Proverbs 1:13 — Word Study
WLCכָּל־ ה֣וֹן יָקָ֣ר נִמְצָ֑א נְמַלֵּ֖א בָתֵּ֣ינוּ שָׁלָֽל׃
BSAWe {will} findmâtsâʼ▸ [discover, attain] all mannerkôl of preciousyâqâr [valuable, highly esteemed] goodshôwn [substance, wealth] we {will} fillmâlêʼ▸ [make full, complete] our housesbayith [dwelling places, homes] with plundershâlâl [spoil, booty, spoils of war]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| כָּל־ | all | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| ה֣וֹן | wealth | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| יָקָ֣ר | prized | Adj |
| נִמְצָ֑א | we will find | Verb, Qal, imperfect first person common plural |
| נְמַלֵּ֖א | we will fill | Verb, Piel, imperfect first person common plural |
| בָתֵּ֣ינוּ | houses our | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שָׁלָֽל׃ | plunder | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder. |
| KJV | We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: |
| ASV | We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil; |
| YLT | Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil, |
| WEB | We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder. |
| BBE | Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth; |
The translations agree on the overall meaning of the verse.
The verse consists of a main clause followed by a subordinate clause detailing the action of filling.
6 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbמָצָא
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Proverbs 1:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Call to Join in Plundergenerated
Proverbs 1:13 reveals a plan to gather valuable possessions and fill homes with plunder, reflecting a mindset that values material gain over moral integrity. This verse is part of a larger discourse warning against the enticements of those who seek to lead others into sinful paths, as seen in the preceding and following verses.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 1:19 | Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors. |
| 2 | Job 24:2–3 | Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks. |
| 3 | Isaiah 10:13–14 | For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. |
| 4 | Jeremiah 22:16–17 | He took up the cause of the poor and needy, and so it went well with him. Is this not what it means to know Me?” declares the LORD. |
| 5 | Nahum 2:12 |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — כֹּל, kol-generated
The word כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It encompasses totality and can refer to every person or thing, indicating a comprehensive approach to the goods being sought.
In this context, it emphasizes the extent of what the speaker intends to acquire, suggesting nothing is excluded from their greedy pursuit.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the meaning of the verse, emphasizing the acquisition of precious goods and filling houses with plunder.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verbs נִמְצָ֑א (we will find) and נְמַלֵּ֖א (we will fill) govern the structure of the verse, indicating the actions the subjects intend to take.
The sentence is straightforward, with a clear subject-verb-object format that highlights the planned actions of finding and filling.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נִמְצָ֑א as καταλαβώμεθα, which conveys a sense of seizing or taking hold of something, suggesting a more aggressive approach to acquiring goods.
This choice indicates a slight shift in emphasis from merely finding to actively seizing what is desired.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 1:13 speaks of a group that plans to find valuable goods and fill their homes with plunder. This reflects a desire for wealth that disregards moral considerations, warning against the allure of such schemes.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
It refers to acquiring various valuable items, indicating a desire for wealth.
This suggests a pursuit of material gain, often through dishonest means.
It implies taking spoils from others, often associated with war or theft.
It warns against the enticements of those who lead others into harmful actions for the sake of gain.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways that the pursuit of wealth can lead to moral compromise?
- How can I discern when a desire for gain crosses ethical boundaries?
- In what situations have I seen the consequences of greed?
- How can I encourage others to seek value in integrity rather than in material gain?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Bede comments on this verse, discussing the implications of seeking precious substance and the consequences of such desires.
"We shall find all precious substance," etc. They spoke of the people whom they saw adhering to Christ. For they thought that if they killed him, they could separate all who had believed from his love and following,Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 1 →
Commentators on this verse — 6 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 1:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWe shall find all precious substance,.... Among one or another we meet with; gold and silver and precious stones, everything that is valuable; not considering that hereby they were in danger of
Read John Gill on Proverbs 1 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWe shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil.
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 1 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleAs our danger is little, so our profit will be great.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 1 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 1:13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:Ver. 13. We shall find all precious substance.] But those that rake together, rem, rem, quocunque modo rem, that count all good fish that comes to net, will in the end catch the devil and all. Fill our houses with spoil] Not considering that they "consult shame to their houses by cutting off many people, and sinning against their own souls." He that brings home a pack of cloths infected with plague, hath no such great booty of it.
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 1 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe second form of temptation (see Proverbs 1:10 note) appeals to the main attraction of the robber-life, its wild communism, the sense of equal hazards and equal hopes.
Read Albert Barnes on Proverbs 1 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible13. Precious substance — Splendid wealth.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Proverbs 1 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder.
We’ll find all valuable wealth. We’ll fill our houses with plunder.
We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder.
We will seize all kinds of precious wealth; we will fill our houses with plunder.
Tyndale line
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We shall find all precious substance; We shall fill our houses with spoil;
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil;
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
We shall finde all precious riches, and fill our houses with spoyle:
Strictly literal
we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We find every precious substance, || We fill our houses [with] spoil,
We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
We shall find all kinds of valuable things; we will fill our houses with what we steal from others.
