Bible Strands
Proverbs 22:20
Have I not written for you thirty sayings about counsel and knowledge,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses the student directly, framing a compiled collection of instructional material. This declaration follows the statement that the instruction builds trust in the LORD and precedes the goal of equipping the learner to answer others accurately.
The words — The term שָׁלִישִׁים (shālišîm) literally means "thirds" or "sets of three," and כָּתַבְתִּי (kāṯaḇtî) translates as "I have written." The text explicitly records the author's claim of compiling thirty instructional units focused on counsel and knowledge.
The thread — The emphasis on structured, authoritative writing runs parallel to the declaration in Proverbs 8:6 and the confirmed prophetic word noted in 2 Peter 1:19. The focus on precise, refined speech also aligns with the description of the LORD's words in Psalms 12:6.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to acknowledge the deliberate compilation of the material and to treat it as a fixed reference. It commands the learner to internalize the recorded counsel and knowledge so they can give accurate responses to those who commissioned the study.
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
Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge,
Cross-references
- Proverbs 8:6 Listen, for I speak of noble things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.
- 2 Peter 1:19 We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
- Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.
- 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.
- Hosea 8:12 Though I wrote for them the great things of My law, they regarded them as something strange.