What Does Proverbs 1:29 Mean in the King James?
For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse pairs hatred of knowledge with refusal of awe, revealing that perception and reverence are not separate choices.
THE MEANING
The verse names a living choice: knowledge can be hated when it exposes what is real, and awe of the LORD can be left unchosen. This is not simple lack of information; it is a refusal of perception and reverence.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie is that refusing knowledge is neutral, and that a person can reject what reveals truth while still choosing wisdom.
THE ROOT
דָּעַת
da'at
GROWS FROM
ידע
To know, recognize, or perceive, often through direct relation or encounter.
The word for knowledge grows from the verb for knowing and perceiving, so it carries more than detached information. To hate da’at is to reject the act of seeing and recognizing what is before you.
ALSO GROWS
yada: To know or perceive.
יָדַע
The verb behind da’at shows that knowledge involves the act of knowing, not simply possessing facts.
de'ah: Knowledge or understanding.
דֵּעָה
This related form keeps knowledge joined to understanding, deepening what it means to hate knowledge.
יִרְאַת יְהוָה
yir'at YHWH
GROWS FROM
ירא
To fear, revere, or stand in awe.
“fear of the LORD” in this verse is yir'at YHWH. The word translated “fear” can carry the sense of awe before the LORD. The verse places that awe beside knowledge: perception and reverence belong together in wisdom.
ALSO GROWS
yare: To fear, revere, or stand in awe.
יָרֵא
This verb is the root of yir’at, showing that awe is a response, not merely an abstract idea.
nora: Awe-inspiring or fearsome.
נוֹרָא
This related form describes what evokes awe and gives the phrase “fear of the LORD” its sense of reverence before the LORD.
בָחָרוּ
bacharu
GROWS FROM
בחר
To choose or select.
“choose” in this verse is bacharu. The verse names an active choice: awe is not chosen. Refusing it is itself a consequential stance, not a neutral absence.
ALSO GROWS
bachir: Chosen or selected.
בָּחִיר
This form makes the root’s sense of selection explicit, sharpening the weight of “did not choose.”
mivchar: Choice or best selection.
מִבְחָר
This related noun shows how the root can name the result of choosing, connecting the verse’s refusal to what one selects.
THE PATTERN
Wisdom begins when knowing is joined to awe and remains open to what God gives.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.THE THREAD
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.Hosea uses the same word, da’at, from yada, for knowledge, linking the refusal here to rejecting perception itself. It makes the consequence stark: what is refused at the level of knowing shapes what is lost.
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