From the Latin
We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoils.
Simplified
We'll take from them all kinds of valuable things and fill our homes with the stuff we steal!
Goods of great price will be ours, our houses will be full of wealth;
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads כָּל־ ה֣וֹן יָקָ֣ר נִמְצָ֑א נְמַלֵּ֖א בָתֵּ֣ינוּ שָׁלָֽל׃, while the Septuagint matches three of the seven words, showing some alignment but differing in structure.
כָּל־ ה֣וֹן יָקָ֣ר נִמְצָ֑א נְמַלֵּ֖א בָתֵּ֣ינוּ שָׁלָֽל׃
3 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 1:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
כֹּל (kol) means 'all' or 'the whole.' It can refer to totality, including every person or thing, and is often used with a following genitive to specify what is included. The term can also denote a broader sense of everything in existence or all circumstances of life. The lexicons do not show significant disagreement on its meanings.
כֹּל once כּוֹל n.m. the whole, all
with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
Absolutely:
without the art., all things, all
with the art. הַכֹּל
where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
base
H3605 כֹּל once כּוֹל the whole, all . with foll. gen. (as usually) the whole of, to be rendered, however, often in our idiom, to avoid stiffness, any or every
. Absolutely: . without the art., all things, all
. with the art. הַכֹּל . where the sense is limited by the context to things (or persons) just mentioned
. in a wider sense, all, whether of all mankind or of all living things, the universe, or of all the circumstances of life (chiefly late)
3605 kol kole
or (Jer. 33:8) kowl {kole}; from 3634; properly, the whole;
hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a
plural sense):--(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any
(manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as
many as, (no-)thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole,
whoso(-ever).
see HEBREW for 03634
כֹּל (kol) — all.
1) all, the whole
1a) all, the whole of
1b) any, each, every, anything
1c) totality, everything
Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ol: Used in various combinations, and with different meanings.
(1) All along, "Weeping all along as he went" (Jer 41:6), i.e. throughout the whole way he went, feigning equal concern with the men from Shiloh, etc., for the destruction of the Temple, so as to put them off their guard.
(2) All in all, "That God may be all in all" (1Co 15:28, Greek: panta en pasin, "all things in all (persons and) things"). "The universe, with all it comprises, will wholly answer to God's will and reflect His mind" (Dummelow).
הוֹן (hown) refers to wealth, riches, or substance, and can also imply sufficiency or enough. It is primarily found in poetic contexts, particularly in Wisdom Literature like Proverbs. The term is derived from a related root that conveys the idea of wealth and value.
הוֹן n.m. wealth, sufficiency (poet., almost wholly WisdLt, especially Pr)
base
H1952 הוֹן wealth, sufficiency (poet., almost wholly WisdLt, especially Pr)
1952 hown hone
from the same as 1951 in the sense of 202; wealth; by
implication, enough:--enough, + for nought, riches, substance,
wealth.
see HEBREW for 01951
see HEBREW for 0202
הוֹן (hon) — substance.
1) wealth, riches, substance
1a) wealth
1b) price, high value
interj
2) enough!, sufficiency
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
→ See RICHES
יָקָר (yaqar) means precious, rare, or splendid, and can refer to something valuable or weighty. It encompasses meanings like costly, excellent, and glorious, often used to describe precious stones or jewels. The word is built from a root that implies value, and it appears in contexts highlighting worth or reputation.
יָקָר adj. precious, rare, splendid, weighty
base
H3368 יָקָר precious, rare, splendid, weighty
3368 yaqar yaw-kawr'
from 3365; valuable (obj. or subj.): -brightness, clear,
costly, excellent, fat, honourable women, precious,
reputation.
see HEBREW for 03365
יָקָר (ya.qar) — precious.
1) valuable, prized, weighty, precious, rare, splendid
1a) precious
1a1) costly
1a2) precious, highly valued
1a3) precious stones or jewels
1b) rare
1c) glorious, splendid
1d) weighty, influential
Adj — AdjHAamsa
מָצָא (matsa') is a Hebrew verb meaning to find or attain. It encompasses a range of actions, including discovering something lost, encountering someone, or coming upon a situation. The word can also imply being present or sufficient. Lexicons note various forms and uses, including Qal, Niphal, and Hiphil, which indicate different nuances of finding and encountering.
מָצָא 452 vb. attain to, find
Qal
find
find out
= come upon, light upon
noteworthy phrases
Niph. pass. of Qal, be found
Hiph.
cause to find, attain
cause to light upon, come upon, come
cause to encounter
present unto
base
H4672 מָצָא attain to, find
4672 matsa' maw-tsaw'
a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or
exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire;
figuratively, to occur, meet or be present:--+ be able,
befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to
hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion,
out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left,
light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present,
ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
מָצָא (ma.tsa) — to find.
