Index of Key Themes & Verses in Proverbs
Bible Commentary / Produced by TOW Project
Verses |
Link to Section |
Verses from the Book of Proverbs |
|
Prov. 1:1-2 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight. (TNIV) |
|
Prov. 1:2-7 For learning about wisdom and instruction, for understanding words of insight . . . The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. |
|
Prov. 1:4 Teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young. |
|
Prov. 1:4-5 Teach shrewdness to the simple, knowledge and prudence to the young—let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill. |
|
Prov. 1:5-6 Let the wise also hear and gain in learning, and the discerning acquire skill, to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their riddles. |
|
Prov. 1:20-33 Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. . . Those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster. |
|
Prov. 2:1, 5 My child, if you accept my words and treasure up my commandments within you . . . then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. |
|
Prov. 2:5–6 You will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. |
|
Prov. 2:6 The Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. |
|
Prov. 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own insight. |
|
Prov. 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. |
|
Prov. 3:21 My child, do not let these escape from your sight: keep sound wisdom and prudence. |
|
Prov. 3:24 Your sleep will be sweet. |
|
Prov. 3:27-28 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again; tomorrow I will give it.” |
|
Prov. 4:11 I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. |
|
Prov. 6:6-11 Go to the ant, you lazybones; consider its ways, and be wise . . . A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior. |
|
Prov. 6:16 There are six things that the Lord hates… |
|
Prov. 6:16-19 There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family. |
|
Prov. 6:17 . . . haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. |
|
Prov. 6:24 . . . to preserve you from the wife of another, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. |
|
Prov. 8:6–7 I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right; for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. |
|
Prov. 8:15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just. |
|
Prov. 8:35-36 Whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord; but those who miss me injure themselves; all who hate me love death. |
|
Prov. 9:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is insight. |
|
Prov. 10:4-5 A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. A child who gathers in summer is prudent, but a child who sleeps in harvest brings shame. |
|
Prov. 10:18 Lying lips conceal hatred, and whoever utters slander is a fool. |
|
Prov. 10:18-19 Lying lips conceal hatred, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech. |
|
Prov. 10:20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the mind of the wicked is of little worth. |
|
Prov. 10:22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. |
|
Prov. 10:26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are the lazy to their employers. |
|
Prov. 10:31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. |
|
Prov. 11:1 A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but an accurate weight is his delight. |
|
Prov. 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble. |
|
Prov. 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them. |
|
Prov. 11:12-13 Whoever belittles another lacks sense, but an intelligent person remains silent. A gossip goes about telling secrets, but one who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a confidence. |
|
Prov. 11:24-26 Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want . . . The people curse those who hold back grain, but a blessing is on the head of those who sell it. |
|
Prov. 11:28 Those who trust in their riches will wither. |
|
Prov. 12:11 Those who till their land will have plenty of food, but those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense. |
|
Prov. 12:17-20 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness speaks deceitfully. Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil, but those who counsel peace have joy. |
|
Prov. 12:18 Rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. |
|
Prov. 12:19 Truthful lips endure for ever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment. |
|
Prov. 12:22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. |
|
Prov. 12:24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the lazy will be put to forced labor. |
|
Prov. 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the human heart, but a good word cheers it up. |
|
Prov. 13:5 The righteous hate falsehood, but the wicked act shamefully and disgracefully. |
|
Prov. 13:8 Wealth is a ransom for a person’s life, but the poor get no threats. |
|
Prov. 14:16 The wise are cautious and turn away from evil. |
|
Prov. 14:21 Those who despise their neighbors are sinners, but happy are those who are kind to the poor. |
|
Prov. 14:25 A truthful witness saves lives, but one who utters lies is a betrayer. |
|
Prov. 14:31 Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but those who are kind to the needy honor him. |
|
Prov. 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. |
|
Prov. 15:2 The tongue of the wise dispenses knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. |
|
Prov. 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place. |
|
Prov. 15:4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. |
|
Prov. 15:18 Those who are hot-tempered stir up strife, but those who are slow to anger calm contention. |
|
Prov. 15:22 Without counsel, plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed. |
|
