Proverbs 8:9 kjv
They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:9 nkjv
They are all plain to him who understands, And right to those who find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:9 niv
To the discerning all of them are right; they are upright to those who have found knowledge.
Proverbs 8:9 esv
They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.
Proverbs 8:9 nlt
My words are plain to anyone with understanding,
clear to those with knowledge.
Proverbs 8 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 19:7-8 | The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul... | God's word is perfect and clear. |
| Ps 119:105 | Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. | God's word illuminates the path. |
| Ps 119:130 | The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. | Divine words bring light and understanding. |
| Prov 2:3-5 | if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding...then you will understand the fear of the Lord. | Seeking wisdom leads to understanding God. |
| Prov 14:6 | A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for him who understands. | Wisdom eludes mockers, is clear to discerners. |
| Isa 35:8 | A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness...and fools will not stray from it. | God's way is so clear even fools can follow it. |
| Jer 29:13 | You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. | God is found by sincere seekers. |
| Hos 6:3 | Let us know; let us pursue to know the Lord... | Encouragement to pursue knowledge of God. |
| Mt 11:25 | I thank you, Father...that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children. | Divine truth revealed to the humble, not just the 'wise'. |
| Lk 8:8, 15 | He who has ears to hear, let him hear...the ones who, hearing the word with a noble and good heart, keep it. | Receptivity of heart is key to understanding. |
| Jn 7:17 | If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God. | Obedience enables discernment of truth. |
| Jn 8:43 | Why do you not understand my language? It is because you cannot hear my word. | Lack of understanding points to a spiritual inability. |
| Jn 14:6 | Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." | Christ embodies plain truth. |
| 1 Cor 1:18, 24 | The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing...but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. | God's wisdom seems foolish to the unspiritual. |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God...because they are spiritually discerned. | Spiritual truth requires spiritual discernment. |
| Col 2:3 | in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | Christ holds all true wisdom. |
| Eph 1:17-18 | that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ...may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation...enlightening the eyes of your hearts. | Spiritual understanding is a divine gift. |
| 2 Tim 3:7 | always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. | Critique of those always learning but not finding truth. |
| Heb 5:14 | solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice. | Maturity comes from practiced spiritual discernment. |
| Jas 1:5 | If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach. | Wisdom is available to those who ask God. |
| 1 Jn 2:20 | But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge. | Believers have spiritual understanding through anointing. |
Proverbs 8 verses
Proverbs 8 9 Meaning
Proverbs 8:9 proclaims that the words of Wisdom are not obscure or complex, but are perfectly clear and straightforward for those who possess understanding and diligently seek true knowledge. Their simplicity and uprightness are evident to those with a receptive heart and discerning mind.
Proverbs 8 9 Context
Proverbs chapter 8 is a grand and powerful discourse where Wisdom is personified, presenting herself to all of humanity. She calls out publicly in places where people gather (8:1-3), asserting the accessibility and benefits of her teachings. Before verse 9, Wisdom clarifies that her words are words of truth and uprightness (8:6), not crooked or perverse (8:7-8). This sets the stage for verse 9 by establishing the inherent righteousness and reliability of Wisdom's pronouncements. The overall chapter serves as an invitation and exhortation to embrace Wisdom, contrasting her clarity and life-giving nature with the destructive, deceptive path of Folly introduced in chapter 9. Historically and culturally, this stands as a polemic against the often-obscure or self-serving 'wisdom' of other ancient near eastern traditions or the manipulative rhetoric of false teachers; true divine Wisdom is open and direct.
Proverbs 8 9 Word analysis
- They (כֻּלָּם, kullām): "All of them," referring back to "all the words of my mouth" (Prov 8:8) and by extension, all of Wisdom's teachings. Emphasizes the universality and completeness of the statement. Not just some, but every single utterance of Wisdom is clear.
- are all plain (נְכֹחִים, n'khokhim): Root meaning is "straight," "righteous," "right." It denotes a lack of perversity, crookedness, or obscurity. Wisdom's words are direct, unambiguous, and upright. They are not riddles or double-talk but inherently transparent and honorable. This implies an ethical dimension as well as a cognitive one – they are plain because they are right.
- to him who understands (לַמֵּבִין, lam-mevin): "To the one who discerns," or "to the one who perceives." The Hebrew word bîn (בִּין) suggests not just intellectual apprehension but a moral and spiritual capacity for insight and judgment. It implies an active seeking and receptivity to truth, distinguishing between things, rather than mere rote learning. It is for those whose minds and hearts are open and tuned to recognize truth.
- and right (יְשָׁרִים, yesharim): "Upright," "straight," "just." This term closely mirrors n'khokhim ("plain"), reinforcing the consistent nature of Wisdom's words. It underscores their moral integrity and lack of deceit. They are inherently correct and conducive to upright living.
- to those who find knowledge (לְמֹצְאֵי־דָעַת, l'motze'ei-da'at): "To those who find knowledge." The Hebrew word da'at (דַּעַת) often implies not just factual information but experiential, intimate knowledge – particularly knowledge of God and His ways (e.g., Jer 9:24; Hos 6:6). "Find" (מָצָא, matsa') suggests a deliberate search and discovery, not accidental stumbling. This implies an active pursuit and value placed upon attaining understanding and moral insight.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "They are all plain to him who understands": This phrase highlights the clarity of divine truth for the receptive mind. The problem of not understanding Wisdom's words does not lie with Wisdom herself, but with the lack of understanding in the hearer. It's an indictment of those who fail to grasp the simple, straight truth of God because they lack a spiritual and moral capacity to discern.
- "and right to those who find knowledge": This parallels the first phrase, emphasizing the integrity and moral correctness of Wisdom's teachings for those who earnestly seek and discover true knowledge. It speaks to a pursuit—that knowledge isn't merely given but actively found, and for those who value it enough to pursue it, its rightness becomes apparent. The pairing of "plain" and "right" with "understands" and "find knowledge" shows that intellectual capacity, combined with earnest moral pursuit, unlocks the simple truth of Wisdom.
Proverbs 8 9 Bonus section
The contrast implied in this verse is profound. Just as Wisdom is plain to those who understand, folly and its ways, though superficially enticing, eventually prove confusing and destructive. Many human systems of thought, whether philosophical or ethical, can be characterized by their complexity, ambiguity, or even deliberate obfuscation. Divine Wisdom, as portrayed here, cuts through such murkiness with straightforward truth. This verse underscores the responsibility of the individual; if Wisdom is plain and right, then not grasping her counsel indicates a lack in the hearer's disposition or desire, not a deficiency in Wisdom herself. It challenges listeners to cultivate a heart that is eager for truth and humble enough to receive simple yet profound wisdom.
Proverbs 8 9 Commentary
Proverbs 8:9 asserts the inherent clarity and righteousness of Wisdom's words, provided one has the receptive capacity to apprehend them. It's a statement not about the obscurity of divine truth, but the condition of the human heart and mind. Wisdom's pronouncements are not cryptic riddles or complex philosophical theories reserved for an intellectual elite. Rather, they are transparent and upright, accessible to anyone genuinely willing to understand and earnestly seeking truth and insight from God. The impediment to comprehension is never with Wisdom, who always speaks plainly, but rather with the listener's spiritual blindness, dullness, or moral crookedness. Those who value genuine understanding and diligently pursue divine knowledge will find that Wisdom's path and precepts are unequivocally clear and fundamentally right, leading them to life.