81 Bible Verses on Wisdom

Wisdom, you could say, is one of the most common themes of the Bible. God has a lot to say about wisdom and its counter, foolishness. God himself is the epitome and picture of wisdom. We are to get wisdom, resist folly, and grow to be more like the person of Wisdom Himself, Jesus Christ. This is some of what the Bible has to say about wisdom.

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What Does the Bible Say About Wisdom?

Old Testament

Job 12:12-13
Wisdom is with the aged,
and understanding in length of days.
With God are wisdom and might;
he has counsel and understanding.

Job 28:28
And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’

Psalm 19:7
The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple.

Psalm 37:30
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom,
and his tongue speaks justice.

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 107:43
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

Psalm 111:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the LORD, and turn away from evil.

Proverbs 3:13
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding.

Proverbs 4:5
Get wisdom; get insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Proverbs 4:7
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get insight.

Proverbs 4:11
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

Proverbs 8:35
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Proverbs 10:1
A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Proverbs 10:8
The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Proverbs 10:23
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Proverbs 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.

Proverbs 12:15-16
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
but a wise man listens to advice.

The vexation of a fool is known at once,
but the prudent ignores an insult.

Proverbs 13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction,
but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Proverbs 13:3
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 13:10
By insolence comes nothing but strife,
but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Proverbs 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Proverbs 14:29
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

Proverbs 15:5
A fool despises his father’s instruction,
but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

Proverbs 15:33
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Proverbs 17:10
A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding
than a hundred blows into a fool.

Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 19:8
Whoever gets sense loves his own soul;
he who keeps understanding will discover good.

Proverbs 19:20
Listen to advice and accept instruction,
that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Proverbs 21:20
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling,
but a foolish man devours it.

Proverbs 23:15
My son, if your heart is wise,
my heart too will be glad.

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;
he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Proverbs 24:3-7
By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
A wise man is full of strength,
and a man of knowledge enhances his might,
for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Wisdom is too high for a fool;
in the gate he does not open his mouth.

Proverbs 24:14
Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, there will be a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Proverbs 29:3
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad,
but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Proverbs 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit,
but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Ecclesiastes 1:18
For in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 2:26
For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 7:10-12
Say not, ‘Why were the former days better than these?’
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Wisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who see the sun.
For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the
life of him who has it.

Ecclesiastes 8:1
Who is like the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a thing?
A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,
and the hardness of his face is changed.

Ecclesiastes 10:12
The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,
but the lips of a fool consume him.

Isaiah 5:21
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight!

Isaiah 40:28
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.

Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

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.’

Daniel 2:23
To you, O God of my fathers,
I give thanks and praise,
for you have given me wisdom and might,
and have now made known to me what we asked of you,
for you have made known to us the king’s matter.

Daniel 12:10
Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.

New Testament

Matthew 7:24
Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Luke 21:15
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.

Romans 11:33
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

1 Corinthians 1:30
And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

1 Corinthians 3:18
Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

2 Corinthians 1:12
For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.

Ephesians 1:17
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him.

Ephesians 5:15-16
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.

Revelation 5:11-12
Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honor and glory and blessing!’