Proverbs 4:6 (ASV)

Passage

Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:4 And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;

Proverbs 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;

Proverbs 4:6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom [is] the principal thing; [therefore] get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:8 Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forsake", "preserve", "thee", "love", and "keep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forsake" and "preserve", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Get wisdom get understanding Forget not neither..." into verse 7's "Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get...", so "forsake" and "preserve" 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 "forsake" and "preserve" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.