10 Key Bible Verses on Knowledge

This article is part of the Key Bible Verses series.

All commentary notes adapted from the ESV Study Bible.

1. Proverbs 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction. Read More

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. This is the core maxim of the book of Proverbs: the quest for wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (cf. Prov. 9:10 and Ps. 111:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom”). “Knowledge” and “wisdom” are closely tied together in Proverbs: “knowledge” tends to focus on correct understanding of the world and oneself as creatures of the magnificent and loving God, while “wisdom” is the acquired skill of applying that knowledge rightly, or “skill in the art of godly living”. The reason that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of both knowledge and wisdom is that the moral life begins with reverence and humility before the Maker and Redeemer. The idea of a quest for knowledge sets biblical wisdom in the broad context of the ancient Near Eastern quest for truth, and this verse also validates such a quest as legitimate and good. Thus it affirms a kind of “creational revelation,” the idea that one can find moral and theological truth through observing the world. At the same time, it distinguishes the biblical pursuit of knowledge and wisdom from those of the surrounding cultures, for it asserts that submission to the Lord is foundational to the attainment of real understanding (cf. Ps. 111:10; Prov. 9:10). By using the covenant name “the LORD” in preference to the more generic “God,” this verse makes the point that truth is found through Israel’s God. (For fearing the Lord in Proverbs as the right response to his covenant, see Prov. 1:29; 2:5; 3:7; Prov. 8:13; Prov. 10:27; Prov. 14:2, 26–27; Prov. 15:16, 33; Prov. 16:6; Prov. 19:23; Prov. 22:4; Prov. 23:17; Prov. 24:21; Prov. 31:30;) In addition, the verse asserts that fools despise wisdom and instruction, thus setting up the alternative between the two ways of wisdom and folly. This contrast dominates the entire book, as the way of wisdom, righteousness, and the fear of the Lord is set against the way of folly, evil, and scoffing.

2. Colossians 1:9–10

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Read More

Knowledge and wisdom were offered by the false teachers in Colossae (cf. Col. 2:4, 8, 16–23). Paul prays that the Colossians will have the wisdom and understanding that comes only from God. Spiritual means given by the Holy Spirit.

so as. The “wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9) would then lead to changed lives, for it would enable these Christians to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord. “To walk” is a Jewish metaphor for conducting or behaving oneself. It corresponds to the Hebrew term halak. The rabbis had an entire oral tradition, later written down (especially in the Mishnah and the Talmuds), called Halakah, that guided them in their behavior. As a former rabbi, Paul calls believers “to walk” not according to the oral traditions of Judaism but in a way that is fully pleasing to the Lord Jesus Christ. Although Christians are completely justified from the moment of initial saving faith, they are not fully sanctified, and they can do things that either please or displease God each day. Every good work is here viewed as the fruit of salvation in the life of a Christian, not as the prerequisite for entering a relationship with Christ. Paul’s reference to bearing fruit . . . and increasing brings to mind the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–9, 13–20). The seed sown on the good soil bore fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold.

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3. Ecclesiastes 1:18

For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. Read More

Wisdom is a mixed blessing: to gain wisdom and understanding is to gain a clearer view into the tragedies of life in a world marred by sin.

4. Jeremiah 3:15–16

And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land, in those days, declares the LORD, they shall no more say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed; it shall not be made again. Read More

God will give this remnant (see note on Jer. 3:14) shepherds after his own heart, that is, leaders (like David) who are kings in whom God takes delight (1 Sam. 13:14). These shepherds will feed the people with knowledge and understanding, the very qualities they lacked when they turned away from God and followed false teachers and priests (Hos. 4:1–3). The shepherds are a recurring theme in Jeremiah (Jer. 2:8; 3:15; 10:21; 23:1–4; 50:6; cf. Ezekiel 34). The term can refer specifically to civil leaders, such as the king (2 Sam. 5:2), or to leaders more generally (civil and religious): all were charged with the responsibility of leading God’s people to show forth his holiness in their personal and corporate lives. The people need faithful shepherds, and God will supply them after the exile.

5. 1 Corinthians 1:4–5

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge. Read More

enriched in him. In 1 Corinthians 4:8 Paul will say that the Corinthians’ spiritual riches have led to an inappropriate pride. Paul’s thankfulness here shows that the problem lay not with the gifts God had given them but with the way the Corinthians used those gifts. The cure is found in a healthy dose of gratitude (1 Corinthians 4:7). The Corinthians valued especially the gifts of speech and knowledge (see 1 Corinthians 8:1–3, 10; 1 Corinthians 12:8; 1 Corinthians 13:2; 1 Corinthians 14:1–40), but because they had used these gifts in wrong and improper ways, the exercise of the gifts led to disunity (1 Corinthians 8:1–3; 1 Corinthians 12:29–30; 1 Corinthians 14:4).

6. Luke 1:76–77

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins. Read More

This knowledge, brought by John the Baptist, prepares the way for the coming of Jesus. Such knowledge is not merely theoretical or cognitive but deeply experiential, resulting in a fundamental change of heart and behavior (e.g., “repentance”; cf. Luke 3:7–8). Salvation and the forgiveness of . . . sins (cf. Luke 3:3) reveal the nature of the redemption brought by the Christ.

7. 2 Peter 1:2–3

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. Read More

In his initial blessing of those to whom he writes, Peter mentions a recurring idea in the letter: true knowledge of God and of Jesus. Verse 2, like v. 1, points to the deity of Christ (cf. note on 2 Pet. 1:1), for both God and Christ are the object of this knowledge.

divine power. God himself has acted in his infinite power to accomplish salvation, something only he could accomplish and what human ability could not accomplish. He has called us to his own glory and excellence. Believers are called to live in harmony with God’s own moral character. On God’s “glory,”. The word “excellence” (Gk. aretē, “virtue, excellence”) was used by Greek writers to describe the sum of all desirable character qualities.

8. Proverbs 18:15

An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge. Read More

One should seek with one’s heart (Hb. leb, “reason, emotions, and will”) to acquire knowledge, and likewise with one’s ear to listen carefully to what is being said, for this is the way that the wise (person) seeks knowledge.

9. 2 Peter 1:5–8

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read More

supplement your faith. Peter exhorts Christians not merely to confess faith in Christ but actually to live as he taught. He is not saying that works are a prerequisite for salvation but rather is arguing that faith must take concrete form in life. All the virtues listed in 2 Peter 1:5–7 are results of faith, so faith is listed first, while love (the ultimate result of faith) is listed last (2 Peter 1:7; cf. 1 Tim. 1:5). Virtue translates Greek aretē; see note on 2 Pet. 1:3.

if these qualities are yours and are increasing. A lifelong pattern of growth in Christlike character is expected of Christians and is the key to fruitful ministry. By contrast, knowledge (Gk. epignōsis) of . . . Christ is ineffective and unfruitful unless accompanied by a life that increasingly exhibits the qualities of vv. 5–7.

10. Jeremiah 9:23–24

Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” Read More

The truly wise man (Jer. 4:22; 8:8–9; 9:12–14) learns what God teaches; he knows why Judah will fall and is grieved and humbled by that knowledge; thus he will not boast in his wisdom. Knowing God means knowing his steadfast love (covenant faithfulness), justice (right judgment), and righteousness (right behavior, esp. in keeping his promises). See Ex. 34:6–7; Ps. 103:8; Joel 2:12–14; Jonah 3:9–4:2. Paul applied the admonition “let him who boasts boast in the Lord,” based on this text, to the Corinthian Christians (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17).