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Wisdom in the Bible is not intelligence, education, or cleverness. Solomon asked for it as a young king who felt out of his depth, and what he asked for was "an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil" (1 Kings 3:9). Wisdom is skill at living: knowing what is good, what is true, and what to do next, and having the character to do it. The Hebrew word, hokmah, is used for craftsmen as well as sages. It is practical.
This guide gathers 25 passages under five headings: where wisdom begins, what wisdom is worth, how to get it, the two kinds of wisdom, and wisdom in Christ. Quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible; every reference links to the chapter.
Where wisdom begins
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
This is the thesis statement of the whole wisdom literature, repeated in Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 111:10, and Job 28:28. In the King James Version: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10, KJV). "Fear" here means reverence, taking God seriously as God. Wisdom begins with getting the most basic fact right: who is in charge.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
When pride comes, disgrace follows, but with humility comes wisdom.
Humility is the second beginning. Proverbs 15:33 says the same: "The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor" (Proverbs 15:33). The person who already knows everything cannot learn anything, which is why "Be not wise in your own eyes" (Proverbs 3:7) is a standing warning.
So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.
Moses' prayer connects wisdom to mortality. Knowing that life is short is the start of spending it well.
What wisdom is worth
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding, for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. All her ways are pleasant, and all her paths are peaceful. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her, and those who lay hold of her are blessed.
Proverbs personifies wisdom as a woman, Lady Wisdom, who calls in the streets and offers life. This passage is her price list: better than silver, gold, and rubies, and the only thing you could want that comes with everything else attached.
How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.
Wisdom is supreme; so acquire wisdom. And whatever you may acquire, gain understanding.
The King James version of this verse is the one carved over library doors: "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7, KJV).
By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.
For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.
How to get wisdom
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
This is the most practical verse on the subject and the most encouraging: God gives wisdom "without finding fault," which means he does not scold you for needing it. The King James has "let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not" (James 1:5, KJV). Solomon asked, and God said it "pleased the Lord" (1 Kings 3:10).
Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to counsel.
He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Wisdom is caught as much as taught. Who you spend time with decides much of it; see what the Bible says about friendship.
Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation. I discern more than the elders, for I obey Your precepts.
The psalmist claims to out-think his teachers and elders, and his method is not talent but Scripture kept close and obeyed. Paul says the same to Timothy: the Scriptures "are able to make you wise for salvation" (2 Timothy 3:15). If you are new to it, see how to start reading the Bible.
Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
Proverbs' driest joke, and its cheapest advice.
The two kinds of wisdom
The New Testament says there is a wisdom that looks like the real thing and is not.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
James gives a test: real wisdom is known by its conduct, and its marks are purity, peace, gentleness, mercy, and sincerity. Cleverness that produces jealousy and ambition is not wisdom, however smart it sounds.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. … For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength.
Corinth prized philosophy and rhetoric, and Paul told them that God had chosen a crucified man as his wisdom, which no philosopher would have predicted. "Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise" (1 Corinthians 3:18).
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches. But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me."
Wisdom in Christ
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
… so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
For the New Testament, wisdom is finally a person. Isaiah had foreseen a king on whom "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding" would rest (Isaiah 11:2), and Luke reports that the child Jesus "grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man" (Luke 2:52). Jesus' own summary of wisdom is the parable of the two builders: "everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24). The wise person is not the one who knows the words but the one who does them.
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.
Paul ends with a doxology that admits wisdom is bigger than anyone: "O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!" (Romans 11:33).
FAQ
What is the most famous Bible verse about wisdom?
Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," is the foundational one, and James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God," is the most practical. Proverbs 3:5–6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart," is the most memorized; see our guide to Proverbs 3:5–6.
What does "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" mean?
That wisdom starts with reverence for God, taking him seriously as the one who made and rules everything. "Fear" means awe and respect, not terror. Someone who gets that one fact right has the foundation for every other judgment; someone who gets it wrong is building on sand no matter how clever they are.
How do you get wisdom according to the Bible?
Ask God for it (James 1:5), revere him (Proverbs 9:10), stay humble (Proverbs 11:2), listen to counsel (Proverbs 19:20), keep company with the wise (Proverbs 13:20), and meditate on Scripture (Psalm 119:98–100). Then act on what you know (Matthew 7:24).
What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge in the Bible?
Knowledge is information; wisdom is knowing what to do with it. Proverbs treats knowledge and understanding as parts of wisdom, and James 3:13 says real wisdom shows itself in conduct. A person can know a great deal and still be a fool.
Who was the wisest person in the Bible?
Solomon, to whom God gave "a wise and discerning heart, so that there has never been nor will ever be another like you" (1 Kings 3:12). The New Testament says that "one greater than Solomon is here" in Jesus (Matthew 12:42), in whom "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3).
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