Proverbs 4:6 (KJV)

Passage

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

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

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

Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "forsake", "shall", "preserve", "thee", "love", and "keep". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "forsake" and "shall", 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 it not..." into verse 7's "Wisdom is the principal thing therefore get...", so "forsake" and "shall" 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 "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.