Paragraph 3:5–10

3:5

Notice the parallel commands. The command in 3:5a is positive. The father tells his son what he should do. The command in 3:5b is negative and figurative. The father tells his son what he should not do.

5a
Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

5b and lean not on your own understanding ;

3:5a–b

Trust in…lean not on: To Trust in the LORD means “to rely” or “depend on” the LORD, to have confidence in him. The parallel verb lean…on should be understood figuratively. It also means “to rely/depend on.”

3:5a

with all your heart: Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

completely
-or-
with all your mental abilities
-or-
with all your mind, emotions, and will

3:5b

lean not on your own understanding: The Hebrew word binah, which the Berean Standard Bible translates as understanding, refers to the intellectual or mental ability to comprehend and interpret concepts, to draw conclusions, and to understand the relationship between things. It is not the same word as in 2:2b. Other ways to translate this clause are:

put no faith in your own perception (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
do not rely on your own insight (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
do not trust your own judgment

General Comment on 3:5a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to put the negative command first. For example:

5b Do not think that your understanding is enough to help you.

5a You must concentrate all your thoughts on trusting the LORD.

Use a natural order in your language for giving positive and negative commands.

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