King James Version

Proverbs 4:13

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

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Hebrew

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הַחֲזֵ֣קhachazeqbe constantחָזַקverb, hiphil, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “be constant”, a commandH2388to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conqueraid, amend, [idiom] calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintai…בַּמּוּסָ֣רbamusarin chastisementמוּסָרpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “in chastisement”, the ordinary formH4148properly, chastisement; figuratively, reproof, warning or instruction; also restraintbond, chastening(-eth), chastisement, check, correction, discipline, doctrine, instruction, rebuke.אַלalnotאַלparticle, negative — “not”H408not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothingnay, neither, [phrase] never, no, nor, not, nothing (worth), rather than.תֶּ֑רֶףterefabateרָפָהverb, hiphil, jussive, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “abate”, a wish or indirect commandH7503to slacken (in many applications, literal or figurative)abate, cease, consume, draw (toward evening), fail, (be) faint, be (wax) feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone (go, down), (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, (be) weak(-en). See H7495 (רָפָא).נִ֝צְּרֶ֗הָnitsrehabesiegedנָצַרverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “besieged”, a commandH5341to guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.) or a bad one (to conceal, etc.)besieged, hidden thing, keep(-er, -ing), monument, observe, preserve(-r), subtil, watcher(-man).כִּיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…הִ֥יאhias for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.חַיֶּֽיךָchayeykhalifeחַיnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “life”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively[phrase] age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, [phrase] merry, multitude, [phrase] (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is thy life.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: Keep her; for she is thy life.

Young’s Literal Translation

Lay hold on instruction, do not desist, Keep her, for she [is] thy life.

World English Bible

Take firm hold of instruction. Don’t let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

Darby Translation

Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.

Douay-Rheims

Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Take fast hold of instruction, let her not go; keep her, for she is thy life.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Take hold of my instruction; let it not go,—but keep it for thyself for thy life.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας, μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου.