Proverbs 4:5 (DBY)

Passage

Get wisdom, get intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:3 For I was a son unto my father, tender and an only one in the sight of my mother.

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 intelligence: forget [it] not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee; love her, and she shall preserve thee.

Proverbs 4:7 The beginning of wisdom [is], Get wisdom; and with all thy getting get intelligence.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wisdom", "intelligence", "forget", "neither", "decline", "words", and "mouth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wisdom" and "intelligence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And he taught me and said unto..." into verse 6's "Forsake her not and she shall keep...", so "wisdom" and "intelligence" 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 "wisdom" and "intelligence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.