Proverbs 3:8 — Word Study
WLCרִ֭פְאוּת תְּהִ֣י לְשָׁרֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝שִׁקּ֗וּי לְעַצְמוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
BSAThis will bringhâyâh▸ [wholeness, restoration] ◂healingriphʼûwth△ [a cure] to your bodyshôr [your entire being] and refreshmentshiqqûwy [like a cool drink, marrow] to your bonesʻetsem [innermost, deepest, the substance of your being]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| רִ֭פְאוּת | healing | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| תְּהִ֣י | may it be | Verb, Qal, jussive third person feminine singular |
| לְשָׁרֶּ֑ךָ | to navel your | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וְ֝שִׁקּ֗וּי | and refreshment | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| לְעַצְמוֹתֶֽיךָ׃ | to bones your | Preposition, noun common feminine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. |
| KJV | It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. |
| ASV | It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones. |
| YLT | Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones. |
| WEB | It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones. |
| BBE | This will give strength to your flesh, and new life to your bones. |
The translations agree on the meanings of the key terms without significant variation.
The verse consists of two main clauses joined by a conjunction, emphasizing the dual benefits of healing and refreshment.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
subjectרִפְאוּת
verbהָיָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 5 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Proverbs 3:8
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Wisdom and Its Benefitsgenerated
Proverbs 3:8 is part of a passage that emphasizes the importance of trusting in the Lord and living according to His wisdom. The surrounding verses encourage the reader to avoid self-reliance and to honor God with their resources. This verse specifically highlights the positive outcomes of such a lifestyle, promising healing and refreshment as rewards for following divine guidance.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proverbs 4:22 | For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body. |
| 2 | Proverbs 16:24 | Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. |
| 3 | Psalm 147:3 | He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. |
| 4 | Isaiah 1:6 | From the sole of your foot to the top of your head, there is no soundness— only wounds and welts and festering sores neither cleansed nor bandaged nor soothed with oil. |
| 5 | Jeremiah 30:12–13 | For this is what the LORD says: “Your injury is incurable; your wound is grievous. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — רִפְאוּת, Rif.'utgenerated
The word רִפְאוּת (Rif.'ut) is a feminine singular noun that means healing or a cure. It is derived from the root רָפָא (rapha), which conveys the idea of restoring health or wholeness. In this context, it suggests that adhering to God's wisdom results in a state of well-being.
This term appears only once in the Bible, emphasizing its significance in this verse. The promise of healing here is not merely physical but encompasses the entire being, indicating a holistic restoration.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations agree on the meaning of רִפְאוּת as healing, with the BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE all conveying this idea.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of the verse consists of two main clauses: the first clause introduces the concept of healing, and the second clause presents refreshment. The finite verb תְּהִ֣י (may it be) governs both clauses, linking the two ideas together.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the outcomes of following wisdom, with the subject רִפְאוּת and שִׁקּ֗וּי clearly delineating the benefits promised.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew רִפְאוּת is translated as ἴασις (iasis), which also means healing. This choice reflects a direct correspondence in meaning, maintaining the focus on restoration and health.
The translation of שִׁקּ֗וּי as ἐπιμέλεια suggests a broader concept of care or refreshment, indicating the translators understood the term's significance in context.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 3:8 promises that following God's wisdom will lead to healing for your body and refreshment for your bones. This verse encourages trust in the Lord, suggesting that such trust brings about a state of well-being and vitality.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Healing refers to a state of health or wholeness that comes from following God's wisdom.
Refreshment for bones symbolizes deep, inner strength and vitality, suggesting that wisdom nourishes one's very essence.
You can apply this verse by trusting in God’s guidance and making choices that align with His wisdom, leading to better health and well-being.
The navel symbolizes connection to life and strength, indicating that health and vitality are rooted in following divine wisdom.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I need healing, and how can I seek God's wisdom for that?
- How can I cultivate a deeper trust in the Lord to experience the refreshment He promises?
- What practical steps can I take to honor God with my resources as mentioned in the surrounding verses?
- How does understanding the connection between wisdom and health change my perspective on daily choices?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Bede comments on the significance of this verse, noting that health is linked to virtue and inner strength.
Indeed, health will be in your navel, etc. Solid works of virtues are in the bones, and in the navel, which is in the middle part of the inner body, is designed to signify the still weak and imperfect action of good deeds.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 3 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 3:8 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIt shall be health to thy navel,.... That part of the body which is the knot of the intestines; and may be put for the bowels and inward parts, which being sound, the body is in health; and these may
Read John Gill on Proverbs 3 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIt shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones - "it," namely, the obedient "fear of the Lord" just described (Proverbs 3:7).
