Bible Strands
Proverbs 2:7
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A wise teacher (Solomon) addresses a young man seeking wisdom, in the middle of an argument that wisdom comes from the LORD (v. 6) and that its function is protective (v. 8).
The words — יִצְפֹּ֣ן (yitza·fan, "he stores up") implies deliberate, ongoing preservation rather than a single bestowal. תּוּשִׁיָּה (tu·shi·yah) is rendered "sound wisdom" in the BSB but its literal sense is closer to "success" or "profit," a tension worth noting.
The thread — The shield image recurs in Proverbs 30:5 ("He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him") and Psalms 84:11 ("the LORD is a sun and a shield"), both tying protection to a posture of the person. James 3:15 draws a sharp contrast by naming a wisdom that does not come from above.
Why it lands — The verse is conditional, not a blanket promise: the benefit is tied to uprightness and integrity of walk. It asks the reader to examine whether their pursuit of wisdom is paired with the kind of life that qualifies them to receive it.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
Cross-references
- James 3:15 Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
- Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
- Psalms 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- 1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
- 2 Timothy 3:15 From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
- Proverbs 28:18 He who walks with integrity will be kept safe, but whoever is perverse in his ways will suddenly fall.
- Psalms 144:2 He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
- Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools deceives them.