Introduction to Proverbs 3:3: Where Character Becomes Ornament
In Proverbs 3:3, the speaker urges the hearer to take hold of two foundational virtues: חֶ֥סֶד (loyal love) and אֱמֶ֗ת (truth/faithfulness). These qualities are personified and then treated like precious objects—meant to be bound around the neck and inscribed on the heart. The grammatical imperative קָשְׁרֵ֥ם commands this internalization. This article explores the grammar, metaphor, and wisdom theology packed into this single strong verb and its poetic companions.
חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֗ת אַֽל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥ךָ קָשְׁרֵ֥ם עַל־גַּרְגְּרֹותֶ֑יךָ כָּ֝תְבֵ֗ם עַל־ל֥וּחַ לִבֶּֽךָ׃
Grammar That Commands: The Imperative קָשְׁרֵ֥ם
1. קָשְׁרֵ֥ם – “Bind them”
- Root: קָשַׁר – “to bind, tie, fasten”
- Form: Qal imperative masculine singular + 3mp suffix (“them”)
This is a Qal imperative directed at a singular male addressee. The 3rd person plural suffix -ם refers to the previously mentioned pair: חֶ֥סֶד and אֱמֶ֗ת. The image is concrete: tie them like an amulet or necklace around your neck, as something visible and close to life.
2. עַל־גַּרְגְּרֹותֶ֑יךָ – “upon your neck”
- גַּרְגֶּרֶת – “neck, throat”; feminine noun
- Form: Construct with 2ms suffix: “your neck”
This phrase ties into Ancient Near Eastern symbolism: important sayings, laws, or tokens were worn around the neck. In Proverbs, the neck becomes the site of both honor and memory. Binding something around the neck was a way of publicly displaying commitment or affection—here, a symbolic action that implies both constant presence and personal ownership of these virtues.
3. כָּ֝תְבֵ֗ם – “Write them”
- Root: כָּתַב – “to write”
- Form: Qal imperative 2ms + 3mp suffix
Another imperative, parallel to קָשְׁרֵ֥ם. But here, instead of external binding, the instruction shifts to internal inscription: write them on the tablet of your heart. This mirrors the covenantal language of Torah writing, recalling how YHWH writes His law on the heart (cf. Jer 31:33). In Proverbs, wisdom and loyalty become engraved character traits.
Poetic Structure and Theological Nuance
1. Negative Followed by Positive: אַֽל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥ךָ … קָשְׁרֵ֥ם
The verse starts with a prohibition: אַל־יַעַ֫זְבֻ֥ךָ (“do not let them forsake you”) and immediately follows with a positive action: קָשְׁרֵ֥ם. This structure creates an emphatic contrast: don’t passively let them go—actively hold them close. It is an appeal to moral effort.
2. Parallel Imperatives and Progressive Imagery
The double imperatives—קָשְׁרֵ֥ם (external) and כָּ֝תְבֵ֗ם (internal)—form a chiastic image of wisdom:
1. Tie it around your neck (visible, outward commitment)
2. Write it on your heart (hidden, inward devotion)
3. Intertwined Virtues: חֶ֥סֶד and אֱמֶ֗ת
This recurring pair in Scripture—often translated as “steadfast love and faithfulness”—expresses covenantal loyalty. Here, the reader is invited not just to admire them, but to embody them, symbolized through metaphorical clothing and inscription.
The Enduring Power of קָשְׁרֵ֥ם in Proverbs 3:3
The verb קָשְׁרֵ֥ם carries a weight beyond its grammatical form. It is a call to action—tie, secure, bind—that blends poetry, instruction, and theology into one elegant image:
- Grammatically: Qal imperative 2ms + 3mp suffix
- Semantically: Evokes physical fastening, relational bonding, and enduring attachment
- Theologically: Presents loyalty and truth as not just admirable but necessary, embodied virtues
- Literarily: Part of a chiastic poetic structure balanced with internal engraving
In Proverbs 3:3, the grammar of קָשְׁרֵ֥ם tells us this: virtue doesn’t just belong in books or words—it belongs around our necks and within our hearts. The wisdom of YHWH isn’t external to life—it is worn and written into who we are.