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 3 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleTo thy navel, i.e. to thy body, which is signified by the navel, which is a noble and useful part of the body, by which the infant receives nourishment in the womb, and which is the ligament or bond by which the bowels, a principal part of the body, are united together and preserved. Marrow is the nourishment and strength of the bones, and a great preserver and prolonger of life, as the decay of it is a chief cause of the weakness, and dryness, and decay of the body. The sense of the verse is, This wisdom or fear of God is not only useful to the salvation of the soul, but also to the health and welfare of the body, both as it prevents those diseases and distempers which are oft procured by…
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 3 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.Ver. 8. It shall be health to thy navel.] That is, Thou shalt be in good plight both for the outward and inward man: Thy bones full of marrow, thy breasts full of milk, thy spirit also lively and lifted up in the ways of the Lord. And as it is with children in the womb (for to these is the allusion here), that by the navel nourishment is ministered unto them, yea, even to the strengthening of the inward parts: so the godly in the Church are fed and bred by the faith and fear of God. And as without marrow in the bones, no part of man, no, not that which is of greatest value and force, is able to do any thing: so the…
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 3 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(8) Navel.—As being the centre, and so the most important part of the body. (Comp. the epithet applied to Delphi, “navel of the earth.”) Marrow.—Literally, watering: i.e., refreshing. (Comp. Job 21:24.) For the opposite condition, “dryness of the bones, comp. Proverbs 17:22.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Proverbs 3 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 8. It shall be health to thy navel] We need not puzzle ourselves to find out what we may suppose to be a more delicate meaning for the original word שר shor than navel; for I am satisfied a more proper cannot be found. It is well known that it is by the umbilical cord that the fetus receives its nourishment all the time it is in the womb of the mother. It receives nothing by the mouth, nor by any other means: by this alone all nourishment is received, and the circulation of the blood kept up. When, therefore, the wise man says, that "trusting in the Lord with the whole heart, and acknowledging him in all a man's ways, c., shall be health to the navel, and marrow to the bones" he in…
Read AdamClarke on Proverbs 3 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges8. health] By an eternal law the moral condition and the physical are linked together; the mens sana promotes the corpus sanum. “Godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is.” 1 Timothy 4:8. to thy navel] So R.V. The LXX. give to thy body, τῷσώματίσου (comp. Proverbs 4:22), reading, as Ewald conjectures, a Heb. word which differs by a single letter (which has dropped out) from our present Heb. text Their rendering, however, may be only a free translation, of the nature of a gloss, of the Heb. as it now stands. marrow] Lit. moistening. Vulg. irrigatio. The moisture and freshness of a healthy and well-nourished body are indicated. Comp. “The marrow of his…
Read Cambridge on Proverbs 3 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleNavel - The central region of the body is taken as the representative of all the vital organs. For “health” we should read healing, or, as in the marg.
Read Albert Barnes on Proverbs 3 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones.
This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
This will bring healing to your body, and refreshment to your inner self.
Tyndale line
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
So health shalbe vnto thy nauel, and marowe vnto thy bones.
Strictly literal
it shall be health for thy navel, and moisture for thy bones.
Healing it is to thy navel, And moistening to thy bones.
It is healing to your navel, || And moistening to your bones.
It will be healing to thy body, and marrow to thy bones.
It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment for your body.
From the Latin
For it shall be health to thy navel, and moistening to thy bones.
Simplified
Then you will be healed and made strong.
This will give strength to your flesh, and new life to your bones.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, with all five words matching between the two texts. This alignment indicates a consistent understanding of the verse's message across these traditions.
רִ֭פְאוּת תְּהִ֣י לְשָׁרֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝שִׁקּ֗וּי לְעַצְמוֹתֶֽיךָ׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 3:8
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רִפְאוּת (riph'uwth) means healing or a cure. It is derived from the root word for health, רָפָא (rapha). The term appears in Proverbs 3:8, where it is used in a figurative sense.
רִפְאוּת n.f. healing;—abs. Pr 3:8 (fig.).
ref
H7500 רִפְאוּת
7500 riph'uwth rif-ooth'
from 7495; a cure:--health.
see HEBREW for 07495
רִפְאוּת (riph.ut) — healing.
healing
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
hel'-ing (marpe', te`alah, kehah): In the Old Testament this word is always used in its figurative sense; marpe', which literally means "a cure," is used in Jer 14:19 twice, and in Mal 4:2; te`alah, which literally means "an irrigation canal," here means something applied externally, as a plaster, in which sense it is used metaphorically in Jer 30:13; kehah occurs only in Na 3:19 the King James Version and is translated "assuagings" in the Revised Version (British and American).
In the New Testament 5 times the verb is therapeuo; once (Ac 10:38) iaomai; in the other passages it is either iama, as in
The Hebrew word הָיָה (hayah) is a primitive root meaning to exist or become, and it encompasses a range of meanings including to happen, occur, and come to pass. It is often used in narrative contexts, particularly in phrases like "and it came to pass." The word can also denote a state of being or existence, and it appears frequently in various forms throughout the Old Testament.
