Wisdom in Heart and Knowledge to Soul

Studies in the Exegetical Relationship between Heart and Soul

Proverbs 2:10

In Proverbs 2:10, we read:

When comes wisdom into your heart and knowledge to your soul will be pleasant. ¹Wisdom (“חָכְמָ֣ה”–) comes (“תָב֣וֹא”–Qal imperfect, third feminine singular) into your heart (“בְלִבֶּ֑ךָ”–preposition, noun masculine singular construct, suffix second masculine singular).

Therefore, we learn more about wisdom. Wisdom enters your heart. In contrast, knowledge becomes associated with your soul. ²And knowledge (“וְ֝דַ֗עַת”–conjunctive waw, noun feminine singular) and to your soul (“לְֽנַפְשְׁךָ֥”–preposition, noun feminine singular construct, suffix second masculine singular) will be pleasant (“יִנְעָֽם”–Qal imperfect, third masculine singular). Several possibilities come to mind. First, the knowledge enters the soul. In this sense, the original verb “comes” associates with wisdom coming into your hear and knowledge coming into your soul.³God revealed that He puts wisdom into the hearts of some people. See for example Solomon (1 Kings 10:24; 2 Chronicles 9:23). Wisdom rests in the heart of one who has understanding (Proverbs 14:33). The man who loves wisdom loves His soul (Proverbs 19:8). We see the close connection between the heart and wisdom (Proverbs 24:14). In this case, the term “will be pleasant” associates with both the knowledge and the wisdom. Second, in the alternative, a temporal quality controls here: when wisdom enters your heart, then your soul will find knowledge pleasant. Third, the term “will be pleasant” describes the total satisfaction of the person because wisdom came in the heart and knowledge to the soul.  ⁴Although beyond the scope of this short study, further research may show that the prepositions really count here. Specifically that wisdom comes in (“בְ”) to the heart and knowledge comes to (“לְֽ”) the soul. 

The main point of this short study centers upon the relationship between wisdom in the heart and knowledge to the soul. We should keep in mind that wisdom enters into our hearts. In contrast, knowledge comes into our souls. Therefore, in this context, Yahweh gives wisdom and that wisdom enters your soul. At that time, then knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.