Question:
Answer:
The phrase “guard your heart” is used in the NAB translation and “keep your heart” in the RSVCE translation. We can gain a better understanding of the phrase from the context as provided in the RSVCE:
My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. For they are life to him who finds them, and healing to all his flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:20-23).
From the passage, we can see that “guarding your heart” means staying faithful to God and his word, and eliminating any bad habits and influences that would lead you away from God. The subsequent verses in chapter 4 affirm this understanding:
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Take heed to the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil (Proverbs 4:24-27).