Proverbs 4:2 (KJV)

What does Proverbs 4:2 mean?

Proverbs 4:2 presents a father’s teaching as something worth keeping. He asks his children not to abandon what he has taught them, because he regards the guidance he gives them as good.

After calling his children to listen in verse 1, the father gives a reason for their attention. The words “I give you” make the teaching personal: the speaker is passing his own instruction on to those he addresses.

The Hebrew behind Proverbs 4:2

• “doctrine” — לֶקַח (leqaḥ): This word can mean teaching or instruction. In the KJV, “doctrine” may sound like a set of formal beliefs, but here the word points more broadly to what is taught.
• “law” — תּוֹרָה (torah): This word can mean instruction or direction. Here it describes the father’s teaching to his children; the word is not limited to a law made by a ruler.

Why Proverbs 4:2 matters

• The verse gives a reason for listening, not merely an order. The father says, “For I give you good doctrine,” linking his request to the value he places on his teaching.
• The instruction belongs to a family conversation. Verse 1 addresses “children,” and verses 3–4 continue with the speaker recalling the teaching he received from his own father. The father’s words in verse 2 stand within a chain of teaching across generations.