23:12 Apply 1 your heart to instruction
and your ears to the words of knowledge.
23:19 Listen, my child, 2 and be wise,
and guide your heart on the right way.
1 tn Heb “bring.” The Hiphil imperative “come; enter” means “to apply the heart,” to use the heart or mind in the process. The same would be true in the second half: “to bring the ears” would mean to listen very carefully. Cf. TEV “Pay attention.”
2 tn Heb “my son,” but the immediate context does not limit this to male children.