הָיָה 3570 vb. fall out, come to pass, become, be
Qal
Fall out, happen
occur, take place, come about, come to pass
esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass
וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
Come into being, become
abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
sq. prep.
become
sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
sq. pred. adj.
become like
sq. pred. לְ pers.
sq. לְ pred.
oft. c. לְ pred. לְ pers.
with עַל and לְ
sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming)
exist, be in existence
abide, remain, continue
with word of locality, be in or at a place, be situated, stand, lie
as copula, joining subj. & pred.
H1961 הָיָה fall out, come to pass, become, be .. . . Fall out, happen
. occur, take place, come about, come to pass
. esp. & very oft., come about, come to pass . . וַיְהִי and it came to pass that, most often (c. 292 t.)
. rarely also Pf. c. וְ conj. וְהָיָה
. less oft. וְהָיָה Pf. consec. and it shall come to pass, or frequentat. came to pass (repeatedly, etc.)
. Come into being, become . . abs., in lively narrative, arise, appear, come
. sq. prep.
. become . sq. pred. noun (to be viewed as implicit accus.)
. sq. pred. adj.
. become like
. sq. pred. + לְ pers.
. sq. לְ pred.
. oft. c. לְ pred. + לְ pers.
. with עַל and לְ
. sts. c. לְ pers. only = became the property of, come into the possession of
. Be (often with subbordinate idea of becoming) . exist, be in existence
. abide, remain, continue
1961 hayah haw-yaw
a primitive root (compare 1933); to exist, i.e. be or become,
come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or
auxiliary):--beacon, X altogether, be(-come), accomplished,
committed, like), break, cause, come (to pass), do, faint,
fall, + follow, happen, X have, last, pertain, quit
(one-)self, require, X use.
see HEBREW for 01933
הָיָה (ha.yah) — to be.
1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out
1a) (Qal)
1a1) ---
1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass
1a1b) to come about, come to pass
1a2) to come into being, become
1a2a) to arise, appear, come
1a2b) to become
1a2b1) to become
1a2b2) to become like
1a2b3) to be instituted, be established
1a3) to be
1a3a) to exist, be in existence
1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time)
1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality)
1a3d) to accompany, be with
1b) (Niphal)
1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about
1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone
V-Qal-Juss-3fs — Verb · Qal · jussive third person feminine singularHVqj3fs
The Hebrew word שֹׁר (*shor*) primarily refers to the umbilical cord or navel. It is derived from a root meaning to twist, suggesting a connection to strength. The entries consistently define it as relating to the navel or navel-string.
[שֹׁר] n.[m.] navel-string
base
H8270 שֹׁר, שֹׁרֶר
8270 shor shore
from 8324; a string (as twisted (compare 8306)), i.e.
(specifically) the umbilical cord (also figuratively, as the
centre of strength):--navel.
see HEBREW for 08324
see HEBREW for 08306
שֹׁר (shor) — umbilical cord.
umbilical cord, navel, navel-string
Prep | N-ms | Suff — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms
שִׁקּוּי (shiqquwy) refers to a drink or beverage, emphasizing refreshment and moisture. It is derived from the root word for 'to drink' and is associated with the concept of refreshment. The entries consistently highlight its meaning as a drink without significant disagreement among lexicons.
שִׁקּוּי n.[m.] drink
base
H8250 שִׁקּוּי, שִׁקֻּו
8250 shiqquwy shik-koo'-ee
from 8248; a beverage; moisture, i.e. (figuratively)
refreshment:--drink, marrow.
see HEBREW for 08248
שִׁקּוּי (shiq.quy) — drink.
drink, refreshment
Also means: shiq.quv (שִׁקֻּו "drink" H8249)
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
עֶ֫צֶם (etsem) primarily means 'bone' but extends to concepts of substance and self. It can refer to the physical body, limbs, or essence. The word is derived from a root related to strength, indicating a connection between physicality and identity.
עֶ֫צֶם 125 n.f. bone, substance, self
base
H6106 עֶ֫צֶם bone, substance, self
6106 `etsem eh'tsem
from 6105; a bone (as strong); by extension, the body;
figuratively, the substance, i.e. (as pron.) selfsame:--body,
bone, X life, (self-)same, strength, X very.
see HEBREW for 06105
עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) — bone.
: bone/limb
1) bone, essence, substance
1a) bone
1a1) body, limbs, members, external body
1b) bone (of animal)
1c) substance, self
עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) — bone: same.
: same/very
1) bone, essence, substance
1a) bone
1a1) body, limbs, members, external body
1b) bone (of animal)
1c) substance, self
עֶ֫צֶם (e.tsem) — bone: body.
: body
1) bone, essence, substance
1a) bone
1a1) body, limbs, members, external body
1b) bone (of animal)
1c) substance, self
Prep | N-fp | Suff — Preposition · noun common feminine plural construct · suffixHR/Ncfpc/Sp2ms