Prov. 16:1 The plans of the mind belong to mortals, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. |
|
Prov. 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. |
|
Prov. 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than large income with injustice. |
|
Prov. 16:11 Honest balances and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work. |
|
Prov. 16:12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil, for the throne is established by righteousness. |
|
Prov. 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king, and he loves those who speak what is right. |
|
Prov. 16:18-19 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. |
|
Prov. 16:27-28 Scoundrels concoct evil, and their speech is like a scorching fire. A perverse person spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. |
|
Prov. 16:32 One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and one whose temper is controlled than one who captures a city. |
|
Prov. 17:4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips; and a liar gives heed to a mischievous tongue. |
|
Prov. 17:5 Those who mock the poor insult their Maker; those who are glad at calamity will not go unpunished. |
|
Prov. 17:20 The crooked of mind do not prosper, and the perverse of tongue fall into calamity. |
|
Prov. 17:28 Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent. |
|
Prov. 18:6-8 A fool’s lips bring strife, and a fool’s mouth invites a flogging . . . The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body. |
|
Prov. 18:9 One who is slack in work is close kin to a vandal. |
|
Prov. 18:11 The wealth of the rich is their strong city; in their imagination it is like a high wall. |
|
Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. |
|
Prov. 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and a liar will not escape. |
|
Prov. 19:11 Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is to their glory to overlook an offense. |
|
Prov. 19:14 House and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord. |
|
Prov. 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full. |
|
Prov. 19:21 The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established. |
|
Prov. 19:23 The fear of the Lord is life indeed; filled with it one rests secure and suffers no harm. |
|
Prov. 20:10 Diverse weights and diverse measures are both alike an abomination to the Lord. |
|
Prov. 20:13 Do not love sleep. |
|
Prov. 20:14 “Bad, Bad,” says the buyer, then goes away and boasts. |
|
Prov. 20:17 Bread gained by deceit is sweet, but afterwards the mouth will be full of gravel. |
|
Prov. 20:18 Plans are established by taking advice; wage war by following wise guidance. |
|
Prov. 20:19 A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a babbler. |
|
Prov. 20:23 Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord, and false scales are not good. |
|
Prov. 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the lamp of the wicked—are sin. |
|
Prov. 21:5 The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to want. |
|
Prov. 21:6 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death. |
|
Prov. 21:13 If you close your ear to the cry of the poor, you will cry out and not be heard. |
|
Prov. 21:23 To watch over mouth and tongue is to keep out of trouble. |
|
Prov. 21:30 No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord. |
|
Prov. 22:1 A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold. |
|
Prov. 22:6 (NASB) Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it. |
|
Prov. 22:8-9 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity, and the rod of anger will fail. Those who are generous are blessed, for they share their bread with the poor. |
|
Prov. 22:16 Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself, and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss. |
|
Prov. 22:22-23 Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them. |
|
Prov. 23:4 Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist. |
|
Prov. 23:10-11 Do not remove an ancient landmark or encroach on the fields of orphans, for their redeemer is strong; he will plead their cause against you. |
|
Prov. 23:23 Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding. |
|
Prov. 24:17 Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble. |
|
Prov. 24:27 Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house. |
|
Prov. 24:28 Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. |
|
Prov. 24:30-34 I passed by the field of one who was lazy, by the vineyard of a stupid person . . . A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want, like an armed warrior. |
|
Prov. 25:5 Take away the wicked from the presence of the king, and his throne will be established in righteousness. |
|
Prov. 25:11-12 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver; like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise rebuke to a listening ear. |
|
Prov. 25:15 With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break bones. |
|
Prov. 25:18 Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow is one who bears false witness against a neighbor. |
|
Prov. 25:21-22 If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink; for you will heap coals of fire on their heads, and the Lord will reward you. |
|
Prov. 25:23 The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks. |
|
Prov. 26:20-21 For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife. |
|
Prov. 26:24-25 An enemy dissembles in speaking while harboring deceit within; when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it, for there are seven abominations concealed within. |
|
Prov. 26:28 A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin. |
|
Prov. 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. |
|
Prov. 27:23-27 Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last forever, nor a crown for all generations . . . there will be enough goats’ milk for your food, for the food of your household and nourishment for your servant-girls. |
