Proverbs 4:13 (YLT)

Passage

Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she <FI>is<Fi> thy life.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:11 In a way of wisdom I have directed thee, I have caused thee to tread in paths of uprightness.

Proverbs 4:12 In thy walking thy step is not straitened, And if thou runnest, thou stumblest not.

Proverbs 4:13 Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she <FI>is<Fi> thy life.

Proverbs 4:14 Into the path of the wicked enter not, And be not happy in a way of evil doers.

Proverbs 4:15 Avoid it, pass not over into it, Turn aside from it, and pass on.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "In thy walking thy step is not..." into verse 14's "Into the path of the wicked enter...", so "hold" and "instruction" 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 "hold" and "instruction" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.