Proverbs 3:22
in Proverbs 3They will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck.
KJV
So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
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This verse in Proverbs 3
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd grace to your throat. How sweet are your words to my throat, says the psalm (Psalm 118)! The senses of the soul, therefore, have their throat, by which they judge the words they hear, by which they scrutinize the deeds of each person they …
This site's exposition
My son, do not lose sight of this
on Proverbs 3:21-26
“Then you will go on your way in safety” promises security in daily movement. “When you lie down, you will not be afraid” carries it into sleep. The ground of that security is the LORD's keeping: “the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from the snare”.
This site's exposition
adornment to your neck
The word for neck can also mean throat, and Matthew Henry takes it of the words that come from the mouth. Sound judgment then graces speech as a gold chain graces the neck. Life to the soul comes first.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
And it will be life to your soul. Your soul has life with God if you keep His decrees, however much the flesh may be pressed by the discipline of correction or even death.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
In respect of honour and reputation: It shall be grace to thy neck, as a chain of gold, or a jewel. Grace to thy jaws (so the word is), grateful to thy taste and relish (so some); it shall infuse grace into all thou sayest (so others), shall furnish thee with acceptable words, which shall gain thee credit.
So shall they be life unto thy soul,....
We must do all the good we can, and no hurt, to our neighbours, because according as men are just or unjust, charitable or uncharitable, humble or haughty, accordingly they shall receive of God,
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיִֽהְי֣וּ | veyihyu | so they may be | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| חַיִּ֣ים | chaiyim | life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| לְנַפְשֶׁ֑ךָ | lenafshekha | for self your | H5315 → | 754 times |
| וְ֝חֵ֗ן | vechen | and grace | H2580 → | 69 times |
| לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶֽיךָ׃ | legargeroteikha | for neck your | H1621 → | 4 times |
וְיִֽהְי֣וּso they may be
veyihyuH1961 →3559 times
חַיִּ֣יםlife
chaiyimH2416 →498 times
לְנַפְשֶׁ֑ךָfor self your
lenafshekhaH5315 →754 times
וְ֝חֵ֗ןand grace
vechenH2580 →69 times
לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶֽיךָ׃for neck your
legargeroteikhaH1621 →4 times
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 4:22For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.
it leads to
- Proverbs 12:18
Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
- Jeremiah 33:6
Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
- Proverbs 4:10
Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.
- Proverbs 3:8
This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
- Proverbs 4:4
he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.
- Proverbs 12:18
Through
Proverbs 1:9For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck.
it leads to
- Daniel 5:29
Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
- Proverbs 4:9
She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”
- Genesis 41:42
Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
- Daniel 5:29
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.