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Psalm 111 · a question people ask

Is the fear of the LORD the first step of wisdom, or its chief part?

In the text

The Hebrew word the WEB gives as beginning is reshit (tap beginning). Brown-Driver-Briggs gives it as "beginning, chief", and Strong's as "the first, in place, time, order or rank (specifically, a firstfruit)". The Psalms have it three times. Twice the WEB gives it another way: "the chief of their strength" (Psalm 78:51), and "the first fruits of all their manhood" (Psalm 105:36). Here it is beginning: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (111:10). Proverbs has the same word, with knowledge: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). The WEB of Proverbs 9:10 has the psalm's own words, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10), but there beginning is a different Hebrew word, techillah, which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives only as "beginning". Psalm 111 doesn't say which sense of reshit it means, and these notes don't choose.

The verses

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”
Psalm 111:10 · World English Bible
“and struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the chief of their strength in the tents of Ham.”
Psalm 78:51 · World English Bible
“He struck also all the firstborn in their land, the first fruits of all their manhood.”
Psalm 105:36 · World English Bible
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 1:7 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Psalm 111

Psalm 111: The LORD's works are great

In Hebrew, Psalm 111 runs through all 22 letters of the alphabet in order, from "I will give thanks" (111:1) to "His praise" (111:10). And its "redemption" (111:9) is pedut, a word the Hebrew Bible has only four times: in Egypt the WEB gives it as the "division" the LORD put between his people and Pharaoh's (Exodus 8:23).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions