Proverbs 4:13 (DRB)

Passage

Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:11 I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:

Proverbs 4:12 Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not meet a stumblingblock.

Proverbs 4:13 Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

Proverbs 4:14 Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.

Proverbs 4:15 Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "take", "hold", "instruction", "leave", "keep", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "take" and "hold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Which when thou shalt have entered thy..." into verse 14's "Be not delighted in the paths of...", so "take" and "hold" 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 "take" and "hold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.