B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

Proverbs 4:7רֵאשִׁ֣ית חָ֭כְמָה קְנֵ֣ה חָכְמָ֑ה וּבְכָל־קִ֜נְיָנְךָ֗ קְנֵ֣ה בִינָֽה׃

The beginning of wisdom is Buy wisdom, and with all your buying power buy discernment.

Darby, ESV, NAS, CJB, NIV, JPS, Leeser, TNK, Stone Tanach, and Goldingay basically translate the first phrase as "The beginning of wisdom is".

KJV, NKJ, YLT, CSB, NET translate the 1st phrase as something like "Wisdom is the principal thing".

This verse is not in LXX.

Which do you prefer based on the Hebrew text?

thanks.

I don't think that the two ways you wrote above are really different in their basic meaning.

Because there is no difference between saying The beginning of wisdom is to get it, or to say that Wisdom is a principle, therefore get it

(maybe I didn't understand you, but if I did, then I don't see the difference in the meanings)

Hi David,
Thanks for replying.

"Wisdom is the principal thing" means "wisdom is the most important thing", translating ‎ רֵאשִׁ֣ית as "most important" or "foremost".

"the beginning of wisdom is to buy wisdom", I take to mean that the very act of starting to pay the price to get wisdom is the beginning of wisdom.
This is to translate רֵאשִׁ֣ית as "beginning".

"wisdom is a principle" is something different. I wouldn't translate רֵאשִׁ֣ית as "principle".

Well, תְּחִלָּה certainly means "beginning" (related to הֵחֵל and הִתְחִיל), and we find this parallel:

Prov. 9:10
תְּחִלַּ֣ת חָ֭כְמָה יִרְאַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת קְדֹשִׁ֣ים בִּינָֽה׃
Ps. 111:10
רֵ֘אשִׁ֤ית חָכְמָ֨ה ׀ יִרְאַ֬ת יְהוָ֗ה שֵׂ֣כֶל ט֭וֹב לְכָל־עֹֽשֵׂיהֶ֑ם תְּ֝הִלָּת֗וֹ עֹמֶ֥דֶת לָעַֽד׃

In both cases, ἀρχὴ σοφίας translates the "beginning of wisdom" phrases in the LXX.

Thanks very much, Jason.
Those are good points.