Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her. The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. – Proverbs 3:13, 17-19

Last week, we attended stake conference and heard a wonderful talk about Lehi and Nephi’s visions of the tree of life. Because of that talk, I dove into reading about Wisdom in the Old Testament. The connection between the tree of life and Wisdom might not be obvious—it is a plain and precious truth that has been removed from the Bible. The connection is Heavenly Mother.

In ancient Israel, God’s wife, our Mother in Heaven, was symbolically associated with trees, especially the tree of life. Heavenly Mother was also referred to as Wisdom. For instance, we read about Her in the book of Wisdom, which appears in the Catholic Bible. It says that Wisdom is “the consort at [God’s] throne” (Wisdom 9:4). To God, the author of the book of Wisdom says, “Now with you is Wisdom, who knows your works and was present when you made the world” (Wisdom 9:9). Wisdom is God’s royal wife who was at his side during the creation.

The talk about the tree of life led me to search for “Wisdom” in the Bible. I soon discovered Proverbs 8. In this chapter, Wisdom speaks directly to us. Latter-day Saints believe in a Heavenly Mother but don’t know much about Her or speak much about Her. Thus, I was surprised to find that we have Her words right in the Bible.

As we approach Mother’s Day, I hope that you will take some time to read the words of our Mother in Heaven in Proverbs 8 and that this post will help you recognize them.

You will notice that after a brief introduction in verses 1-3, Mother Wisdom begins speaking in the first person in verse 4.

In verses 4-21, our Heavenly Mother tries to get our attention. She describes why we should listen to Her.

Verses 22-31 are our Heavenly Mother’s bold declaration of Her divine nature and eternal role. Our Heavenly Mother was present and involved, working with our Heavenly Father in every aspect of creation.

Verse 30 is often translated differently: “Then I was by him, as one brought up with him” might have originally been intended mean something like “Then I was by him, as his master craftsman.” While I like the alternative translation, I’m also fond of the words chosen for King James Version. When I read “brought up,” I think of the word “exalted.”

Then I was by him, as one [exalted] with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him.

Our Heavenly Mother concludes her message in verses 32-36. Blessed are we if we hear Her and keep Her ways. Failing to do so leads to spiritual death.

Returning to Nephi’s vision, there is noteworthy parallelism between Wisdom in Proverbs and the tree that Nephi sees. “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.” says Proverbs 3:19. Similarly, Lehi describes the fruit as “desirable to make one happy” (1 Nephi 8:10). In Proverbs 8:19, Wisdom describes her fruit as “better than gold, yea, than find gold,” while Nephi says that the tree is “precious above all” (1 Nephi 11:9). Paths and ways play an important part in both Proverbs and the vision of the tree of life. In the vision, the rod of iron leads along the path to the tree. In Proverbs, Mother Wisdom “lead[s] in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment” (8:20). “Blessed are they that keep [Her] ways” (8:32).

I am struck by the shared message of Proverbs and 1 Nephi. We are called upon to remain on the path so that we do not get lost. We are told that to do this, we must cling to the words of our Heavenly Parents, and specifically to “lay hold upon her,” our Heavenly Mother. I imagine our Mother in Heaven using words that every earthly mother has said: hold onto me so you don’t get lost.

If you would like to know more about how Heavenly Mother was understood by people in Old Testament times and why this isn’t always clear in the Bible, I recommend these sources:

Art by Vincent Van Gogh.