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Many people know two verses from this chapter by heart: verses 5 and 6. This short reading walks all thirteen verses in order, so the familiar lines can be read with their neighbors. Proverbs 3:1–13, King James Version: 1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. 7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil. 8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. 9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: 10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: 12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. 13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
The book opens with its own heading. Proverbs 1:1 (KJV): “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;” This reading goes no further than that heading, and it doesn't take up questions about how the book was gathered. Within the passage, verse 1 and verse 11 both begin with the same two words: “My son”. The thirteen verses are framed as counsel spoken to a son.
Verses 1–4 ask the son to “forget not my law” and to keep “my commandments”, and not to let “mercy and truth” forsake him. Verse 4 names what follows: “favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” Verses 5–8 hold the best-known lines: “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” They go on to “acknowledge him,” “Be not wise in thine own eyes”, and “fear the LORD, and depart from evil.” Verse 8 names the result: “health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.” Verses 9–10 turn to “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase”, followed by the lines about barns “filled with plenty” and presses that “burst out with new wine.” Verses 11–12 begin a second “My son,” this time about “the chastening of the LORD” and “his correction”, ending with “as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” Verse 13 closes the stretch: “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”
Trust sits beside “with all thine heart” in verse 5. Lean appears in “lean not unto thine own understanding” (verse 5), and verse 7 adds a related line: “Be not wise in thine own eyes”. Acknowledge comes with “In all thy ways” and is followed by “he shall direct thy paths” (verse 6). Firstfruits sits next to “thy substance” in verse 9: “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase”. Chastening stands next to correction in verse 11, and verse 12 follows with a father and “the son in whom he delighteth.” Wisdom and understanding are named together in verse 13. Understanding also appears in verses 4 and 5.
This short reading is not a replacement for your pastor, your church, or your group, and it doesn't settle debates between churches. It's meant to help you come to the conversation having read the whole passage. If you'd like to go further, the Get the quick version button below builds Cliff Notes on Proverbs 3:1–13 for you on MasteryLoopHQ: a short overview you can read at your own pace, and unpack further wherever you want more.
Proverbs 3:1-13, in order: keeping the law, trusting in the LORD, honouring him with the firstfruits, not despising his correction, and wisdom.
If you read only verses 5 and 6, what do you miss from verses 1–4 and 7–13? Where does “My son” appear in this stretch? What words sit in verses 9–10, and what comes right after them in verses 11–12?
Add Proverbs 3:5-6 to your verses, type it from memory, and come back to it on another day.
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