My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words.
Parallel translations
- WEB My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.
- KJV My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
- BSB My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
- NKJV My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
- NASB ¶My son, pay attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
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
The son is urged to give close attention to his father's words. Wisdom demands attentive, focused listening.
Overview
A renewed appeal calls the son to attend carefully and incline his ear to the teaching. The repeated emphasis on listening reflects how readily wisdom is lost through inattention. This echoes Jesus' frequent call, 'he who has ears, let him hear' (Matt 11:15), and the importance of receiving the word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 5:1My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding:
- Isa 55:3Turn your ear, and come to me. Hear, and your soul will live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
- Prov 6:20–21My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
- Prov 7:1My son, keep my words. Lay up my commandments within you.
- Ps 78:1A contemplation by Asaph. Hear my teaching, my people. Turn your ears to the words of my mouth.
- Ps 90:12So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
- Matt 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. Behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:20 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.