|
Prov. 28:2 With an intelligent ruler there is lasting order. |
|
Prov. 28:8 One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest gathers it for another who is kind to the poor. |
|
Prov. 28:11 The rich is wise in self-esteem, but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose. |
|
Prov. 28:19 Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread, but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty. |
|
Prov. 28:22 The miser is in a hurry to get rich and does not know that loss is sure to come. |
|
Prov. 28:23 Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor than one who flatters with the tongue. |
|
Prov. 28:27 Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse. |
|
Prov. 29:4 By justice a king gives stability to the land, but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it. |
|
Prov. 29:14 If a king judges the poor with equity, his throne will be established forever. |
|
Prov. 29:23 A person’s pride will bring humiliation, but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor. |
|
Prov. 29:24 To be a partner of a thief is to hate one’s own life; one hears the victim’s curse, but discloses nothing. |
|
Prov. 30:7-9 Two things I ask of you; do not deny them to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that I need, or I shall be full, and deny you, and say, “Who is the Lord?” or I shall be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God. |
|
Prov. 30:17 The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the vultures. |
|
Prov. 31:3 Do not give your strength to women, your ways to those who destroy kings. |
|
Prov. 31:10 A capable wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. |
|
Prov. 31:11 The heart of her husband trusts in her. |
|
Prov. 31:12, 28 She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life . . . Her children rise up and call her happy; her husband too, and he praises her. |
|
Prov. 31:13 She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. |
|
Prov. 31:13-14 She seeks wool and flax and works with willing hands. She is like the ships of the merchant. |
|
Prov. 31:14 She is like the ships of the merchant, she brings her food from far away. |
|
Prov. 31:15 She rises while it is still night and provides food for her household and tasks for her servant-girls. |
|
Prov. 31:16 She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. |
|
Prov. 31:17 She girds herself with strength, and makes her arms strong. |
|
Prov. 31:18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. |
|
Prov. 31:19 She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. |
|
Prov. 31:20 She opens her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hands to the needy. |
|
Prov. 31:21-22 She is not afraid for her household when it snows, for all her household are clothed in crimson. She makes herself coverings; her clothing is fine linen and purple. |
|
Prov. 31:23 Her husband is known in the city gates, taking his seat among the elders of the land. |
|
Prov. 31:24 She makes linen garments and sells them; she supplies the merchant with sashes. |
|
Prov. 31:25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. |
|
Prov. 31:26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. |
|
Prov. 31:27 She looks well to the ways of her household. |
|
Prov. 31:30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. |
|
Prov. 31:31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the city gates. |
|
Verses from other books of the Bible |
|
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. |
|
Exodus 1:15-20 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live . . . So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. |
|
Exodus 20:16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. |
|
Joshua 2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. |
|
1 Samuel 21:1-3 David came to Nob to the priest Ahimelech. Ahimelech came trembling to meet David, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” David said to the priest Ahimelech, “The king has charged me with a matter, and said to me, ‘No one must know anything of the matter about which I send you’ . . . Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” |
|
1 Chronicles 7:2 The sons of Tola: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their ancestral houses, namely of Tola, mighty warriors of their generations, their number in the days of David being twenty-two thousand six hundred. |
|
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread. |
|
Matthew 6:34 Do not worry about tomorrow. |
|
Matthew 10:16 Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. |
|
Matthew 25:14-30 For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability . . . “To all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” |
|
Luke 14:28-30 Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” |
|
Romans 1:29 They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips. |
|
Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. |
|
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. |
|
Ephesians 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.
|
Contributors: Bruce Waltke, Alice Mathews
Adopted by the Theology of Work Project Board June 10, 2012.
Image by
Used under license from Veer
.
Used by permission.
Theology of Work Project Online Materials by Theology of Work Project, Inc. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Based on a work at www.theologyofwork.org
You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), and remix (to adapt the work) for non-commercial use only, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.
© 2012 by the Theology of Work Project, Inc.
Unless otherwise noted, the Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All rights reserved.
