In biblical wisdom literature, wisdom is sometimes a personified female force; see, for example, Proverbs 8:22–36, where Dame Wisdom speaks of having a hand in the creation. More often, however, it is presented as a general virtue to be cultivated (e.g., Proverbs 14:33 or 3:13–18). This passage in Alma probably has its greatest parallel in Proverbs 4, where a parent advises a child to cling to the right path and hold fast to the way of wisdom. Alma instructs Helaman to learn wisdom by (1) keeping God’s commandments, (2) leaning on God for support, and (3) counseling with God in all things. In other words, wisdom is not presented as an instantaneous gift, granted immediately to the one who seeks it out, but as a carefully nurtured quality that is achieved through a lifetime of humble walking with God.