Prov. 3:3 steadfast love and faithfulness. These terms are used together in the Lord’s description of himself in Ex. 34:6 (“abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”). In light of the later appeals to trust, fear, and honor the Lord (Prov. 3:5, 7, 9), the call here to bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart probably has to do with being faithful to the Lord by obeying one’s parents.
Prov. 3:5 Trust in the Lord is necessary for following the wise ways of life taught in Proverbs. Trusting the Lord is closely connected to fearing him (see note on 1:7; see 2:5; 9:10; 15:33; 19:23; etc.). Do not lean on your own understanding further explains what it means to trust in the Lord. The wise will govern themselves by what the Lord himself declares. They do not trust their own finite and often-mistaken understanding if it opposes God’s word.
Prov. 3:6 To make straight one’s paths means to continually progress toward a goal. In Proverbs, the emphasis is on the moral quality of one’s life path.
Prov. 3:10 The prosperity described here is the blessing of the covenant (Deut. 28:1–14), a kind of restored Eden. Your barns will be filled with plenty describes the effect of honoring the Lord with all that one has and is.
Prov. 3:11–12 A father should shape his own parenting (discipline) according to the pattern set by the Lord’s parenting. See Heb. 12:5–6.
Prov. 3:17 peace. See note on John 14:27.
Prov. 3:18 In Proverbs, the things that are called a tree of life are resources that help the righteous walk with God and be blessed by him (see also 11:30; 13:12; 15:4).
Prov. 3:19–20 God has built the principles of wisdom into the way the world works. Wisdom keeps the world from descending into chaos. Thus, when one lives without integrity, one violates the very rules that hold everything together. One cannot do this and thrive. This idea is explained in more detail in 8:22–31.
The ESV Global Study Bible
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The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
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