Proverbs 8:33 — Word Study
WLCשִׁמְע֖וּ מוּסָ֥ר וַחֲכָ֗מוּ וְאַל־ תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃
BSAListenshâmaʻ [hear and obey, give attention] to instructionmûwçâr [discipline, correction, guidance] and be wisechâkam [have good judgment, act intelligently] do notʼal [refuse, neglect] ignore itpâraʻ▸ [reject, dismiss, this teaching, wisdom]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| שִׁמְע֖וּ | listen to | Verb, Qal, imperative second person masculine plural |
| מוּסָ֥ר | correction | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וַחֲכָ֗מוּ | and act wisely | Conjunction, verb qal imperative second person masculine plural |
| וְאַל־ | and may not | Conjunction, particle |
| תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃ | you neglect [it] | Verb, Qal, jussive second person masculine plural |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it. |
| KJV | Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. |
| ASV | Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not. |
| YLT | Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not. |
| WEB | Hear instruction, and be wise. Don’t refuse it. |
| BBE | Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go. |
All translations agree on the essential meaning of the verse, emphasizing the importance of listening to instruction and not neglecting it.
The verse is structured with a main clause followed by two imperative phrases and a negative phrase, emphasizing the actions to take and the warning against neglect.
5 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbשָׁמַע
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 8:33
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 Wisdomgenerated
Proverbs 8:33 emphasizes the necessity of listening to wisdom and instruction. The preceding verses invite the audience to heed the teachings of wisdom, which promise blessings for those who embrace them. The call to listen is a recurring theme in Proverbs, where wisdom is personified and portrayed as a guide for righteous living. This passage encourages readers to actively engage with wisdom, as seen in the surrounding verses that highlight the benefits of following wise counsel.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 1:2–3 | for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight, |
| 2 | Proverbs 4:1 | Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. |
| 3 | Proverbs 5:1 | My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight, |
| 4 | Isaiah 55:1–3 | “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! |
| 5 | Romans 10:16–17 | But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שָׁמַע, shim.'Ugenerated
The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (shama`) means 'to hear' and implies not just passive hearing but active listening, often with a connotation of obedience. It is used frequently in the context of God's commands, indicating that true listening involves understanding and following what is heard.
In this verse, the imperative form addresses the audience directly, urging them to pay attention and act upon the wisdom being offered. The emphasis is on the necessity of listening with the intent to obey, which is foundational in the pursuit of wisdom.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
All translations agree on the essential meaning of the verse, emphasizing the importance of listening to instruction and not neglecting it.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The verse consists of two main clauses connected by a conjunction. The first clause is an imperative urging the audience to listen to instruction, while the second clause warns against neglecting it.
The structure highlights the relationship between listening and wisdom, with the imperative verbs creating a direct call to action for the audience.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint does not provide a direct Greek equivalent for the Hebrew words in this verse, indicating a close alignment in the translation process. The absence of significant variation suggests a consistent understanding of the imperative to listen to wisdom.
The lack of Greek words in the Septuagint for this verse shows that the translators aimed to preserve the Hebrew's direct exhortation without additional interpretation.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 8:33 tells us to listen to wisdom and instruction and to act wisely. It warns against ignoring this teaching, emphasizing that paying attention to wisdom leads to good judgment and understanding.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Listening to instruction means paying attention to wisdom and guidance, and being willing to follow it.
Ignoring wisdom can lead to poor decisions and a lack of understanding, while heeding it can lead to a wise and fulfilling life.
You can apply this verse by seeking out wise counsel, being open to correction, and making a conscious effort to act on what you learn.
Examples include advice from trusted mentors, teachings from the Bible, and lessons learned from personal experiences.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways I can actively listen to wisdom in my life?
- How do I respond when I encounter correction or discipline?
- In what areas do I need to seek more wisdom and understanding?
- How can I encourage others to listen to instruction and act wisely?
Commentators on this verse — 5 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 8:33 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleHear instruction,.... The instruction of wisdom, the Gospel of Christ; which instructs men in things relating to God the Father; as that he is the God and Father of his people, the God of all grace,
Read John Gill on Proverbs 8 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryHear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. Near instruction - Hebrew, disciplinary instruction: the first step to wisdom.
