Chapter Three

1–18. More detailed depiction of the qualities of true wisdom in relation to God and one’s neighbor; wisdom as the supreme good. 19–26. The Lord, the Wise Creator and Providence, guards and protects the life of the wise and pious one. 27–35. Exhortation to be merciful and just toward one’s neighbor and warning against imitating the violent and lawless.

Proverbs 3:1. My son, do not forget my teaching, and let your heart keep my commandments; Proverbs 3:2. for length of days and years of life and peace will they add to you. Proverbs 3:3. Let mercy and truth not leave you: bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart, Proverbs 3:4. and you will find favor and good will in the eyes of God and man. Cautioning his student (“my son”) against imitating people of corruption (Prov 2:10-19), the Wise Man first of all exhorts him (verse 1) not to forget his teacher (mora, melammed, Prov 5:13) teaching, law (Torah) and to keep all the individual commandments (mitzvot) of this teaching (understood as teaching concerning wisdom and piety). To encourage his student to fulfill his instructions, the Wise Man promises him reward for their fulfillment—a long and happy life, similar to how in the Pentateuch these goods are often promised to the keepers of the law of Moses (e.g., Exod 20:12; Deut 8:1 etc.). Such a reward is in part the gracious fruit of God’s blessing resting on zealots of true wisdom and pure piety, and in part represents the natural consequence proper to the wise and pious—their abstinence from all vices and passions that disrupt a person’s external well-being, undermine his health, and shorten his very life. Then, defining the essence of the law or teaching concerning wisdom—piety, the Wise Man commands (verse 3) keeping “mercy and truth.” Hebrew: hesed and emet; Greek: ἐλεημοσύνη and πίστις; Vulgate: misericordia et veritas. Both concepts are very often joined together in the Old Testament (Gen 32:10; Ps 24:10), likewise in the Book of Proverbs (Prov 3:3 etc.) and can denote both God’s mercy and grace, and God’s faithfulness to His covenant with people, as well as human virtues properly speaking: on the one hand, mercy, compassion toward needy neighbors, readiness to help them in their needs; on the other hand, faithfulness of a person to the promises and obligations given by him, readiness to render to each what is due—in short, both concepts taken together express the fulfillment by a person of his moral duty toward his neighbor, with “mercy” (hesed) being founded on a sense of brotherhood of all people and consciousness of the necessity of their mutual solidarity both in external life and in the work of spiritual development, and “truth” (emet) meaning inner stability and truthfulness, pectus rectum, directly opposed to all hypocrisy, pretended holiness—the striving to harmonize every form with the essence of the matter. From the viewpoint of these two virtues is determined human behavior toward neighbors in the latter part of this chapter (Prov 3:27 further). The thought of the duty of “mercy and truth” must always be present to a person. These commandments, according to the figurative expression of the Wise Man, should be as it were hung about one’s neck and written on one’s heart, like the custom among biblical Hebrews to wear on the chest (on a cord) a seal with an inscription of one’s own name and station (Gen 38:18; Song 8:6), and later Jews for the purpose of remembering God’s commandments wore and wear on arms and on the forehead the so-called phylacteries or tefillin, taking literally the words of Moses (Exod 13:16; Deut 6:8; Matt 23:5). Steadfast keeping of “mercy and truth” will result in God’s mercy and love from people (cf. 1 Sam 2:26; Luke 2:52) toward a person who always keeps this duty of love and justice on the tablet of his heart (by heart’s inclination, cf. Jer 31:33), not by external command alone. This motive of human moral activity—praise and approval from God and people—is often put forward in the Book of Proverbs. But since people’s judgments can also be wrong, the Wise Man then places above all the complete devotion of a person to God, and demands of a person, first, inner dedication to God in humility (Prov 3:4-8), and then complete readiness to sacrifice for God one’s external possessions and to commit to His hands one’s external fate (Prov 3:9-12).

Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:6. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will straighten your paths. Proverbs 3:7. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil: Proverbs 3:8. this will bring health to your body and strength to your bones. One who truly believes in God, the Creator and Providence of the world, cannot in his activity rely only on his own strength; rather, the truly believing person is distinguished above all by firm trust in God’s mercy and grace, and complete devotion and faithfulness to God (verse 5), with arrogance and desire to secure one’s well-being by one’s own strength having no place (cf. Jer 9:23; Ps 36:3 ff., Ps 118:8-9). Only under the condition of humble devotion to God’s will can a person boldly meet all the trials of life. But for this a person must precisely “know” God in all his ways (verse 6), that is, to be wholly pervaded by thought of God (cf. Ps 1:6); then God will “straighten” (“make even”—according to the more precise translation of Archbishop Macarius) all the ways of the person toward serving moral ends, truth, righteousness, goodness. But such direction of human will is possible only if a person, completely renouncing all self-conceit and arrogance (7a; cf. Eccl 7:16; Rom 12:16), makes fear of God and the resulting avoidance of all evil (7b) the foundation of his activity, which is where true wisdom of life consists (cf. Prov 1:7; Job 28:23). Wisdom—piety, necessarily joined with fear of God and turning from evil, is beneficial not only for the soul but also for the body (verse 8), inasmuch as fear of God and dread of falling into sin keep a person from various excesses destructive to the body.

Proverbs 3:9. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; Proverbs 3:10. and your barns will be filled with plenty, and your presses will burst with wine. Honor to the Lord from a person should be rendered not only by humility, reverence and fear before Him, not only by turning from sin—in general not only by spiritual means of worship of God, but also by material, external deeds of pleasing God, among which in the Old Testament belonged the obligation of each Hebrew to dedicate to the Lord the first fruits of the earth (Exod 23:19 ff., Exod 34:26; Lev 23:10-17; Num 18:12-18; Deut 18:4 ff.; Deut 26:2-10), as well as tithes of animals and all produce of the earth (Deut 14:21 ff.; Deut 26:12-14) and firstborn of animals (Exod 22:29; Num 18:15-18). Since fear of impoverishment resulting from generosity could restrain Hebrews at all times from keeping this law regarding theocratic offerings to the sanctuary (cf. Lev 25:20), the Wise Man, having in mind God’s promise of blessing for granting this law (see Lev 25:21-22), promises the diligent offerer an abundance of grain and wine (verse 10). If in other places in the Book of Proverbs little is said about ceremonial law, then offering to the Lord the first fruits of the earth was so natural an expression of gratitude to God for His gifts (for this reason the offering of, for example, a tithe to God was a custom even before Moses (Gen 28:22); likewise the custom of offering God the first and best produce was widely spread among other ancient peoples), that the Wise Man could not pass over in silence such a direct form of expressing religious feeling, and exhorts his listener to zeal in observing the aforementioned law, just as the prophet Malachi later does (Mal 3:10-12).

Proverbs 3:11. Do not reject the discipline of the Lord, my son, and do not tire of His correction; Proverbs 3:12. for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and is well-pleased with as a father with his son. Teaching his listener to express devotion to God and worship—reverence, God, the Wise Man compares these calamities to the harsh methods of human Old Testament pedagogy: just as this latter, in the Wise Man’s view (Prov 19:18), necessarily includes a system of physical effects (such is the meaning of Hebrew musar; Greek: παιδία; Latin: disciplina; Slavonic and Russian: discipline), so all kinds of calamities in the hands of the God who sends them have a pedagogical purpose—the education of God’s people and all its members in true devotion to God and faithfulness to His covenant (cf. Deut 8:5; Ps 117:18; Lam 3:33). Only foolish children despise the lessons of parents, educators and teachers, and are not instructed by their severity. To such children are likened those who, accepting discipline from God’s hand for their sins, are not instructed, and even become angry at God. Warning his listeners and readers against such an attitude, the Wise Man teaches (verse 12) to see in the calamities sent by God signs of His fatherly love for humanity, desiring to turn him from the path of wrong and set him on the path of righteousness and virtue. The second half of verse 12 is read somewhat differently in the Hebrew Masorah, Vulgate and Russian: ukheav et ben irtzeh, quasi pater in filio complacet sibi, “and is well-pleased with as a father with his son,”—than in the LXX and Slavonic: μασιγοῖ δέ παντα υἱόν ὅν παραδέχεται, “but beats every son whom he receives.” In view of the fact that in the LXX and Slavonic reading much better maintains the natural parallelism of speech in verse 12 than in the Hebrew Masorah text, the LXX reading deserves preference (an analogy to verse 12 is presented in Job 5:17-18); all the more so because this reading is reproduced literally in the letter to the Hebrews, Heb 12:6. Having cited in Heb 12:5-6 the words Prov 3:11-12, the writer of the letter to the Hebrews in clarification of the words of the Wise Man appends: “If you endure discipline, God is dealing with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline..., then you are illegitimate children, not sons” (Heb 12:7-8).

