Proverbs 15:24
in Proverbs 15The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
To the wise the way of life goeth upward, That he may depart from Sheol beneath.
KJV
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
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This verse in Proverbs 15
Commentary
5 notes on this verseThe way of life is above to the wise - There is a treble antithesis here: 1. The way of the wise, and that of the fool. 2. The one is above, the other below. 3. The one is of life, the other is of death.
This site's exposition
The path of life leads upward for the wise
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath. Gill and Delitzsch hear in it an early statement of the two destinies, offered to the same man. The wise man's whole business, on this reading, is choosing which way he is already walking.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
The path of life is above the wise, etc. He calls the wise one perfected not only in knowledge, but also in practice. For to him indeed the paths of life from above are rightly opened; to him the gate of heaven is open. But …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The way of life is above to the wise,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Above ... beneath - The one path is all along upward, leading to the highest life. It rescues the “wise” from the other, which is all along downward, ending in the gloom of Sheol.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֹ֣רַח | ʾorach | [the] path of | H734 → | 58 times |
| חַ֭יִּים | chaiyim | life | H2416 → | 498 times |
| לְמַ֣עְלָה | lema'lah | [is] <to> upwards <towards> | H4605 → | |
| לְמַשְׂכִּ֑יל | lemaskil | for [one who] acts prudently | H7919 → | 62 times |
| לְמַ֥עַן | lemaan | so as | H4616 → | 272 times |
| ס֝֗וּר | sur | to turn aside | H5493 → | 299 times |
| מִשְּׁא֥וֹל | misheol | from Sheol | H7585 → | 66 times |
| מָֽטָּה׃ | matah | beneath | H4295 → |
אֹ֣רַח[the] path of
ʾorachH734 →58 times
חַ֭יִּיםlife
chaiyimH2416 →498 times
לְמַ֣עְלָה[is] <to> upwards <towards>
lema'lahH4605 →
לְמַשְׂכִּ֑ילfor [one who] acts prudently
lemaskilH7919 →62 times
לְמַ֥עַןso as
lemaanH4616 →272 times
ס֝֗וּרto turn aside
surH5493 →299 times
מִשְּׁא֥וֹלfrom Sheol
misheolH7585 →66 times
מָֽטָּה׃beneath
matahH4295 →
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 16:11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
it leads to
- Acts 2:28
You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’
- Jude 1:24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy—
- Psalms 36:7–8
How precious is Your loving devotion, O God, that the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings!
- Revelation 7:15–17
For this reason, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them.
- Acts 2:28
Through
Philippians 3:20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
it leads to
- Ephesians 2:19
Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household,
- Colossians 3:1–3
Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
- Ephesians 2:19
Through
Matthew 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
it leads to
- Luke 13:23–30
“Lord,” someone asked Him, “will only a few people be saved?” Jesus answered,
- Matthew 22:14
For many are called, but few are chosen.”
- Luke 13:23–30
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).