Bible Verses

Proverbs · Chapter 3 · Love

Proverbs 3:3 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

Love is the centre of Scripture's story. Read this one slowly.

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Both translations, side by side

WEB · World English Bible

"Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart."

KJV · King James Version

"Let not mercy2617 and truth571 forsake5800 thee: bind7194 them about thy neck1621; write3789 them upon the table3871 of thine heart3820:"

How the translations differ: The WEB is a modern public-domain revision of the 1901 ASV; the KJV dates to 1611. The KJV uses not, mercy, thee, about, while the WEB renders these as don, kindness, you, around. Both translate the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text — the differences are stylistic, not theological.

In context

Proverbs 3:3 in Proverbs 3

A Bible verse rarely stands alone. Here is Proverbs 3:3 read with the verses immediately before and after — the surrounding flow of Proverbs 3. Read the full chapter →

  1. v.1 My son, don’t forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:
  2. v.2 for length of days, and years of life, and peace, will they add to you.
  3. v.3 Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.
  4. v.4 So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
  5. v.5 Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.

Book background

About the Book of Proverbs

Testament
Old Testament
Genre
Wisdom literature
Author
Solomon (primarily), Agur, Lemuel
Date written
c. 970–700 BC
Audience
Young men learning the wisdom of the covenant
Chapters
31

Proverbs offers practical, observable wisdom for living under God in the everyday world — speech, money, marriage, friendship, work, anger. Its core thesis is in 1:7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Chapter 31 closes with the famous portrait of the wise woman whose worth is "far above rubies."

Setting: Compiled across multiple reigns; Solomon's collection plus later additions.

Key themes: wisdom · fear of the LORD · speech · work · relationships

Read Proverbs from the beginning →

Memorisation aid

How to memorise Proverbs 3:3

Proverbs 3:3 contains 20 words in 3 clauses. Learn one clause at a time, then chain them. The first-letter mnemonic (FLM) under each clause is a memory hook — once you can speak the FLM from memory, the full clause follows.

  1. 1

    Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you

    DLKATF

  2. 2

    Bind them around your neck

    BTAYN

  3. 3

    Write them on the tablet of your heart.

    WTOTTO

Frequently asked

FAQ about Proverbs 3:3

What does Proverbs 3:3 say?

Proverbs 3:3 reads: "Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart." — from the Old Testament, Proverbs (Wisdom literature). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

What book of the Bible is Proverbs 3:3 in?

Proverbs 3:3 is in the book of Proverbs, traditionally attributed to Solomon (primarily), Agur, Lemuel and written around c. 970–700 BC. Proverbs is wisdom literature in the Old Testament, originally addressed to Young men learning the wisdom of the covenant. Best known for "trust in the LORD with all your heart" (3:5-6).

What is Proverbs 3:3 about?

Proverbs 3:3 is primarily a Bible verse about Love. Within Proverbs, Proverbs offers practical, observable wisdom for living under God in the everyday world — speech, money, marriage, friendship, work, anger. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

What is the difference between Proverbs 3:3 in WEB and KJV?

Proverbs 3:3 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "Let not mercy2617 and truth571 forsake5800 thee: bind7194 them about thy neck1621; write3789 them upon the table3871 of thine heart3820:". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

How long is Proverbs 3:3?

Proverbs 3:3 is 20 words in the WEB translation (109 characters), broken into 3 clauses. It is short and well-suited to memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 6 seconds.

How can I memorise Proverbs 3:3?

To memorise Proverbs 3:3, split it into its 3 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

Why does Proverbs 3:3 matter in Proverbs?

Proverbs offers practical, observable wisdom for living under God in the everyday world — speech, money, marriage, friendship, work, anger. Its core thesis is in 1:7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge." Chapter 31 closes with the famous portrait of the wise woman whose worth is "far above rubies." Proverbs 3:3 sits within this larger story — Proverbs as a whole emphasises wisdom, fear of the LORD, speech.

How can I apply Proverbs 3:3 today?

Many readers use Proverbs 3:3 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download Proverbs 3:3 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.

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