Proverbs 3:13. Blessed is the person who has found wisdom, and the person who has gained understanding— Proverbs 3:14. for to acquire her is better than to acquire silver, and her gain better than fine gold: Proverbs 3:15. she is more precious than jewels; [nothing evil can oppose her; she is well known to all who approach her,] and nothing you desire can compare with her. Proverbs 3:16. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and glory;— “Proverbs 3. Prov. 3:16a —[from her mouth comes forth righteousness; law and mercy she carries on her tongue;]” Proverbs 3:17. her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. Proverbs 3:18. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her,—and blessed are those who hold fast to her! The Wise Man, as it were, sings a whole hymn to true wisdom, which here (verses 13 onwards), from the connection with the preceding (verses 11–12), is understood more closely as the experiential, based on patient bearing of the sorrows of life sent by God, understanding of the action within them of the punishing, chastening and at the same time merciful hand of Divine Providence—and then generally spiritual and life experience; the source and ultimate foundation of such wisdom is and always remains the complete devotion of a person to the will of the all-knowing and all-good Providence—God. Wisdom (hokhma, σοφία, sapientia) and prudence (tebuna, φρόνησις, prudentia) are such goods for acquiring which a person should labor more than those who labor seeking gold and silver, mining them from the earth’s depths and at great price acquiring regions rich in gold and silver deposits (cf. Job 28:15 ff.). Cannot compare with the good of wisdom are other precious items, such as, for example, precious stones or similar things, valuable only for their outward luster: all these valuables adorn only the human body, whereas wisdom is the adornment of soul and spirit. In the middle of verse 15, as well as at the end of verse 16, the LXX and Slavonic have additions. In verse 15 the addition reads thus: οὐκ ἀντιτάσσεται αὐτῆ οὐδέν πονηρόν εὐγωστόν ἐστιν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐργαζομένοις αὑτῆ, Slavonic: “nothing evil opposes her, she is well known to all who work with her.” Although this insertion somewhat disrupts the natural parallelism of speech in verse 15, yet the general thought of the superiority of true wisdom over all earthly goods acquired unrighteously—and of the attractiveness of close acquaintance with wisdom, fully and well accords with the teaching of the Book of Proverbs concerning wisdom. However, in some copies of the LXX (e.g., in the Complutensian edition), the aforementioned words are not found. In verses 16, and likewise in verses 17 and 18, wisdom is depicted personified—portrayed as a distributer of gifts both external, material and internal, spiritual. Wisdom is a bountiful source of both. She dispenses with both hands, right and left, to her zealots such goods as longevity, wealth and glory—with corresponding unequal worth of these goods, they are divided thus: in the right hand of wisdom is kept and given what is more important and essential—the good of a long life (cf. Prov 3:2), while less important, almost merely incidental aspects of wisdom—wealth and glory—the left hand. Further, according to the text of the LXX, at the end of verse 16 we read: ἐκ τοῦ στόματος αὐτῆς ἐκπορεύεται δικαιοσύνη, νόμον δέ καί ἔλεος ἐπί γλώσσης φορεῖ, Slavonic: “from her mouth comes forth righteousness, law and mercy she carries on her tongue.” This discourse on spiritual, internal goods of wisdom is very apt as a supplement to the mention of external goods: the righteousness of wisdom is a gift or ability to act everywhere, and especially in judgment, righteously, impartially and without partiality; to carry law and mercy on one’s tongue means to pronounce sentence upon those judged not only according to the law’s righteousness but also infused with mercy and forbearance according to the spirit of the law. Verse 16 as a whole directly reminds of the beginning of Solomon’s reign and has in mind his own example. Upon ascending to the throne, Solomon, as is known, asked of God for himself wisdom for the work of governing, and the Lord gave him not only what he asked for, but also what he did not ask for—wealth and glory (1 Sam 3:6-13). The inner fruits of wisdom appear (verses 17): particular pleasantness of life—success in spiritual and worldly affairs—and a certain special peace of life, inasmuch as the wise person avoids all that could involve him in any danger or conflict with neighbors. The Wise Man, figuratively and quite meaningfully, calls wisdom “a tree of life” (verse 18; cf. Prov 11:30), having in mind, of course, the tree of life known from the Book of Genesis (Gen 2:9): the tree of life that existed in paradise protected humanity from disease and death; after the transgression of the ancestors and their expulsion from paradise, no human wisdom is able to save a person from death or even always successfully treat disease, but the Wise Man, calling Wisdom enlightened by God, grounded in fear of God (cf. Prov 1:7) and in God’s revelation, has in view the saving significance of precisely this wisdom for humanity—chiefly in relation to the spiritual life of humanity: this wisdom satisfies the highest longings of the human spirit, nourishes it, as the tree of life nourished the first person in paradise; it, this wisdom, at the same time serves as a pledge of eternal blessed life of humanity beyond the grave; likewise those in earthly life guided by the rules of wisdom and piety more often enjoy a long and happy life than those who foolishly and intemperately give themselves over to earthly goods. Therefore “blessed are those who hold fast” to Wisdom (18b), LXX: καί τοῖς ἐπερειδομένοις ἐπ’ αὐτὴν, ώς ἐπί κύριον, ἀσφαλής, Slavonic: “And those relying on her, as on the Lord, remain firm.” Those who hope in the Lord, seeking Wisdom in the Lord and seeking support and wisdom in His Wisdom, always remain firm like the impregnable fortress of Zion (cf. Ps 124:1). What is said in verse 18 concerning Wisdom as a tree of life, the Church applied to the tree of the cross of Christ: “lignum vitae crux Christi,” inasmuch as on the cross was crucified the very incarnate Wisdom (cf. Matt 11:19; Luke 11:49; 1 Cor 1:24), and in the event of the crucifixion of Christ the Savior the highest Wisdom of God was revealed, having found such an extraordinary means of reconciling people to God. Therefore the section Prov 3:11-18 is read as a paremie (reading) on feast days in honor of the cross of Christ—on August 1 (the Invention of the holy Cross of Christ) and September 14 (the Exaltation of the holy Cross).

