My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.
What does Proverbs 7:1 mean?
We must lay up God's commandments safely. Not only, Keep them, and you shall live; but, Keep them as those that cannot live without them.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 7:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 7:1
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. The harlot adulteress of an Eastern city is contrasted with the true feminine ideal of the Wisdom who is to be the "sister" and "kinswoman" Proverbs 7:4 of the young man as he goes on his way through life. See Proverbs 8 in the introduction.
Context in Proverbs 7
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Proverbs 7 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as fatherly discourses on wisdom. Proverbs offers compact instruction on speech, work, wealth, friendship, sex, discipline, justice, and wisdom as a way of life before God. Read this chapter with the wider themes of wisdom, fear of the Lord, and speech in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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