Proverbs 4:8
in Proverbs 4Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.
KJV
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.
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This verse in Proverbs 4
Commentary
9 notes on this verseIf a man is going to carry out the advice of Solomon and take for helpmate and life-companion that true Wisdom of which he says, "Love her, and she shall keep thee," "honour her, that she may embrace thee," then he will prepare himself in a manner worthy of such a love, so as to feast with all the joyous wedding guests in spotless raiment, and not be cast forth, while claiming to sit at that feast, for not having put on the wedding garment.
This site's exposition
forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth
on Proverbs 4:5-9
Wisdom is personified as a bride to be gotten and embraced, exalted so that she in turn exalts the one who holds her fast. The ornament of grace and the crown of glory promised in verse nine read as court language, the very honors a king bestows, and the commentators note that this fits a father instructing a son born to reign. Forsake her not is paired with love her, so that the pursuit of wisdom becomes as much affection as duty.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And what is meant by "exalt (fortify) her? "Surround her with holy thoughts; for you have need of large defence, since there are many things to imperil such a possession. But if it is in our power to fortify her, and if there are virtues in our power which exalt the knowledge of God, these will be her bulwarks,-as, for example, practice, study, and the whole chain of other virtues; and the man who observes these, honours wisdom; and the reward is, to be exalted to be with her, and to be embraced by her in the chamber of heaven.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
), as worldly men love their wealth and set their hearts upon it. Religion should be very dear to us, dearer than any thing in this world; and, if we cannot reach to be great masters of wisdom, yet let us be true lovers of it; and what grace we have let us embrace it with a sincere affection, as those that admire its beauty.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Concur with God in his purpose, which is to magnify the law and make it honourable, and do what thou canst to serve that purpose." Let Wisdom's children not only justify her, but magnify her, and prefer her before that which is dearest to them in this world.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
Exalt her, and she shall promote thee,....
However, religion will, first or last, bring all those to honour that cordially embrace her; they shall be accepted of God, respected by all wise men, owned in the great day, and shall inherit everlasting glory.
2 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
(1.) By way of precept and exhortation. David, in teaching his son, though he was a child of great capacity and quick apprehension, yet to show that he was in good earnest, and to affect his child the more with what he said, expressed himself with great warmth and importunity, and inculcated the same thing again and again.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
She shall bring thee to honor - There is nothing, a strict life of piety and benevolence excepted, that has such a direct tendency to reflect honor upon a man, as the careful cultivation of his mind. One of Bacon’s aphorisms was, Knowledge is power; and it is truly astonishing to see what influence true learning has. Nothing is so universally respected, provided the learned man be a consistent moral character, and be not proud and overbearing; which is a disgrace to genuine literature.
The words behind it
5 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| סַלְסְלֶ֥הָ | salseleha | esteem her | H5549 → | |
| וּֽתְרוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּ | uteromeka | and she will exalt you | H7311 → | 190 times |
| תְּ֝כַבֵּ֗דְךָ | tekhabedekha | she will honor you | H3513 → | 113 times |
| כִּ֣י | ki | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה׃ | techabbekenah | you will embrace her | H2263 → |
סַלְסְלֶ֥הָesteem her
salselehaH5549 →
וּֽתְרוֹמְמֶ֑ךָּand she will exalt you
uteromekaH7311 →190 times
תְּ֝כַבֵּ֗דְךָshe will honor you
tekhabedekhaH3513 →113 times
כִּ֣יif
kiH3588 →4482 times
תְחַבְּקֶֽנָּה׃you will embrace her
techabbekenahH2263 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 22:4The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life.
it leads to
- Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- James 4:10
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
- Psalms 34:9–10
Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
- Proverbs 21:21
He who pursues righteousness and loving devotion finds life, righteousness, and honor.
- Psalms 112:1–3
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Matthew 6:33
Through
Daniel 12:3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.
it leads to
- Matthew 13:43
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
- Proverbs 4:18
The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- Matthew 13:43
Through
1 Samuel 2:30Therefore, the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the LORD declares: Far be it…
it leads to
- John 12:26
If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
- John 12:26
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Gregory of Nyssa, ON VIRGINITY 20; Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus Exegetical Fragments; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.