We are bombarded daily with advice on how to live—what to eat, what to purchase, what to do with our time, how to solve our big (and small) problems. These come streaming in through social media, conversations, self-help books, or entertainment and advertising.
We do want answers, and we have a sense that there are right and wrong choices about many of the extremely practical questions we face on a daily basis, both for ourselves and for our children. We also want to listen to God’s answers for these things, but sometimes we stop short of deeply searching the one book of the Bible that holds teaching on more practical issues than any others: the book of Proverbs.
In Proverbs, God describes the path of wisdom and the path of folly, and He helps us to understand how to follow His path, which begins with a relationship with Him: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). He directs our understanding of values, relationships, finances, parenting, and many more practical topics.
So how do we study the book of Proverbs? What are the best methods for gleaning wisdom from this letter directly from God to us about how to live and make wise decisions in this world?
Here are some questions to consider and methods that can help you to study this book more effectively:
Should I Study Proverbs Daily?
The book of Proverbs has a structure that is sometimes hard to decipher. More than other books of the Bible, it can seem like a random assortment of disconnected sayings. If our annual Bible reading plan has us read through the book quickly just once in the year, we often cannot fully appreciate the book of Proverbs or benefit from its content.
As Tim Keller points out in his book, God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life, “Proverbs is not a set of ‘simple steps to a happy life’ for quick consumption” (ix). It was written in poetic form, in a collection, for the purpose of being studied in community.
All of these characteristics of Proverbs are intended to make us slow down, consider connections between truths, and discuss with those wiser than us about application. If we read Proverbs on a daily basis, the book exposes us to a variety of topics on any given day, helping us to notice the truths that are related to what we are facing right now while becoming familiar with a wide range of truths God has for us.
Many people have taken advantage of the 31-chapter structure we have today to read through a chapter a day for an entire month.
The Simple 31-Day Proverbs Study Plan
In this way of studying Proverbs, we read through one chapter each day, finishing it in a month. This could be a plan that you follow for one month, or three months, diving in to a repeated overview of the book of Proverbs.
For many years, I have done this each month for the entire year. The process is simple. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs, and for each date, you read the corresponding numbered chapter. This means that chapter 31 won’t be read quite as often, but for the most part, you will read each chapter 12 times in a year. I find this particularly helpful to have alongside other reading plans. It often shows me parallel truths elsewhere in the Bible, or highlights how a truth from Proverbs plays out in the stories of Scripture.
It is not necessary to do this for an entire year, but it creates a way to become familiar with Proverbs, even if you miss a day of reading here and there. The monthly cycle has various benefits.
What You Will Gain from Studying Proverbs Consistently
1. Become familiar with all of Proverbs.
If you read Proverbs only once in a year, it’s just not enough exposure to become familiar with this book. More than nearly any other book of the Bible, Proverbs was intended to be learned by heart. And yet, we are often more familiar with sayings from Poor Richard’s Almanac than we are with the proverbs of our heavenly Father. We can change that; we can make a choice become increasingly familiar with these truths.
2. See connections and repeated themes more than ever before.
As you read these chapters again and again, you will see how certain themes are repeated several times. By recognizing themes that appear again and again, the themes will grow in importance in your mind, and you will be motivated to find ways to work them out in your daily life.
For example, the phrase “better is” or “is better” is repeated many times, in verses such as Proverbs 15:16: “Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.” It is a key part of showing us how to prioritize and how to order our values.
3. See change in daily decisions.
Daily proverbs will refresh your thinking and help you to focus on truly walking the path that Proverbs describes. So often, our priorities seem forced upon us by our culture, by our schedules, or even by other people. But we must filter all of that through the truth of scripture. Proverbs are deep and sometimes mysterious, and yet they were written for our practical use. By studying them deeply and repeatedly, as they were intended, we can make them truly a part of our daily thinking.
How to Study Proverbs More Deeply
A reading plan isn’t the answer to a deeper understanding of God and His wisdom any more than a plan merely to insert more small talk into our conversations with coworkers will yield better relationships at work. It is imperative that we approach that reading plan with a desire to know God. We should build curiosity and focus that desire into active reading. Here’s how Proverbs describes the urgency and energy this process requires:
“My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.”
(Proverbs 2:1–5)
Here are a few practical methods that pair well with the requisite humility and determination we should come with when studying Proverbs.
Read Proverbs with a pen in hand.
The rhythm of Proverbs—short, pithy sentence after short, pithy sentence—could lull us to sleep if we aren’t careful. The best weapon to combat zoning out or going on auto pilot when reading is your trusty pen or pencil. Write down the things that jump out at you, things you’ve never noticed before, questions that you have about the meaning, or even prayers to God for help living out a certain truth. These can be extremely valuable in the moment, but as you read and reread, your notes become a way to track what you are learning and ways you are growing in wisdom.
Track repeated themes.
When we record themes, we gain a richer understanding of what God thinks about a topic. Common themes in Proverbs include the fear of the LORD, the immense power of words, the way or path of righteousness (and evil), foolishness vs. wisdom, diligence vs. laziness, wealth and generosity, blessed homes and families, friendship and marriage. Reading daily helps us to see these regularly, and we can track the different truths revealed about these themes.
I like to do this in colour, through notetaking and highlighting in my Bible. If you are interested in Bible journaling to track themes, there are methods for doing this without being artistic. You could also do this in a notebook or journal.
After we have determined to “call out” for wisdom and “searching for it as for hidden treasure,” we also want to understand how to read Proverbs wisely.
