“Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.”
My Notes
What Does Proverbs 2:5 Mean?
"Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God." The 'then' follows a conditional process (verses 1-4): IF you receive wisdom's words, IF you incline your ear, IF you cry out for understanding, IF you search for it like treasure — THEN you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. The understanding and the finding are conditional on the seeking.
The phrase "understand the fear of the LORD" (tavin yir'at YHWH — you will discern the reverence of the LORD) means the fear of God isn't automatically understood. It must be DISCERNED — comprehended through the process of seeking wisdom. The fear of the LORD isn't just an emotion. It's a comprehension that arrives after effort.
The "find the knowledge of God" (da'at Elohim timtza — you will discover the knowledge of God) treats divine knowledge as something discovered: it exists, it's real, it's findable — but you have to search for it. The knowledge of God isn't pushed upon the passive. It's found by the active seeker.
Reflection Questions
- 1.How intensely are you searching for the knowledge of God — casually or like treasure?
- 2.What does 'then' — understanding coming AFTER effort — teach about the cost of knowing God?
- 3.How is the fear of the LORD something UNDERSTOOD (not just felt)?
- 4.What conditions from verses 1-4 (receiving, inclining, crying, searching) are missing from your pursuit?
Devotional
THEN — after the seeking, after the crying out, after the searching like treasure — THEN you understand the fear of the LORD. THEN you find the knowledge of God. The understanding and the finding are the RESULT of the seeking. They don't arrive without the effort.
The 'then' is conditional: verses 1-4 list the conditions. Receive the words. Incline the ear. Cry after knowledge. Search as for hidden treasure. Each condition is active — receiving, inclining, crying, searching. The understanding of God's fear isn't gifted to the passive. It's found by the persistent.
The 'understand the fear of the LORD' means the fear of God is COMPREHENSIBLE — not just felt but understood. You can KNOW what it means to fear God. You can grasp it intellectually and experientially. But the understanding requires the seeking. The fear of God isn't instinctive — it's discovered through the process Proverbs 2 describes. Seek wisdom. Find reverence.
The 'find the knowledge of God' treats divine knowledge as treasure buried in a field: it's real, it's valuable, it's there. But you have to DIG. The person who doesn't search doesn't find. The person who searches casually doesn't find either — verse 4 says 'search as for hid treasures.' The intensity of the search determines the discovery. Casual interest produces casual results. Treasure-hunting intensity produces the knowledge of God.
How intensely are you searching for the knowledge of God — casually or like someone digging for treasure?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord,.... The grace of fear, and the exercise of it: which is the beginning…
The promise. The highest blessedness is to know God Joh 17:3. If any distinction between “the Lord” יהוה yehovâh and…
Job had asked, long before this, Where shall wisdom be found? Whence cometh wisdom? (Job 28:12, Job 28:20) and he had…
Cross References
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