbs 7:4 - Say Proverbs 13:4 - but Proverbs 23:23 - Buy Ecclesiastes 1:13 - I gave Matthew 13:23 - good Matthew 13:44 - like Luke 8:18 - heed John 5:38 - ye have John 6:27 - which the

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning-the sixth day.

Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed.

Genesis 2:11
The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Exodus 23:12
For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between Me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.'"

Deuteronomy 5:14
but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work-neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do.

Isaiah 58:13
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD's holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words,

John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, "To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working."

Hebrews 4:4
For somewhere He has spoken about the seventh day in this manner: "And on the seventh day God rested from all His works."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So that thou incline thine ear unto Wisdom,.... Hearken to Wisdom, that is, Christ; or rather to the instruction of Wisdom, which is the Gospel; so called, because it is the produce of divine wisdom, what the wisdom of man could never have devised, and which it opposes; and in which there is a most glorious display of the wisdom of God, in the justification and salvation of his people by Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:6; and is worth listening unto with the greatest attention, which is what is designed by this expression;

[and] apply thine heart to understanding; to a spiritual and experimental understanding of the Gospel, and the truths of it: for an inclination of the ear, without an application of the heart, which signifies the intenseness of the mind, an earnest and hearty desire after knowledge, will signify nothing; a hypocrite may seemingly hear with great attention, and show much affection, and yet his heart be after the world and the things of it, Ezekiel 33:31; see Psalms 119:112.