If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
If you lack wisdom, ask. God gives generously and without scolding.
Bible Verses About Wisdom
The Bible treats wisdom as something you can ask for. James 1:5 says that whoever lacks wisdom should “ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Here is a verse for the choice, the conversation or the season in front of you.
A verse for you
James 1:5
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
If you lack wisdom, ask. God gives generously and without scolding.
KJV16 Bible verses about wisdom
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Wisdom is a gift: knowledge and understanding come from God’s own mouth.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord: reverent awe that takes God seriously, not terror.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
How to recognize wisdom from God: pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Lean on God, not on your own understanding, and He will make your paths straight.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
A prayer for any milestone, a birthday or a new year: teach us to count our days, so that we grow wise.
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
Whatever else you pursue, pursue wisdom and understanding first.
How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
Wisdom is worth more than gold, and understanding more than silver.
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
Offered anything, young King Solomon asked for an understanding heart to tell good from bad.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.
Pride ends in shame; wisdom lives with the humble.
Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Plans fail without advice and stand firm with many counsellors. Wisdom asks for help.
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Live carefully and wisely, making the most of your time.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
Everyone thinks their own way is right; the wise are the ones who listen to advice.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
What looks foolish or weak in God, like the cross, is wiser and stronger than anything human.
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
The people you walk with shape you: walk with the wise and you grow wise.
What the Bible says
Biblical wisdom is not mainly about being clever. It is skill in living: knowing what to do, when and how, in a way that fits the world God made. That is why Proverbs is full of everyday things, work, words, money, friendship, anger, and why it begins with God: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Reverence for Him is where real understanding starts; see our page on fear for what that phrase means.
Wisdom is a gift before it is an achievement. “For the Lord giveth wisdom,” says Proverbs 2:6, and James adds that God gives it generously and “upbraideth not”: He does not scold you for asking. When young King Solomon was invited to ask for anything, he asked for “an understanding heart” to tell good from bad, and the request pleased God.
James also gives a test for telling real wisdom from its imitations. The wisdom from above is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits.” Wisdom that is harsh, proud or self-serving is not the kind he means. Proverbs agrees: “with the lowly is wisdom.”
In practice, wisdom grows in ordinary ways: asking God for it, reading Scripture, listening to good advice (“in the multitude of counsellors they are established”), choosing wise company, and remembering that life is short: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” For Christians it finds its center in Christ, “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
A prayer
Lord, I lack wisdom, and You promise to give it generously without scolding me for asking. Give me an understanding heart to tell good from bad in what I face now. Keep me humble enough to listen to good counsel. Teach me to number my days and to spend them well. Let my wisdom be pure, peaceable and gentle, full of mercy, like Yours. Amen.
Questions people ask
What is the best Bible verse about wisdom?
James 1:5 is the most practical: if you lack wisdom, ask God, who gives generously. Proverbs 9:10 is the foundation: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
How do I ask God for wisdom?
Simply and honestly. Name the decision or situation, ask as Solomon did for an understanding heart (1 Kings 3:9), and keep listening through Scripture, prayer and the counsel of wise people (Proverbs 15:22). James says to ask “in faith, nothing wavering” (James 1:6), trusting that God wants to give it.
What is the difference between wisdom and knowledge?
Knowledge is knowing things; wisdom is knowing how to live by them. Proverbs often puts them side by side (Proverbs 2:6), but its heroes are the people who act rightly with what they know, not those who simply know a lot.
What does “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” mean?
That wisdom starts with taking God seriously: reverence, awe and a willingness to listen to Him. It is not terror. It is the opposite of thinking you are the measure of everything (Proverbs 12:15).
Which books of the Bible are about wisdom?
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Job are known as the wisdom books, along with many psalms and the Song of Solomon; Catholic and Orthodox Bibles also include Wisdom and Sirach. In the New Testament, the letter of James is often called the Proverbs of the New Testament. Many people read one chapter of Proverbs a day, since it has thirty-one.
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