Wisdom as the Principal Thing: Knowledge of God and Self

Proverbs 4:7 declares wisdom the principal thing—not merely intellectual attainment, but the summum bonum (chief good) that elevates the human soul. Joseph S. Exell's 1887 exposition reveals wisdom's four-fold excellence.

First, wisdom addresses man's spiritual state before Elohim. True happiness rests not in material abundance—as Christ Himself taught—but in the enlightenment of the understanding through religion. The passions and tempers that perplex the natural mind yield to a state of mind calculated for genuine contentment.

Second, wisdom possesses imperishable nature. Unlike earthly treasures, true religion accompanies us through life, sustains us in death, and follows us into eternity. It remains unimpaired by distribution and independent of circumstance or season.

Third, wisdom must be intellectual—adapted to our higher faculties—yet attainable by all regardless of sex, age, or condition. Its essential elements mirror the good we shall enjoy in the future state.

Finally, wisdom means knowing ourselves truly. A wise man discerns himself only through Adonai, as through a glass. Until a man knows God, he knows not himself. Self-acquaintance arrives when the sin-condemned sinner stands transparent before Elohim's eye—recognizing his lawful condemnation and his need for redemption. Thus wisdom begins with that encounter, and transforms the seeker into Yahweh's possession forever.