The big picture
Proverbs 1 opens in verse 1 with “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;”, reaches its middle movement near verse 17 with “Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.”, and closes in verse 33 with “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” Repeated or prominent terms include fear, cometh, instruction, knowledge, wisdom. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Proverbs · King James Version · 33Proverbs 1:1-7
1–7: The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Proverbs 1:1–7 opens with “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;” and reaches “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on A parent teaching a young person at home while violent companions beckon from another path; Wisdom calling publicly at the city gate while hurried crowds choose whether to listen, with particular weight carried by instruction, wisdom, wise.
Proverbs 1:1-7
King James Version1The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
2To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
3To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
4To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
5A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:
6To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 1:8-14
8–14: My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of…
Proverbs 1:8–14 opens with “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:” and reaches “Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on A parent teaching a young person at home while violent companions beckon from another path; Wisdom calling publicly at the city gate while hurried crowds choose whether to listen, with particular weight carried by alive, blood, cause.
Context that brings the passage to life
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:” The line’s distinctive content terms include father, forsake, hear. Its relationship to verses 9 shows what work it does in this passage.
Proverbs 1:8-14
King James Version8My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
9For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.
10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
11If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
12Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:
13We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
14Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
Proverbs 1:15-21
15–21: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their…
Proverbs 1:15–21 opens with “My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:” and reaches “She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on A parent teaching a young person at home while violent companions beckon from another path; Wisdom calling publicly at the city gate while hurried crowds choose whether to listen, with particular weight carried by blood, crieth, uttereth.
Context that brings the passage to life
“My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:” The line’s distinctive content terms include foot, path, refrain. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.
Proverbs 1:15-21
King James Version15My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
17Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
18And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.
19So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
20Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
21She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,
Proverbs 1:22-28
22–28: How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners…
Proverbs 1:22–28 opens with “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning…” and reaches “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on A parent teaching a young person at home while violent companions beckon from another path; Wisdom calling publicly at the city gate while hurried crowds choose whether to listen, with particular weight carried by cometh, fear, reproof.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
Proverbs 1:22-28
King James Version22How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
28Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
Proverbs 1:29-33
29–33: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD :
Proverbs 1:29–33 opens with “For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD :” and reaches “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on A parent teaching a young person at home while violent companions beckon from another path; Wisdom calling publicly at the city gate while hurried crowds choose whether to listen, with particular weight carried by fear, choose, counsel.
Proverbs 1:29-33
King James Version29For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD :
30They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
31Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
32For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
33But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Proverbs 1:1 begins with “The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;”
Where the chapter turns
Proverbs 1:22 forms a natural hinge: “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?”
The final note
Proverbs 1:33 leaves the reader with “But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words fear, cometh, instruction, knowledge, wisdom, words help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Who receives the image and the blessing?
Both male and female in verses 27-28. Human worth precedes achievement.
What limits human dominion?
The world belongs to its Creator and is already declared good. Compare the charge to tend and keep in 2:15.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.