Proverbs 7:2
New International Version
Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

New Living Translation
Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.

English Standard Version
keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;

Berean Standard Bible
Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

King James Bible
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

New King James Version
Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.

New American Standard Bible
Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.

NASB 1995
Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.

NASB 1977
Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of your eye.

Legacy Standard Bible
Keep my commandments and live, And my law as the apple of your eye.

Amplified Bible
Keep my commandments and live, And keep my teaching and law as the apple of your eye.

Christian Standard Bible
Keep my commands and live, and guard my instructions as you would the pupil of your eye.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Keep my commands and live; protect my teachings as the pupil of your eye.

American Standard Version
Keep my commandments and live; And my law as the apple of thine eye.

Contemporary English Version
Obey me, and you will live! Let my instructions be your greatest treasure.

English Revised Version
Keep my commandments and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Obey my commands so that you may live. Follow my teachings just as you protect the pupil of your eye.

Good News Translation
Do what I say, and you will live. Be as careful to follow my teaching as you are to protect your eyes.

International Standard Version
Keep my commands and you'll live. Guard my teaching as you do your eyesight.

Majority Standard Bible
Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

NET Bible
Keep my commands so that you may live, and obey my instruction as your most prized possession.

New Heart English Bible
Keep my commandments and live. Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.

Webster's Bible Translation
Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thy eye.

World English Bible
Keep my commandments and live! Guard my teaching as the apple of your eye.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Keep my commands, and live, "" And my law as the pupil of your eye.

Young's Literal Translation
Keep my commands, and live, And my law as the pupil of thine eye.

Smith's Literal Translation
Watch my commands, and live; and my law as the pupil of thine eyes.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Keep my commandments, and thou shalt live: and my law as the apple of thy eye:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Son, preserve my commandments, and you shall live. And keep my law as the pupil of your eye.

New American Bible
Keep my commands and live, and my teaching as the apple of your eye;

New Revised Standard Version
keep my commandments and live, keep my teachings as the apple of your eye;
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Keep my commandments and live, and my law as the pupil of your eye.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Keep my commandments and live, and my law like the pupil of the eye.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Keep my commandments and live, And my teaching as the apple of thine eye.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
keep my commandments, and thou shalt live; and keep my words as the pupils of thine eyes.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings about the Adulteress
1My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. 2Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. 3Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Psalm 119:11
I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

John 14:15
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

James 1:22-25
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ...

Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Psalm 119:97
Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is my meditation.

John 15:10
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.

Psalm 119:9
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.

1 John 2:3-5
By this we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments. / If anyone says, “I know Him,” but does not keep His commandments, he is a liar, and the truth is not in him. / But if anyone keeps His word, the love of God has been truly perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him:

Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Psalm 19:7-11
The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. / The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. / The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true, being altogether righteous. ...

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, / so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. / But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. / He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.


Treasury of Scripture

Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of your eye.

keep

Proverbs 4:13
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.

Leviticus 18:5
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Isaiah 55:3
Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

as the

Deuteronomy 32:10
He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.

Psalm 17:8
Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,

Zechariah 2:8
For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye.

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Apple Commandments Commands Eye Eyes Guard Light Live Pupil Rules Teaching Teachings
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Apple Commandments Commands Eye Eyes Guard Light Live Pupil Rules Teaching Teachings
Proverbs 7
1. Solomon persuades to a sincere and kind familiarity with wisdom
6. In an example of his own experience he shows
10. the cunning of a harlot
22. and the desperate simplicity of a young wanton
24. He detests such wickedness














Keep my commandments
The Hebrew word for "keep" is "שָׁמַר" (shamar), which means to guard, observe, or give heed. This word implies a vigilant and active effort to protect and adhere to the commandments. In the context of ancient Israel, commandments were not merely rules but a covenantal relationship with God. They were seen as life-giving, guiding the people in righteousness and holiness. The call to "keep" them suggests a deep commitment and prioritization of God's laws in one's life, reflecting a heart aligned with divine wisdom.

and live
The phrase "and live" underscores the life-giving nature of God's commandments. In Hebrew, "חָיָה" (chayah) means to live or to have life. This is not just physical existence but a full, abundant life in harmony with God's will. The ancient Israelites understood that true life was found in obedience to God, as His commandments were designed to lead them into a flourishing existence. This reflects the biblical principle that spiritual vitality and eternal life are intertwined with adherence to God's word.

guard my teachings
The word "guard" is again "שָׁמַר" (shamar), emphasizing the importance of vigilance and protection over God's teachings. "Teachings" here is "תּוֹרָה" (torah), which can mean law, instruction, or direction. The Torah was central to Jewish life, encompassing not just legalistic rules but divine guidance for living. To "guard" these teachings is to hold them in high esteem, ensuring they are not forgotten or neglected. This reflects a heart posture that treasures divine wisdom and seeks to apply it diligently.

as the apple of your eye
The phrase "apple of your eye" is a metaphorical expression that originates from the Hebrew "אִישׁוֹן עֵינֶךָ" (ishon ayin), literally meaning "little man of the eye," referring to the pupil. This imagery conveys something precious and vulnerable, requiring careful protection. In ancient cultures, the eye was considered the most sensitive and valuable part of the body, symbolizing something cherished and safeguarded. By comparing God's teachings to the "apple of your eye," the verse highlights the necessity of valuing and protecting divine wisdom with utmost care and priority, as one would protect their own sight. This metaphor calls believers to hold God's word in the highest regard, recognizing its critical role in guiding and preserving their spiritual vision and life.

Verse 2. - Keep my commandments, and live (see on Proverbs 4:4). As the apple of thine eye; literally, the little man (ishon, diminutive of ish) of the eye; so called from the miniature reflection of objects seen in the pupil, specially of the person who looks into another's eye. It is a proverbial expression for anything particularly precious and liable to be injured unless guarded with scrupulous care (comp. Psalm 17:8, Zechariah 2:8). Similarly the Greeks called this organ κόρη, "damsel" or "puppet," and the Latin, pupilla.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Keep
שְׁמֹ֣ר (šə·mōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

my commandments
מִצְוֺתַ֣י (miṣ·wō·ṯay)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4687: Commandment

and live;
וֶחְיֵ֑ה (weḥ·yêh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive

guard my teachings
וְ֝תוֹרָתִ֗י (wə·ṯō·w·rā·ṯî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law

as the apple
כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן (kə·’î·šō·wn)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 380: The little man of the eye, the pupil, ball, the middle

of your eye.
עֵינֶֽיךָ׃ (‘ê·ne·ḵā)
Noun - cdc | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 7:2 Keep my commandments and live! (Prov. Pro Pr)
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