Proverbs 8:10 — ExegesisTAB

The verse employs parallel imperatives to emphasize the superiority of wisdom over material wealth. The initial command kechu {קְחוּ | qə-ḥû} ‘take’ in the Qal imperative directs the audience to receive musari {מוּסָרִי | mû-sārî} ‘my instruction’. The conjunction and negative particle ve-al {וְאַל־ | wə-ʾal} ‘and not’ creates a stark contrast with kasef {כָּסֶף | kâ-śeph} ‘silver’. The second half mirrors this structure: veda‘at {וְדַעַת | wə-da‘ăṯ} ‘and knowledge’ is contrasted with mecharutz {מֵחָרוּץ | mê-ḥārûṣ} ‘from gold’, with the participle nivchar {נִבְחָר | nî-bḥār} ‘to be chosen’ indicating desirability. This Hebrew parallelism highlights that wisdom is to be preferred over riches, and the preposition min {מִן | min} sharpens the comparative sense translated as “instead of” and “rather than.”