Word Studies - Part 4

Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (NKJV)

Strong’s # 3374 yir’a (yir-aw´)


Lexicons/Bible Dictionaries

Strong’s – fear, moral reverence, exceeding fear, piety

Vine’s – fear, reverence, fear of men, situations, or God, also reverence for God

Word Study (OT) – fear of God that acknowledges God’s good intentions, is produced by God’s word making a person receptive to wisdom and knowledge, restrains people from sin

Brown-Driver-Briggs – fear of God, reverence, piety

NIV Hebrew – fear, reverence, piety

NASB Hebrew – fear, reverence

NIDOTTE – fear, reverence, held in honor


Translations

KJV – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

NASB95 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

ESV – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

NLT – Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding.

AMP – The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.

NIV – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

MSG – Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God.

NRSV – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Darby – The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy is intelligence.

Young’s – The commencement of wisdom [is] the fear of Jehovah, and a knowledge of the Holy Ones [is] understanding.


Commentaries

McGee – If one lives without God in this world, it can only be concluded that person is a fool, the fear and reverence of the Lord is the starting point of wisdom regardless of age, social position, or number of university degrees.

Expositor’s – The fear of the Lord is the foundation of all wisdom and righteousness. One who fears the Lord is willing to receive correction, and is seeking additional knowledge, viewing learning as a life long occupation.

Word – Wisdom is of great value, and it originates with God.

Cohen – The fear of the Lord is a basic prerequisite for any true wisdom or knowledge.

Bridges – This sentence repeats a theme in Proverbs making it clear that this thought is very important, and worthy of consideration. A child of God has only one desire and one fear: that is the desire to please the Father, and the fear of offending Him. When one seeks to please the Father, one is seeking to delight in Him, and the fear of offending the Lord is a motivator to this delight.

Miller – The fear of the Lord can also be translated holiness, faith, or a change of heart, but regardless of what it is called, it is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom.

Aitken – Whether one seeks folly or wisdom completely depends on one’s relationship with God. Only those who fear the Lord can walk in the ways of wisdom.

Word Application

Frequently when one reads of the fear of the Lord one equates fear with terror, particularly among children, and those new to the Christian faith. Yet when one thinks of the fear of the Lord as something that acknowledges the good intentions that God has for his people, that refers to one’s reverence for God, and means holding God in great honor one begins to consider this word quite differently. When this occurs to a degree where one has no fear of the Lord, one often becomes complacent in one’s relationship with the Lord. Therefore this verse is a reminder to understand the balance that is required where one is not afraid to come into the presence of the Lord, but one is also not so comfortable that one does not regard the power of the Lord.
When one is seeking to live a life pleasing to the Lord one wants to delight the Lord, to be a source of pleasure to Him, and therefore a person would be afraid of offending the one who has done so much to redeem her, to grow her into a strong person, and grow her in the things of His kingdom. This is not the kind of fear that one would have of a predator or of a dictator king, rather this is the fear that a child has of angering the beloved parent. This fear is one that motivates good behavior and encourages one to find out exactly what delights the object of this fear or reverence so that one may bring Him delight.
When one walks in this balanced fear, love, and reverence of the Lord one has discovered the source of wisdom; one has discovered both the Lord, and the ways pleasing to the Lord. This verse is a call to this balanced understanding that many have lost, and few understand. This verse offers the basic guideline of a life that delights the Lord, and therefore grows the follower in the wisdom and knowledge of the things of God.