Chapter
Verse

Proverbs 8:11

ESV for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
NIV for wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her.
NASB For wisdom is better than jewels; And all desirable things cannot compare with her.
CSB For wisdom is better than jewels, and nothing desirable can equal it.
NLT For wisdom is far more valuable than rubies. Nothing you desire can compare with it.
KJV For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it.

What does Proverbs 8:11 mean?

There are some things which money literally cannot buy; godly wisdom and its benefits are among these.

Humanity places great value on rare gems and metals. Red beryl, a scarce mineral, has a market value more than 1,000 times that of gold. Musgravite, another gemstone, is even rarer and worth almost 4,000 times as much as gold. Gold, itself, is typically valued about fifteen times as much as silver. Rare objects or possessions, other than jewels, are also highly valued. If asked what he most wants to own, a typical person may respond by naming an extremely expensive car, a mansion, or a private island. However, none of these carries the value of wisdom.

Solomon was blessed when God asked him to make a request; rather than asking for wealth or power, Solomon asked for wisdom (1 Kings 3:5–12). Not only was he gifted with brilliance, Solomon also found worldly success and prosperity, in no small part due to that wisdom (1 Kings 3:13–14).

Jesus asks in Luke 9:25: "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?" A child of God in possession of God's Word may have only a modest income or even no income, but he is wealthier than all the billionaires combined who lack God's Word.
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