Text: Proverbs 7:1
OT Text Referred to: Deuteronomy 6:6
Subject: Treasuring commandments within
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Longitudinal Theme
Significance: Proverbs 7:1 commands "keep my words and treasure my commandments within you" (וּמִצְוֺתַי תִּצְפֹּן אִתָּךְ, umitsvotai titsppon ittakh), where the verb צָפַן (tsaphan, "to treasure/hide") intensifies the Deuteronomic command that God's words "are to be upon your hearts" (Deut 6:6). While Deuteronomy uses the spatial metaphor of words placed "upon" (עַל, al) the heart, Proverbs deepens the image: the commandments are to be hidden away "within" as something precious, like treasure stored for safekeeping. This verb choice signals that the sage views Torah internalization not as passive reception but as active, deliberate storing -- the son must prize his father's instruction as a valued possession. The context of Proverbs 7, which warns against the adulteress, shows this treasuring functions as moral protection: internalized Torah guards against seduction.