Proverbs 8:33
in Proverbs 8Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not.
KJV
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
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This verse in Proverbs 8
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
Now therefore, my sons, listen to me
on Proverbs 8:32-36
The poem turns back into the father's appeal. “For whoever finds me finds life and obtains the favor of the LORD” gathers the chapter's promise into one line. The alternative is stated plainly: “he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death”.
This site's exposition
Listen to instruction and be wise
The same command to become wise was given to the slacker at 6:6. The instruction here is the discipline Wisdom set above silver in verse 10. The warning is against letting it go.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
): " Hear instruction, and refuse it not, either as that which you need not or as that which you like not; it is offered you as a kindness, and it is at your peril if you refuse it." Those that reject the counsel of God reject it against themselves, Luke vii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
6 Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things. 7 For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. 8 All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
Hear instruction,....
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שִׁמְע֖וּ | shimu | listen to | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| מוּסָ֥ר | musar | correction | H4148 → | 50 times |
| וַחֲכָ֗מוּ | vachakhamu | and act wisely | H2449 → | 27 times |
| וְאַל־ | veal- | and may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃ | tifrau | you neglect [it] | H6544 → | 16 times |
שִׁמְע֖וּlisten to
shimuH8085 →1159 times
מוּסָ֥רcorrection
musarH4148 →50 times
וַחֲכָ֗מוּand act wisely
vachakhamuH2449 →27 times
וְאַל־and may not
veal-H408 →724 times
תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃you neglect [it]
tifrauH6544 →16 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 5:1My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight,
it leads to
- Proverbs 2:1
My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 22:17
Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise—apply your mind to my knowledge—
- Proverbs 2:1
Through
Proverbs 1:8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
it leads to
- Proverbs 6:20
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
- Proverbs 30:17
As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.
- Proverbs 6:20
Through
Proverbs 4:1Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.
it leads to
- Hebrews 2:1
We must pay closer attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
- Psalms 34:11
Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
- Proverbs 1:8
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.
- Proverbs 2:1–5
My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you,
- Hebrews 2:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
On this verse
On this chapter
About Proverbs
This page draws on Basil of Caesarea, HOMILY ON THE BEGINNING OF PROVERBS 5; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.