Amsal 3:1

Exhortations to Seek Wisdom and Walk with the Lord ¹ 

3:1 My child, ²  do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep ³  my commandments,

Amsal 4:20-22

4:20 My child, pay attention to my words;

listen attentively ⁴  to my sayings.

4:21 Do not let them depart ⁵  from your sight,

guard ⁶  them within your heart; ⁷ 

4:22 for they are life to those who find them

and healing to one’s entire body. ⁸ 

Amsal 6:21

6:21 Bind them ⁹  on your heart continually;

fasten them around your neck.

Ulangan 6:6-9

Exhortation to Teach the Covenant Principles

6:6 These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, 6:7 and you must teach ¹⁰  them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, ¹¹  as you lie down, and as you get up. 6:8 You should tie them as a reminder on your forearm ¹²  and fasten them as symbols ¹³  on your forehead. 6:9 Inscribe them on the doorframes of your houses and gates. ¹⁴ 

Ayub 23:12

23:12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips;

I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my allotted portion. ¹⁵ 

Mazmur 119:9-11

ב (Bet)

119:9 How can a young person ¹⁶  maintain a pure life? ¹⁷ 

By guarding it according to your instructions! ¹⁸ 

119:10 With all my heart I seek you.

Do not allow me to stray from your commands!

119:11 In my heart I store up ¹⁹  your words, ²⁰ 

so I might not sin against you.

Matius 13:44

Parables on the Kingdom of Heaven

13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.

Lukas 2:19

2:19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. ²¹ 

Lukas 2:51

2:51 Then ²²  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ²³  and was obedient ²⁴  to them. But ²⁵  his mother kept all these things ²⁶  in her heart. ²⁷ 

Lukas 9:44

9:44 “Take these words to heart, ²⁸  for the Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men.” ²⁹ 

[3:1]  ¹ sn The chapter begins with an introductory exhortation (1-4), followed by an admonition to be faithful to the Lord (5-12). Wisdom is commended as the most valuable possession (13-18), essential to creation (19-20), and the way to a long and safe life (21-26). There then follows a warning to avoid unneighborliness (27-30) and emulating the wicked (31-35).

[3:1]  ² tn Heb “my son” (likewise in vv. 11, 21).

[3:1]  ³ tn The verb יִצֹּר (yitsor) is a Qal jussive and the noun לִבֶּךָ (libbekha, “your heart”) functions as the subject: “let your heart keep my commandments.”

[4:20]  ⁴ tn Heb “incline your ear.” The verb הַט (hat) is the Hiphil imperative from נָטָה (natah, Hiphil: “to turn to; to incline”). The idiom “to incline the ear” gives the picture of “lean over and listen closely.”

[4:20]  sn Commentators note the use of the body in this section: ear (v. 20), eyes (v. 21), flesh (v. 22), heart (v. 23), lips (v. 24), eyes (v. 25), feet (v. 26), and hands and feet (v. 27). Each is a synecdoche of part representing the whole; the total accumulation signifies the complete person in the process.

[4:21]  ⁵ tn The Hiphil form יַלִּיזוּ (yallizu) follows the Aramaic with gemination. The verb means “to turn aside; to depart” (intransitive Hiphil or inner causative).

[4:21]  ⁶ tn Or “keep” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV and many others).

[4:21]  ⁷ sn The words “eyes” and “heart” are metonymies of subject representing the faculties of each. Cf. CEV “think about it all.”

[4:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “to all of his flesh.”

[6:21]  ⁹ sn The figures used here are hypocatastases (implied comparisons). There may also be an allusion to Deut 6 where the people were told to bind the law on their foreheads and arms. The point here is that the disciple will never be without these instructions. See further, P. W. Skehan, Studies in Israelite Poetry and Wisdom (CBQMS), 1-8.

[6:7]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “repeat” (so NLT). If from the root I שָׁנַן (shanan), the verb means essentially to “engrave,” that is, “to teach incisively” (Piel); note NAB “Drill them into your children.” Cf. BDB 1041-42 s.v.

[6:7]  ¹¹ tn Or “as you are away on a journey” (cf. NRSV, TEV, NLT); NAB “at home and abroad.”

[6:8]  ¹² sn Tie them as a sign on your forearm. Later Jewish tradition referred to the little leather containers tied to the forearms and foreheads as tefillin. They were to contain the following passages from the Torah: Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; Deut 6:5-9; 11:13-21. The purpose was to serve as a “sign” of covenant relationship and obedience.

[6:8]  ¹³ sn Fasten them as symbols on your forehead. These were also known later as tefillin (see previous note) or phylacteries (from the Greek term). These box-like containers, like those on the forearms, held the same scraps of the Torah. It was the hypocritical practice of wearing these without heartfelt sincerity that caused Jesus to speak scathingly about them (cf. Matt 23:5).

[6:9]  ¹⁴ sn The Hebrew term מְזוּזֹת (mÿzuzot) refers both to the door frames and to small cases attached on them containing scripture texts (always Deut 6:4-9 and 11:13-21; and sometimes the decalogue; Exod 13:1-10, 11-16; and Num 10:35-36). See J. H. Tigay, Deuteronomy (JPSTC), 443-44.

[23:12]  ¹⁵ tc The form in the MT (מֵחֻקִּי, mekhuqqi) means “more than my portion” or “more than my law.” An expanded meaning results in “more than my necessary food” (see Ps 119:11; cf. KJV, NASB, ESV). HALOT 346 s.v. חֹק 1 indicates that חֹק (khoq) has the meaning of “portion” and is here a reference to “what is appointed for me.” The LXX and the Latin versions, along with many commentators, have בְּחֵקִי (bÿkheqi, “in my bosom”).

[119:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “young man.” Hebrew wisdom literature often assumes and reflects the male-oriented perspective of ancient Israelite society. The principle of the psalm is certainly applicable to all people, regardless of their gender or age. To facilitate modern application, the gender specific “young man” has been translated with the more neutral “young person.”

[119:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “purify his path.”

[119:9]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “by keeping according to your word.” Many medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[119:11]  ¹⁹ tn Or “hide.”

[119:11]  ²⁰ tn Heb “your word.” Some medieval Hebrew mss as well as the LXX read the plural, “your words.”

[2:19]  ²¹ tn The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here (Josephus, Ant. 2.5.3 [2.72]). The words “what they might mean” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[2:51]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ²³ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ²⁴ tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ²⁶ tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ²⁷ sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.

[9:44]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Place these words into your ears,” an idiom. The meaning is either “do not forget these words” (L&N 29.5) or “Listen carefully to these words” (L&N 24.64). See also Exod 17:14. For a variation of this expression, see Luke 8:8.

[9:44]  ²⁹ tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV, “into human hands”; TEV, “to the power of human beings”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.