Proverbs 24:3

By ¹  wisdom a house is built, ²  and through understanding it is established;

2Sa 7:26; Pr 9:1; Pr 14:1; Jer 10:12; 1Co 3:9; Col 2:7

¹ tn The preposition בְּ (bet, “by; through”) in these two lines indicates means.

² sn The twentieth saying, vv. 3-4, concerns the use of wisdom for domestic enterprises. In Prov 9:1 wisdom was personified as a woman who builds a house; but here the emphasis is primarily on the building – it is a sign of security and prosperity (C. H. Toy, Proverbs [ICC], 442). One could still make a secondary application from this line for a household or “family” (cf. NCV, which sees this as a reference to the family).