One Common Mistake When Studying Proverbs
The very first thing in Proverbs is an introduction that describes the target audience of the book. Proverbs describes the purpose and target audience here:
“to give prudence to the simple,
knowledge and discretion to the youth—
Let the wise hear and increase in learning
and the one who understands obtain guidance…”
(Proverbs 1:4–5)
We might have assumed that Proverbs was written for fools so that they could become wise, but the book itself shows us that it primarily for the simple, the youth, the wise, and the one who understands.
In fact, towards the end of the book, we even see a warning about the use of proverbs:
Fools and Proverbs
“Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is one who gives honor to a fool.
Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”
(Proverbs 26:7–9)
These verses hold an important message for us as we start studying Proverbs. They also provide a great example of how to study and understand Proverbs.
Notice the poetic symbolism here—it provides a picture, a bit of a story. The poetry of Proverbs often helps us to see what something is truly like by comparing it to something else. These pictures give us opportunities for deeper meditation.
“Like a lame man’s legs, which hang useless,
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.
Like one who binds the stone in the sling
is one who gives honor to a fool.
Like a thorn that goes up into the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of fools.”
Notice the structure:
- Each verse forms a parallel structure. This is a common feature of Hebrew poetry, and it’s a powerful way that God helps us to understand and remember these truths. Two similar statements standing side by side often reveal layers of meaning and help us to understand each statement more fully by comparison.
- These three proverbs also form a set. The first and final parts are parallel, giving us more details about the dangers of fools using and applying proverbs in foolish ways. These two similar verses form book ends around the middle verse, which is more challenging to understand. They give context to it, assisting us in our interpretation.
As we study Proverbs, we should be looking for these structures to help us understand.
Notice the symbolism:
- legs: Just like proverbs, legs are designed to take us somewhere; they are very practical for life.
- drunkard: Senseless, doesn’t know how to grab something safely; he causes harm to himself.
- stone in the sling (slingshot): A powerful weapon at that time; super useful and effective …. But binding it is a ridiculous and useless action.
Notice the message:
Our initial thought might be that any use of Proverbs is good, but God says otherwise. He wants us to know that fools:
- Can make a proverb useless.
- Are senseless when it comes to how to use wisdom.
- Can apply them in ways that are harmful and not beneficial.
He also wants us to know that if we honour someone who abuses truth—uses it in a useless or even a harmful way—we become complicit in that act.
Warning: Proverbs require wisdom to apply
We may run to the book of Proverbs for wisdom, but, ironically, these proverbs demand wisdom to apply them properly.
So what should we do in order to approach the book of Proverbs wisely and not as fools?
1. Prayer should be a part of our reading: James 1:5–8
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
As we read Proverbs, we should pray to receive wisdom from this book and for this book. We should pray that we can use the proverbs for our good and not for harm.
2. We must start with a relationship with God: Proverbs 1:7
The first chapter of Proverbs gives us the key to unlocking Proverbs and the first step in understanding.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The first key to understanding wisdom is viewing God as our awesome authority and valuing what He values.
3. We should read in community: Proverbs 18:1
Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgment.
This verse is a particularly good warning to those of us who just want to isolate and avoid conflict as we grow. The book of Proverbs begins with a father’s instruction to his son, and the book is design to be a part of relationships—first with God and then with other, wiser people around us. These truths can stand the test of time; they can certainly stand the test of discussion and conversation. We will be greatly helped and possibly protected by reading Proverbs within community, be ready to ask questions and discuss application with the people around us.
Tools to Help You Study Proverbs
There are a plethora of resources out there to better understand Proverbs. The best resources may be tools that encourage you to simply read and reread through the book for yourself.
“Each ESV Illuminated Scripture Journal pairs the entirety of individual books of the Bible with a lightly dotted blank page opposite each page of Bible text, providing space to creatively engage with and reflect on the Word of God. . . . These thin, portable notebooks have unique covers stamped with gold-foil and are great for art journaling, personal Bible reading and prayer, small-group Bible study, or taking notes through a sermon series.” (Amazon description)
Cultivate your own meditation on these truths as you read the book of Proverbs each month over the next year. This journal is a guide that will enable you to write notes, prayers, verses to memorize, and highlights from your reading. (Amazon description)
Other important tools include commentaries, Bible studies, and devotional guides to help our understanding. Here are three that I have found extremely helpful:
“In The Way of Wisdom, Bible teachers Jen Wilkin, Ruth Chou Simons, Kelly Minter, Adrienne Camp, Elizabeth Woodson, and Courtney Doctor invite you to place your feet firmly on the path of life revealed in the book of Proverbs. As you consider wisdom principles on everyday topics like words, work, friendship, marriage, parenting, neighborliness, money management, leadership influence, and more, you’ll discover the wisdom of Proverbs as an invitation to steadily walk God’s way in God’s world.” (Amazon description)
“Derek Kidner has not only provided a running commentary on the whole of Proverbs, but has also included two helpful study aids: a set of subject guides that bring together teaching scattered throughout the book, and a short concordance that helps locate lost sayings (in territory notoriously hard to search) and encourages further subject studies. In short, this volume is a wise person’s guide to wisdom.” (Amazon description)
Start Your Proverbs Study Today
Will you join me in this challenge? In a previous post, I included some suggestions for how to make the most of this study. If you love bullet journaling like I do, you may want to create a schedule for yourself that also includes a place for notes.
If you like the idea of tracking your reading, check out the 31-day checklist below (there is a printable PDF).
Another resource I have created is a journal that gives you space to track your reading of Proverbs and write down meditations and prayers prompted by your reading. It is structured as a 12-month tracker and journal that can be started at any time of the year.
Here is a free printable for one month of tracking:
Cultivate your own meditation on these truths as you read the book of Proverbs each month over the next year. This journal is a guide that will enable you to write notes, prayers, verses to memorize, and highlights from your reading. (Amazon description)
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*This post was updated for clarity and usefulness on May 1, 2026.
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