Bible Trivia - 8/14/2008

Question: What two books in the Bible say "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (wisdom)?

Answer: Psalms and Proverbs. (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7)

Comments: Two of the Old Testament wisdom books inform that the fear of God is the beginning of widsom. (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 1:7) The Hebrew yir'ah is rendered "fear" in most major translations. (ASV, ESV, KJV, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV, RSV). The Amplified Bible reads "reverent and worshipful fear".

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7, NASB)

The passage challenges the reader to make God a priority which in turn places everything else in its proper persepctive. In his paraphrase, The Message, Eugene H. Peterson (b. 1932) presents this verse as follows:

Start with God—the first step in learning is bowing down to God;
only fools thumb their noses at such wisdom and learning. (Proverbs 1:7, The Message)