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 8 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleOr, do not make it void or unprofitable to you by your own sloth or wilfulness.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 8 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.Ver. 33. Hear instruction, and be wise.] This way wisdom enters into the soul. Hear, therefore, for else there is no hope; hear, howsoever. Augustine, coming to Ambrose to have his ears tickled, had his heart touched.
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 8 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleFROM TO THE OF WISDOM, Proverbs 8:32-36. 32, 33. Now therefore — Considering all these preceding things. Ye children — Compare Proverbs 4:1; Proverbs 5:7; Proverbs 7:24; Proverbs 8:32.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Proverbs 8 →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
Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
Hear instruction, and be wise. Don’t refuse it.
Listen to instruction and be wise; do not ignore it.
Listen to my instruction so that you may be wise, and do not neglect it.
Tyndale line
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Hear instruction, and be wise, And refuse it not.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Heare instruction, and be ye wise, and refuse it not: blessed is the man that heareth mee, watching dayly at my gates, and giuing attendance at the postes of my doores.
Strictly literal
hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and slight not.
Hear instruction, and be wise, and do not slight.
Hear correction, and be wise, and reject it not.
Listen to my instruction and be wise; do not neglect it.
From the Latin
Hear instruction and be wise, and refuse it not.
Simplified
Listen to my instruction and be wise—do not reject it.
Take my teaching and be wise; do not let it go.
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 and the Septuagint agree on the wording of this verse. The Septuagint matches the Hebrew text word-for-word, indicating a faithful translation of the original Hebrew.
שִׁמְע֖וּ מוּסָ֥ר וַחֲכָ֗מוּ וְאַל־ תִּפְרָֽעוּ׃
5 of the 5 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 8:33
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.
The Hebrew word שָׁמַע (shama`) means 'to hear' and encompasses a range of meanings including listening, obeying, and proclaiming. It is built from a primitive root and can imply attention and understanding. The entries highlight various grammatical forms, such as Qal, Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil, indicating different nuances of hearing and obeying. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons regarding its meanings.
שָׁמַע 1152 vb. hear
Qal 1052
subj. pers. hum.
י׳ (God) subj.
Niph. 42 be heard, of voice, sound
be heard of
be regarded, obeyed
= (favourable) hearing was granted to their voice.
Pi. he caused the people to hear
Hiph. 63
of man
י׳ subj.
base
H8085 שָׁמַע hear
8085 shama` shaw-mah'
a primitive root; to hear intelligently (often with
implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to
tell, etc.):--X attentively, call (gather) together, X
carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content,
declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make
to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be)
obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish,
regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell,
understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.
שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: hear.
: hear
v
1) to hear, listen to, obey
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
1a4) to hear with attention or interest, listen to
1a5) to understand (language)
1a6) to hear (of judicial cases)
1a7) to listen, give heed
1a7a) to consent, agree
1a7b) to grant request
1a8) to listen to, yield to
1a9) to obey, be obedient
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to be heard (of voice or sound)
1b2) to be heard of
1b3) to be regarded, be obeyed
1c) (Piel) to cause to hear, call to hear, summon
1d) (Hiphil)
1d1) to cause to hear, tell, proclaim, utter a sound
1d2) to sound aloud (musical term)
1d3) to make proclamation, summon
1d4) to cause to be heard
n m
2) sound
שָׁמַע (sha.ma) — to hear: obey.
: obey
v
1) to hear, listen to, obey
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to hear (perceive by ear)
1a2) to hear of or concerning
1a3) to hear (have power to hear)
V-Qal-Impv-2mp — Verb · Qal · imperative second person masculine pluralHVqv2mp
מוּסָר (mūsar) refers to discipline, chastening, and correction, particularly of a moral nature. It encompasses concepts like reproof, warning, and instruction, and can also imply restraint or bonds. The entries consistently highlight its focus on moral and instructional aspects, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
מוּסָר n.m. discipline (of the moral nature), chastening, correction
base
H4148 מוּסָר discipline (of the moral nature), chastening, correction
4148 muwcar moo-sawr'
from 3256; properly, chastisement; figuratively, reproof,
warning or instruction; also restraint:--bond, chastening
((-eth)), chastisement, check, correction, discipline,
doctrine, instruction, rebuke.
see HEBREW for 03256
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline.
: discipline/punishment
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline: instruction.
