She calls at the head of noisy places. At the entrance of the city gates, she utters her words:
Parallel translations
- KJV She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
- BSB in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:
- NKJV She cries out in the chief concourses, At the openings of the gates in the city She speaks her words:
- NASB At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she declares her sayings:
- NLT She calls to the crowds along the main street, to those gathered in front of the city gate:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Wisdom proclaims her message at the busiest, most public places. It matters because no one can claim wisdom's call never reached them.
Overview
Wisdom cries out at the noisy crossroads and city gates, the centers of commerce and judgment. Her message penetrates everyday life, leaving people without excuse. This public, accessible call mirrors the open proclamation of the gospel to all who pass by.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Acts 5:20“Go stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.”
- Prov 9:3She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:
- Matt 10:27What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops.
- Matt 13:2Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.
- John 18:20Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues, and in the temple, where the Jews always meet. I said nothing in secret.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 1:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.