Proverbs 7:4

Pro 7:4 Say unto wisdom, Thou [art] my sister; and call understanding [thy] kinswoman:

Ver. 4. Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister,] q.d., If thou must needs have a lady to set thy love upon, let me commend a mistress to thee more amiable and affable than any that thou canst meet with, and that is heavenly wisdom. Say unto her, Thou art my sister, &c. Christ oft woos his spouse by this title, "My sister, my spouse." As the nearest affinity is spouse, so the nearest consanguinity is sister. There are all bonds to knit us to Christ, there shall be all to knit Christ to us, if we fall in with wisdom; this is to become akin to Christ. {Mat 12:50} And that is the truest nobility where God himself is top of the kin, and religion the root, in regard whereof all the rest (riches, retinue, &c.) are but shadows and shapes of nobleness.

Call understanding thy kinswoman,] i.e., Be thoroughly and familiarly acquainted with her. Surely as in nature he is accounted a singular idiot that knows not his own sisters or near kinsfolk, so in religion he is strangely simple and stupid that is not acquainted with the grounds of behaviour and comfort, as they are contained in the word.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The subject-matter of this earnest warning are the admonitions of the teacher of wisdom, and through him of Wisdom herself, who in contrast to the world and its lust is the worthiest object of love, and deserves to be loved with the purest, sincerest love:

4 Say to wisdom: "Thou art my sister!"

And call understanding "Friend;"

5 That they may keep thee from the strange woman,

From the stranger who useth smooth words.

The childlike, sisterly, and friendly relationship serves also to picture forth and designate the intimate confidential relationship to natures and things which are not flesh and blood. If in Arabic the poor is called the brother of poverty, the trustworthy the brother of trustworthiness, and abu, um (אם), achu, ucht, are used in manifold ways as the expression for the interchangeable relation between two ideas; so (as also, notwithstanding Ewald, 273b, in many Hebr. proper names) that has there become national, which here, as at Job 17:14; Job 30:29, mediated by the connection of the thoughts, only first appears as a poetic venture. The figurative words of Pro 7:4 not merely lead us to think of wisdom as a personal existence of a higher order, but by this representation it is itself brought so near, that אם easily substitutes itself, Pro 2:3, in the place of אם. אחתי of Solomon's address to the bride brought home is in its connection compared with Book of Wisdom 8:2. While the ôth of אחות by no means arises from abstr. ûth, but achôth is derived from achajath, מודע (as Rut 2:1, cf. מודעת, Pro 3:2), here by Mugrash מודע, properly means acquaintance, and then the person known, but not in the superficial sense in which this word and the Arab. ma'arfat are used (e.g., in the Arabic phrase quoted by Fleischer, kanna aṣḥaab ṣarna m'aaraf - nous tions amis, nous en sommes plus que de simples connaissances), but in the sense of familiar, confidential alliance. The infin. לשׁמרך does not need for its explanation some intermediate thought to be introduced: quod eo conducet tibi ut (Mich.), but connects itself immediately as the purpose: bind wisdom to thyself and thyself to wisdom thus closely that thou mayest therewith guard thyself. As for the rest, vid., Pro 2:16; this verse repeats itself here with the variation of one word.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

7:4 In Hebrew, sister is a term of endearment that expresses intimacy (see Song 4:9-10).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. Thou art my sister] Thou art my dearest friend, and I will treat thee as such.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. kinswoman] Lit. known, i.e. acquaintance, or intimate friend, γνώριμος, LXX.; amica, Vulg. In the only two other places, however, in which the word occurs (Rth_2:1; Rth_3:2) it is used in the sense of kinsman. Comp. Job_17:14.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister,.... Intimately acquainted, greatly beloved, and highly delighted in: this may be understood both of the Gospel, the wisdom of God in a mystery, which men should be conversant with, be strongly affected to, and take delight and pleasure in; and of Christ, the essential Wisdom of God, and who stands in the relation of a brother to his people, and should be respected as such;

and call understanding thy kinswoman; or "kinsman" (a); such Christ is in our nature, our "goel", our near kinsman, partaker of the same flesh and blood, and therefore is not ashamed to call us brethren, nor should we be ashamed to call him kinsman: moreover, his Word and Gospel, and the understanding of it, should be familiar to us; it should be well "known" (b) by us, as the word used signifies, and dwell richly in us.

(a) "cognatum", Piscator. (b) "Notam", Montanus, Michaelis.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

When other foolish young men seek wanton mistresses, whom they frequently call

sisters or

kinswomen, let wisdom be thy mistress; acquaint and delight thyself with her, and let her have the command of thy heart, and the conduct of thy life.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. My sister… kinswoman — Or familiar acquaintance; that is, respect, love, and cherish her. Cp. Job_17:14; Job_30:29; also, Psa_55:13; Psa_88:8.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 4 and 5 contain earnest admonitions to the pursuit of Wisdom, which is worthy of the purest love.

Say unto Wisdom, Thou art my sister. Wisdom is personified, and the connection with her indicated by the relationship which best expresses love, purity, confidence. In the Book of Wisdom 8 she is represented as wife. Christ calls those who do God"s will his brother, and sister, and mother. (Mat_12:50) Call Understanding thy kinswoman; moda, "familiar friend." Let prudence and sound sense be as dear to thee as a close friend.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And call - Acquaint and delight thyself with her.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Say to wisdom, "You are my sister

Here wisdom is spoken of as if it were a person. AT: "Value wisdom as you would love your sister" (See: Personification)

call understanding your kinsman

Here the quality of understanding is spoken of as if it were a kinsman or relative. AT: "treat understanding as you would treat your kinsman" (See: Personification)

kinsman

"relative" or "family member"

the adulterous woman

This refers to any woman to whom a man is not married. AT: "the woman whom you should have nothing to do with"

the immoral woman

This refers to any woman who is not known to a man.

with her smooth words

Words intended to deceive are spoken of as if they were smooth objects. AT: "who says pleasant things, but wants to deceive you"

translationWords

wise

word

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

“You are my sister” (Draw her near to you.)

a kinsman Heb. מדע, a kinsman, as in (Ruth 3: 2): “Boaz our kinsman (מדעתנו),” our close relative; i.e., draw her near to you always.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.