Proverbs 4:20 (KJV)

Passage

My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Proverbs 4:20 My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.

Proverbs 4:21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

Proverbs 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "attend", "words", "incline", "thine", and "sayings". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "attend" and "words", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The way of the wicked is as..." into verse 21's "Let them not depart from thine eyes...", so "attend" and "words" 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 "attend" and "words" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.