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Sunday, August 17th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Proverbs 1:6

he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Young Men;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Mind;   Wisdom;   Wisdom literature;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Education in Bible Times;   Parable;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, the Book of;   Solomon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel, History of;   Proverbs, Book of;   Riddle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Games;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Proverbs book of;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Parable;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Dark Sayings;   Figure;   Proverb;   Proverbs, Book of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bible Canon;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
for understanding a proverb or a parable,the words of the wise, and their riddles.
Hebrew Names Version
To understand a proverb, and parables, The words and riddles of the wise.
King James Version
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
English Standard Version
to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.
New Century Version
Then anyone can understand wise words and stories, the words of the wise and their riddles.
New English Translation
To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles.
Amplified Bible
To understand a proverb and a figure [of speech] or an enigma with its interpretation, And the words of the wise and their riddles [that require reflection].
New American Standard Bible
To understand a proverb and a saying, The words of the wise and their riddles.
World English Bible
To understand a proverb, and parables, The words and riddles of the wise.
Geneva Bible (1587)
To vnderstand a parable, & the interpretation, the wordes of ye wise, and their darke sayings.
Legacy Standard Bible
To understand a proverb and an enigma,The words of the wise and their riddles.
Berean Standard Bible
to understand the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.
Contemporary English Version
proverbs and sayings, as well as words of wisdom and all kinds of riddles.
Darby Translation
to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.
Easy-to-Read Version
These sayings will help you understand proverbs, stories with hidden meanings, words of the wise, and other difficult sayings.
George Lamsa Translation
To understand proverbs and figures of speech; the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
Good News Translation
so that they can understand the hidden meanings of proverbs and the problems that the wise raise.
Lexham English Bible
to understand a proverb and an expression, words of wisdom and their riddles.
Literal Translation
to understand a proverb and an enigma; the words of the wise, and their acute sayings.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
he shal be more apte to vnderstonde a parable, and the interpretacion therof: the wordes of the wyse, and the darcke speaches of the same.
American Standard Version
To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Bible in Basic English
To get the sense of wise sayings and secrets, and of the words of the wise and their dark sayings.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
King James Version (1611)
To vnderstand a prouerbe, and the interpretation; the wordes of the wise, and their darke sayings.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
To vnderstande a parable, and the interpretation therof, the wordes of the wise, and their darke speaches.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the saying of the wise also, and riddles.
English Revised Version
To understand a proverb, and a figure; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal perseyue a parable, and expownyng; the wordis of wise men, and the derk figuratif spechis of hem.
Update Bible Version
To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Webster's Bible Translation
To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
New King James Version
To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.
New Living Translation
by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables, the words of the wise and their riddles.
New Life Bible
to understand a saying and a picture-story, the words of the wise and what they mean.
New Revised Standard
to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
By gaining discernment of proverb, and satire, the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall understand a parable and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their mysterious sayings.
Revised Standard Version
to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles.
Young's Literal Translation
For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
To understand a proverb and a figure, The words of the wise and their riddles.

Contextual Overview

1 The proverbs of Shlomo the son of David, king of Isra'el, 2 are for learning about wisdom and discipline; for understanding words expressing deep insight; 3 for gaining an intelligently disciplined life, doing what is right, just and fair; 4 for endowing with caution those who don't think and the young person with knowledge and discretion. 5 Someone who is already wise will hear and learn still more; someone who already understands will gain the ability to counsel well; 6 he will understand proverbs, obscure expressions, the sayings and riddles of the wise.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a proverb: Matthew 13:10-17, Matthew 13:51, Matthew 13:52, Mark 4:11, Mark 4:34, Acts 8:30, Acts 8:31

the interpretation: or, an eloquent speech.

the words: Ecclesiastes 12:11

dark: Psalms 49:4, Psalms 78:2, Matthew 13:34, Matthew 13:35, Hebrews 5:14, 2 Peter 3:16

Reciprocal: Judges 14:12 - a riddle 1 Kings 10:1 - prove him 1 Kings 10:3 - told her 2 Chronicles 9:1 - questions Ecclesiastes 8:1 - who knoweth Hosea 14:9 - wise Matthew 13:23 - good John 16:25 - proverbs

Cross-References

Genesis 1:5
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.
Genesis 1:6
God said, "Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water."
Genesis 1:7
God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was,
Genesis 1:8
and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:11
God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth"; and that is how it was.
Genesis 1:12
The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:13
So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
Genesis 1:14
(A: ii) God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years;
Genesis 1:20
God said, "Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky."
Genesis 1:22
Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation,.... This may be connected either with the first verse, "the proverbs of Solomon", c. are written, as for the above ends and purposes, so for these or with Proverbs 1:5, a wise and understanding man, by hearkening and attending to what is here delivered, will not only attain to wise counsels, but to the understanding of proverbial sayings, and to see into the "elegancy" m, the eloquence and beauty of them, as the word signifies; and be able to interpret them to others in a clear, plain, way and manner;

the words of the wise, and their dark sayings; the words and doctrines, not of the wise philosophers and sages of the Heathen world, but of men truly wise and good; and especially of the wise inspired writers of the Scriptures, whose words come from one Shepherd, Ecclesiastes 12:11; and the enigmas or riddles contained in their writings, which are so to a natural man, obscure phrases and expressions, things hard and difficult to be understood, yet to a spiritual man, that judgeth all things, plain and easy, 1 Corinthians 2:14.

m מליצה "facundiam", Montanus; "eloquentiam", Tigurine version; "elocutionem", Mercerus, Gejerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The book has yet a further scope; these proverbs are to form a habit of mind. To gain through them the power of entering into the deeper meaning of other proverbs, is the end kept in view. Compare Matthew 13:0.

The rendering “interpretation” spoils the parallelism of the two clauses, and fails to express the Hebrew. In Habakkuk 2:6, it is rendered “taunting proverb.” Here “riddle” or “enigma” would better express the meaning.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 1:6. Dark sayings. — חידת chidoth, enigmas or riddles, in which the Asiatics abounded. I believe parables, such as those delivered by our Lord, nearly express the meaning of the original.


 
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