Proverbs 3:19. The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; He established the heavens by understanding; Proverbs 3:20. by His wisdom were the depths broken open, and the clouds drip with dew. Proverbs 3:21. My son, do not let them depart from your eyes; keep sound judgment and discernment, Proverbs 3:22. and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Proverbs 3:23. Then you will walk safely on your way, and your foot will not stumble. Proverbs 3:24. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; and when you sleep, your sleep will be pleasant. Proverbs 3:25. You will not fear sudden terror or the ruin of the wicked when it comes; Proverbs 3:26. for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare. A person must all the more strive toward wisdom in that wisdom is not merely a human quality, but a power present—of course, in infinite degree—in God Himself: the highest wisdom constitutes the seal of all of God’s creative and governing activity. The highest wisdom of God, as Creator and Providence of the world, manifested itself in the fact that “the Lord by wisdom founded the earth, He established the heavens by understanding: by His wisdom were the depths broken open, and the clouds drip with dew” (verses 19–20). By Wisdom, through which God conceived and then realized the idea of the world, is understood the manifestation of the attribute of Divine Wisdom, but at the same time also the Hypostatic Wisdom of God (the Son of God in His pre-incarnate activity) in His world-creative activity (cf. Prov 8:22; Wis 9:9; Sir 24:10; John 1:3). The Wisdom of God, with complete clarity imaged forth in the creation of the world and always displaying itself in its preservation, must be the eternal archetype, the ideal for all who seek wisdom. But God-enlightened human wisdom—“sound judgment and discernment” (Hebrew: tushiyya and zimma, verse 21), inasmuch as its source is that same Divine Wisdom—must also be the object of attention and imitation by the young person. The fruits of wisdom, even for external human life alone, are beneficial and diverse: the rules of wisdom, put as the foundation of human activity, become for him a source of spiritual nourishment, moral strength—in short, of true life force (verse 22), of peace, quiet, and success in all affairs (verse 23), of untroubled rest and safety both from external enemies and from internal turmoil (verses 24–25; cf. Ps 90:5-6). This is because in all respects and circumstances of life the wise person places his trust in the Lord, and his hope will never deceive him (verse 26; cf. Ps 90:11-12).

Proverbs 3:27. Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in the power of your hand to do it. Proverbs 3:28. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back again, and tomorrow I will give it,” when you have it at hand. [For you do not know what the coming day will bring.] Proverbs 3:29. Do not devise evil against your neighbor, when he dwells securely with you. Proverbs 3:30. Do not quarrel with a person without cause, if he has done you no harm. Proverbs 3:31. Do not envy a violent person, and do not choose any of his ways; The manner of conduct of the truly wise and virtuous in relation to others is depicted from positive and negative aspects. Foremost in the concept of true righteousness, according to Old Testament biblical understanding (cf. Deut 15:1 and Isa 58:1 etc.) stands the virtue of mercy and beneficence toward one’s neighbor, and the Wise Man earnestly counsels not to withhold from the needy (ba’al) help (verse 27; cf. Sir 4:2): characteristic of the Old Testament-biblical view of almsgiving is the very name of the recipient—ba’al, owner or one to whom almsgiving is due by obligation or right (cf. Prov 16:22. See A. Glagolev, Ancient Hebrew Benevolence, Kiev 1903, p. 33–34), and included in the concept of the needy, in accordance with the law of Moses, are not only fellow countrymen and co-religionists, but also the stranger and the non-believer; likewise the words (27b) “when it is in the power of your hand to do it” make plain that only extreme poverty, absence of all means for beneficence, can free a person from the obligation of almsgiving (cf. 2 Cor 8:12). The one who has the ability to help a needy person immediately should not postpone it to another day, verse 28; the LXX add in this verse words (probably from Prov 27:1) ού γὰρ οἶδας τί τέξεται ἡ ἐπιοῦσα, Slavonic: “for you know not what the coming day will bring forth,”—words that accord well with the context of speech, strengthening the thought of the duty of a person to help immediately any who are in need (cf. Sir 4:1 ff.; Sir 12:1 ff.; Sir 29:1 ff.; Job 31:16). Verses 29–30 depict the negative side of love of neighbor—deceitfulness and perfidy against the trusting neighbor, quarrelsomeness and litigiousness without cause: from these manifestations of lack of love toward one’s neighbor the Wise Man cautions his listening student. But since for a young person the example of virtuous and wicked has great power in matters of good and evil, therefore in verse 31 the Wise Man cautions his student against imitating or rivaling the wicked, even though their external life were for a time successful (cf. Ps 36:1; Prov 24:19).

Proverbs 3:32. for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord, but He takes the righteous into His confidence. Proverbs 3:33. The curse of the Lord is on the house of the wicked, but He blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Proverbs 3:34. Surely He mocks the scoffers, but He gives grace to the humble. Proverbs 3:35. The wise will inherit honor, and fools will inherit shame. They point to the foundation—most closely to what is said in Prov 3:27-31, and then generally to all the exhortations of chapter III. There is depicted, verses 32–34, the directly opposite relation of God to the righteous and to sinners. First of all, the spiritual disposition of a sinner is entirely foreign, contrary and hateful to God (32a), even if on the external side his deeds should seem legitimate, for example, even sacrifices offered by the wicked only anger God (cf. Isa 66:3)—and only the righteous can enjoy the gracious closeness to God (32b; cf. Ps 24:14). Then the external fate of the wicked and the righteous is essentially different: the well-being of the former is always unstable, over the fate and house of the wicked there always weighs God’s curse (verse 33a; cf. Deut 28:15; Zech 5:4; Mal 2:2), while on the dwelling of the righteous rests God’s blessing (33b; cf. Prov 4:13 etc.). Such different relation of God to the wicked and the righteous, and such different fate of one and the other, are constant phenomena, constitute as it were a law of moral life; therefore in verses 34–35 the Wise Man expresses these thoughts once more in brief, expressive statements, of which that given in verse 34 is cited twice (according to the LXX translation) in the New Testament (Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5).