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Then you will find favor and high regard in the sight of God and man.
Proverbs 3:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
  • KJV So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
  • NKJV And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.
  • NASB So you will find favor and a good reputation In the sight of God and man.
  • NLT Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.

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

So you will find favor and good repute with God and man. It matters because a life of love and faithfulness wins approval from both.

Overview

The fruit of keeping kindness and truth (v. 3) is favor before God and a good name among people. Genuine godliness commends itself in both spheres. This recalls the young Jesus, who grew in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 9

  • Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
  • 1 Sam 2:26And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
  • Rom 14:18For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
  • Ps 111:10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
  • Gen 39:2–4And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.
  • Gen 39:21the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.
  • Acts 2:47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
  • Dan 1:9Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,
  • Josh 1:7–8Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 3:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 3:4 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.