: instruction
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
מוּסָר (mu.sar) — discipline: bonds.
: bonds/noose
1) discipline, chastening, correction
1a) discipline, correction
1b) chastening
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
ko-rek'-shun (mucar, usually rendered "instruction," is translated "correction" in several passages): The verb from which the noun is derived signifies "to instruct" or "chastise." The idea of chastisement was very closely connected in the Hebrew mind with that of pedagogy. See CHASTISEMENT. the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version have changed "correction" of the King James Version to "instruction" in Jer 7:28, reversing the order in the margins. shebheT, rendered "rod" in Job 21:9, is unnecessarily changed to "correction" in 37:13. In 2Ti 3:16, epanorthosis, is translated "correction." The difference between correction, discipline and instruction Was not clearly drawn in the Hebrew…
→ See AFFLICTION, DESIGN OF
→ See CHASTISEMENT
→ See CHILDREN, CORRECTION OF
→ See PARENTS
→ See PUNISHMENT
→ See SCOURGING
חָכַם (chakam) is a Hebrew verb meaning to be wise or to act wisely. It encompasses various forms, including teaching wisdom and showing oneself wise. The entries highlight its use in different contexts, such as making others wise or dealing shrewdly. There are no noted disagreements among the lexicons.
חָכַם vb. be wise
Qal be or become wise, act wisely
Pi. make wise, teach wisdom
Pu. made wise, intensive, as it were the embodiment of wisdom
Hiph. making wise the simple
Hithp. let us deal wisely (shrewdly) toward it (the people); make or shew thyself wise
base
H2449 חָכַם be wise .be or become wise, act wisely
. make wise, teach wisdom
. made wise, intensive, as it were the embodiment of wisdom
. making wise the simple
. let us deal wisely (shrewdly) toward it (the people); make or shew thyself wise
2449 chakam khaw-kam'
a primitive root, to be wise (in mind, word or act):--X
exceeding, teach wisdom, be (make self, shew self) wise, deal
(never so) wisely, make wiser.
חָכַם (cha.kham) — be wise.
1) to be wise
1a) (Qal) to be or become wise, act wisely
1b) (Piel) to make wise, teach wisdom, instruct
1c) (Pual) to be made wise
1d) (Hiphil) to make wise
1e) (Hithpael) to show oneself wise, deceive, show one's wisdom
Conj | V-Qal-Impv-2mp — Conjunction · verb qal imperative second person masculine pluralHC/Vqv2mp
אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.
אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
base
H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
408 'al al
a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified
negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,
nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing
(worth), rather than.
see HEBREW for 03808
אַל (al) — not.
1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)
1a) do not, let not (with a verb)
1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)
1c) not, no (with substantive)
1d) nothing (as substantive)
Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)
Conj | Part — Conjunction · particleHC/Tn
פָּרַע (para') is a Hebrew verb that primarily means to let go or neglect, with implications of loosening or exposing. It can also denote acting as a leader, as noted in Judges 5:2. The entries suggest a range of meanings from allowing freedom to causing a lack of restraint, with some lexicons emphasizing leadership and others focusing on neglect.
[פָּרַע] vb. denom. act as leader, lead(?);—only Ju 5:2
ref
פָּרַע vb. let go, let alone
Qal
let go, let loose, people, i.e. remove restraint from them
let alone = avoid; = neglect; = refrain
Niph. the people is let loose, lacks restraint.
Hiph.
cause people to refrain
shew lack of restraint
base
H6544a פָּרַע vb. denom. act as leader, lead(?) H6544b פָּרַע let go, let alone
6544 para` paw-rah'
a primitive root; to loosen; by implication, to expose,
dismiss; figuratively, absolve, begin:--avenge, avoid, bare,
go back, let, (make) naked, set at nought, perish, refuse,
uncover.
פָּרַע (pa.ra) — to lead.
to lead, act as leader
פָּרַע (pa.ra) — to neglect.
1) to let go, let loose, ignore, let alone
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to let go, let loose
1a2) to let alone, avoid, neglect
1a3) to loosen
1b) (Niphal) to be let loose, be loosened of restraint
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to refrain
1c2) to show lack of restraint
1c3) to let loose restraints
V-Qal-Juss-2mp — Verb · Qal · jussive second person masculine pluralHVqj2mp