Proverbs 3:21 (ASV)

Passage

My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Nearby Context

Proverbs 3:19 Jehovah by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding he established the heavens.

Proverbs 3:20 By his knowledge the depths were broken up, And the skies drop down the dew.

Proverbs 3:21 My son, let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep sound wisdom and discretion:

Proverbs 3:22 So shall they be life unto thy soul, And grace to thy neck.

Proverbs 3:23 Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, And thy foot shall not stumble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "depart", "thine", "eyes", "keep", "sound", "wisdom", and "discretion". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "depart" and "thine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "By his knowledge the depths were broken..." into verse 22's "So shall they be life unto thy...", so "depart" and "thine" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "depart" and "thine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.