1) to find, attain to
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to find
1a1a) to find, secure, acquire, get (thing sought)
1a1b) to find (what is lost)
1a1c) to meet, encounter
1a1d) to find (a condition)
1a1e) to learn, devise
1a2) to find out
1a2a) to find out
1a2b) to detect
1a2c) to guess
1a3) to come upon, light upon
1a3a) to happen upon, meet, fall in with
1a3b) to hit
1a3c) to befall
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be found
1b1a) to be encountered, be lighted upon, be discovered
1b1b) to appear, be recognised
1b1c) to be discovered, be detected
1b1d) to be gained, be secured
1b2) to be, be found
1b2a) to be found in
1b2b) to be in the possession of
1b2c) to be found in (a place), happen to be
1b2d) to be left (after war)
1b2e) to be present
1b2f) to prove to be
1b2g) to be found sufficient, be enough
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to find, attain
1c2) to cause to light upon, come upon, come
1c3) to cause to encounter
V-Qal-Imperf-1cp — Verb · Qal · imperfect first person common pluralHVqi1cp
מָלֵא (male') means 'to fill' or 'be full,' with applications ranging from literal filling to figurative uses like accomplishing or completing something. It appears in various forms, including Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hithpael, indicating different nuances such as being satisfied or confirming. Notably, it can also refer to massing against someone.
מָלֵא 249 vb. be full, fill
Qal 99
be full, usu. c. acc. material
trans. fill
Niph.
be filled
be accomplished, ended
Pi.
fill
special uses are:
fulfil, accomplish, complete, obj. week, year, day
Pu. filled
Hithp. mass themselves against me
base
H4390 מָלֵא be full, fill .. be full, usu. c. acc. material
. trans. fill
. . be filled
. be accomplished, ended
. . fill
. special uses are:
. fulfil, accomplish, complete, obj. week, year, day
. filled
. mass themselves against me
4390 male' maw-lay'
or malae (Esth. 7:5) {maw-law'}; a primitive root, to fill or
(intransitively) be full of, in a wide application (literally
and figuratively):--accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at
an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil, (be, become, X
draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow,
fulness, furnish, gather (selves, together), presume,
replenish, satisfy, set, space, take a (hand-)full, + have
wholly.
מָלֵא (ma.le) — to fill.
1) to fill, be full
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to be full
1a1a) fulness, abundance (participle)
1a1b) to be full, be accomplished, be ended
1a2) to consecrate, fill the hand
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be filled, be armed, be satisfied
1b2) to be accomplished, be ended
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to fill
1c2) to satisfy
1c3) to fulfil, accomplish, complete
1c4) to confirm
1d) (Pual) to be filled
1e) (Hithpael) to mass themselves against
Aramaic equivalent: me.la (מְלָא "to fill" H4391)
V-Piel-Imperf-1cp — Verb · Piel · imperfect first person common pluralHVpi1cp
The Hebrew word בַּיִת (*bayith*) means 'house' and encompasses a wide range of meanings, including dwelling, family, and place. It can refer to physical structures, such as homes and temples, as well as metaphorical uses like the body or household affairs. The word is built from the root related to 'between' and appears in various contexts throughout the Old Testament.
בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between
base
בַּ֫יִת 2034 n.m. house
house
place
receptacle
of house as containing a family
household, family (592 t.)
house, including household affairs
lit. housewards, hence metaph. inwards
מִבַּיִת
adv. on the inside
prep. within
base
H1004a בֵּית fem. of בַּיִן, בֵּין prep. between H1004b בַּ֫יִת house
1004 bayith bah'-yith
probably from 1129 abbreviated; a house (in the greatest
variation of applications, especially family, etc.):--court,
daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as
would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold),
inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet,
temple, web, + within(-out).
see HEBREW for 01129
בֵּית (bet) — place.
nm
place, origin, between
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — house: home.
: home/temple/building
nm
1) house
1a) house, dwelling habitation
1b) shelter or abode of animals
1c) human bodies (fig.)
1d) of Sheol
1e) of abode of light and darkness
1f) of land of Ephraim
2) place
3) receptacle
4) home, house as containing a family
5) household, family
5a) those belonging to the same household
5b) family of descendants, descendants as organized body
6) household affairs
7) inwards (metaph.)
8) (TWOT) temple
adv
9) on the inside
prep
10) within
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(ashbea).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with ash.be.a (אַשְׁבֵּעַ "Ashbea" H0791)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth (Haggan).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
Combined with hag (גַּן "Haggan" H1588)
בַּ֫יִת (ba.yit) — Beth-(togarmah).
nm
This name is used for a house, habitation
N-mp | Suff — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bp
שָׁלָל (shalal) refers to prey, spoil, or plunder, often in the context of war. It is derived from the root word שָׁלַל (H7997). The term encompasses various forms of gain, including private plunder and booty. The entries consistently emphasize its association with spoils of war.
שָׁלָל 75 n.m. prey, spoil, plunder, booty
base
H7998 שָׁלָל prey, spoil, plunder, booty
7998 shalal shaw-lawl'
from 7997; booty:--prey, spoil.
see HEBREW for 07997
שָׁלָל (sha.lal) — spoil.
1) prey, plunder, spoil, booty
1a) prey
1b) booty, spoil, plunder (of war)
1c) plunder (private)
1d) gain (meaning uncertain)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa