Verses 5-12 continue with the series of commands or exhortations for the learner to act. However, from here on these relate the learner to the Lord rather than to the wisdom or words of the teacher.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart”: “Trust” means to rely on, depend on, have confidence in. “Trust” with God as the goal or object means to regard him as the source of wisdom and power in all things and therefore worthy of your entire confidence. The act of trusting is sometimes expressed figuratively as “putting your heart in the hands of” or “laying your liver on someone.” “The Lord” translates the personal name of Israel’s God, Yahweh. “With all your heart” means with all your mind, with the full force of the mental faculties, totally and without reservation. In translation, as in the Hebrew, this may need to be expressed through a bodily figure of speech.

“And do not rely on your own insight”: “Rely” renders a word meaning to lean or support oneself. It is used in 2 Sam 1.6 of Saul leaning on his spear and in 2 Kgs 5.18 of the king of Syria leaning on Naaman’s arm. It takes on the extended sense of trusting (the Lord) in Isa 10.20. “Insight” translates the same word as used in 1.2 and 2.3, and refers to comprehension, understanding, or intelligence.

In some languages the contrast between the two commands in this verse is more naturally stated by placing the negative command (line 2) before the positive command (line 1). For example, Bible en français courant says: “Do not trust in your own intelligence, but rather put your entire confidence in the Lord.”

Some languages express this as “Don’t think that your own understanding is enough to help you. You must trust God with all your thinking.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .