Proverbs 2:5-6

2:5 then you will understand 1  how to fear the Lord, 2 

and you will discover 3  knowledge 4  about God. 5 

2:6 For 6  the Lord gives 7  wisdom,

and from his mouth 8  comes 9  knowledge and understanding.

1 tn The verb בִּין (bin, “to perceive; to understand; to discern”) refers to ability to grasp, discern or be sensitive to what it means to fear the Lord.

2 tn Heb “the fear of the Lord.” The noun is an objective genitive; the Lord is to be the object of fear and reverence.

3 tn Heb “find” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV).

4 tn The term דַּעַת (da’at, “knowledge”) goes beyond cognition; it is often used metonymically (cause) for obedience (effect); see, e.g., Prov 3:6, “in all your ways acknowledge him,” and BDB 395 s.v. This means that the disciple will follow God’s moral code; for to know God is to react ethically and spiritually to his will (e.g., J. H. Greenstone, Proverbs, 18).

5 tn Heb “knowledge of God.” The noun is an objective genitive.

6 tn This is a causal clause. The reason one must fear and know the Lord is that he is the source of true, effectual wisdom.

7 tn The verb is an imperfect tense which probably functions as a habitual imperfect describing a universal truth in the past, present and future.

8 sn This expression is an anthropomorphism; it indicates that the Lord is the immediate source or author of the wisdom. It is worth noting that in the incarnation many of these “anthropomorphisms” become literal in the person of the Logos, the Word, Jesus, who reveals the Father.

9 tn The verb “comes” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity and smoothness.