Proverbs 3:21
New International Version
My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion;

New Living Translation
My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them,

English Standard Version
My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Berean Standard Bible
My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

King James Bible
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

New King James Version
My son, let them not depart from your eyes— Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

New American Standard Bible
My son, see that they do not escape from your sight; Comply with sound wisdom and discretion,

NASB 1995
My son, let them not vanish from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

NASB 1977
My son, let them not depart from your sight; Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Legacy Standard Bible
My son, let them not deviate from your eyes; Guard sound wisdom and discretion,

Amplified Bible
My son, let them not escape from your sight, But keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Christian Standard Bible
Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Maintain your competence and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them.

American Standard Version
My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
My son, let not your eyes depart from keeping my teaching and my counsels.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My son, let them not pass from thee, but keep my counsel and understanding:

Contemporary English Version
My child, use common sense and sound judgment! Always keep them in mind.

Douay-Rheims Bible
My son, let not these things depart from thy eyes: keep the law and counsel:

English Revised Version
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; keep sound wisdom and discretion;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My son, do not lose sight of these things. Use priceless wisdom and foresight.

Good News Translation
My child, hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you.

International Standard Version
My son, do not let wisdom leave your sight. Carefully observe sound judgment and discernment,

JPS Tanakh 1917
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion;

Literal Standard Version
My son! Do not let them turn from your eyes, | Keep wisdom and thoughtfulness,

Majority Standard Bible
My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

New American Bible
My son, do not let these slip from your sight: hold to deliberation and planning;

NET Bible
My child, do not let them escape from your sight; safeguard sound wisdom and discretion.

New Revised Standard Version
My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence,

New Heart English Bible
My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Webster's Bible Translation
My son, let not them depart from thy eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

World English Bible
My son, let them not depart from your eyes. Keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Young's Literal Translation
My son! let them not turn from thine eyes, Keep thou wisdom and thoughtfulness,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Blessings of Wisdom
20By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew. 21My son, do not lose sight of this: Preserve sound judgment and discernment. 22They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.…

Cross References
Hebrews 2:1
We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.

Proverbs 1:4
To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young,

Proverbs 4:21
Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.

Proverbs 5:2
that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

Proverbs 8:14
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.

Proverbs 18:1
He who isolates himself pursues selfish desires; he rebels against all sound judgment.


Treasury of Scripture

My son, let not them depart from your eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:

let

Proverbs 3:1-3
My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: …

Deuteronomy 4:9
Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons;

Deuteronomy 6:6-9
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: …

keep

Proverbs 2:7
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.

Deuteronomy 32:46,47
And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law…

Jump to Previous
Depart Discernment Discretion Escape Eyes Good Judgment Preserve Purpose Sense Sight Sound Thoughtfulness Turn Vanish Wisdom Wise
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Depart Discernment Discretion Escape Eyes Good Judgment Preserve Purpose Sense Sight Sound Thoughtfulness Turn Vanish Wisdom Wise
Proverbs 3
1. various exhortations
13. The gain of wisdom
27. Exhortation to goodness
33. the different state of the wicked and upright














Verse 21. - My son, let not them depart from thine eyes. After the description of the power of Wisdom exhibited in creating and sustaining the earth, the exhortation to keep Wisdom steadily before the eyes, and the promises of Divine protection, appropriately follow. Since Wisdom is so powerful, then, the teacher argues, she is worthy of being retained and guarded, and able to protect. Let them not depart (al-yaluzu); i.e. "let them not escape or slip aside from your mind (cf. Vulgate, ne effluant haec ab oculis ruts). They are to be as frontiers between your eyes, as a ring upon your finger. Yaluzu, from luz, "to bend aside," defiectere, a via declinare, which see in Proverbs 2:15, ought probably to be written yellezu, on the analogy of the corresponding passage in Proverbs 4:21. The LXX. renders absolutely μὴ παραῥῤύης, "do not thou pass by," from παραῥῤύω, "to flow by," "to pass by, recede" (cf. Hebrews 2:1, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to these things, lest at any time we should let them slip (μὴ ποτε παραῥῤυῶμεν)," quoted probably from the LXX. of this passage). The Targum Jonathan reads ne vilescat, "let it," i.e. wisdom, "not become worthless." Them, included in the verb yaluzu of which it is subject in the original, is to be referred either to "sound wisdom and discretion" of ver. 21b - so Gejerus, Cartwright, Geier, Umbreit, Hitzig, Zockter, Plumptre (a similar trajection occurs in Deuteronomy 32:5, and is used, as here, to give vividness to the description): or to "wisdom, understanding, knowledge," of the preceding verses - so Delitzsch and Holden. The first view in every way seems preferable, and it is no objection to it that "sound wisdom" (tushiyyah) and "discretion" (m'yimmah) are feminine, while the verb "depart" (yaluzu) is masculine (see Gesenius, *Gram.,' § 147). The Syriac reads, "Let it not become worthless (ne vile fit) in thine eyes to keep my doctrine and my counsels." Keep sound wisdom and discretion. Keep; n'zor, kal imperative of natsar, "to watch, guard." For "sound wisdom" (tushiyyah), see Proverbs 2:7. Here used for "wisdom" (kokhmah), as "discretion" (m'zimmah) for "understanding" (t'vunah), to contrast the absolute wisdom and insight of God with the corresponding attributes in man (see Zockler, in loc.). They belong to God, but are conferred on those who seek after Wisdom, and are then to be guarded as priceless treasures. The Vulgate reads, custodi legem et consilium; and the LXX., τήρησον δὲ ἐμὴν βουλὴν καὶ ἔννοιαν, "guard my counsel and thought."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My son,
בְּ֭נִי (bə·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

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

lose
יָלֻ֣זוּ (yā·lu·zū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3868: To turn aside, to depart, be perverse

sight of this:
מֵעֵינֶ֑יךָ (mê·‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

Preserve
נְצֹ֥ר (nə·ṣōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5341: To watch, guard, keep

sound judgment
תֻּ֝שִׁיָּ֗ה (tu·šî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8454: Support, ability, help, an undertaking, understanding

and discernment.
וּמְזִמָּֽה׃ (ū·mə·zim·māh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 4209: A plan, evil, sometimes good


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 3:21 My son let them not depart (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 3:20
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