Proverbs 4:7 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Proverbs 4:9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wisdom", "principal", "therefore", "getting", and "understanding". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wisdom" and "principal", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Forsake her not and she shall preserve..." into verse 8's "Exalt her and she shall promote thee...", so "wisdom" and "principal" 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 "principal" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.