Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Pro 4:10-11
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths
Precept and example
Teaching and leading are closely allied, but are not identical.
It is possible and common to have the first in large measure where the second is wanting. It is easier to tell another the right way than to walk in it yourself. Only a godly man can bring up his child for God. Many will do evil; few dare to teach it to their own offspring. This is the unwilling homage which the evil are constrained to pay to goodness. Great is the effect when parents consistently and steadfastly go before their children, giving them a daily example of their daily precepts. An example of some kind parents must exhibit in their families. If it be not such as to help, it will certainly hinder the education of the young. God in the providential laws permits no neutrality in the family. There you must either be for or against Him. (W. Arnot, D. D.)
The true parental aim
What is the prime object we should seek for our children? It is to have them fixed and established in ways of wisdom and right paths. What are the means of securing this object? It is teaching them and leading them. This father had trained his son in character for wisdom and righteousness. Some fathers are only concerned for the physical wants of their households. Others are most concerned for the intellectual culture of their children. Yet others look chiefly after traits of character. The true aim of parents should be the culture of a God-fearing, God-obeying, God-loving character. In the world there is a woeful lack of character. Then–
I. Teach children right views of life.
2. Teach children right habits. You lead them into right paths–
(1) By your example.
(2) By prayer.
(3) By keeping them under the influence of the sanctuary. (W. F.V. Bartlett, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. The years of thy life shall be many.] Vice and intemperance impair the health and shorten the days of the wicked; while true religion, sobriety, and temperance, prolong them. The principal part of our diseases springs from “indolence, intemperance, and disorderly passions.” Religion excites to industry, promotes sober habits, and destroys evil passions, and harmonizes the soul; and thus, by preventing many diseases, necessarily prolongs life.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
10. (Compare Pro 2:1;Pro 3:2).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings,…. Some think David is still speaking to his son Solomon, or Solomon continues relating what his father said to him; though I rather think these are Solomon’s words to his son, to everyone of his children that came to him for instruction, or he took upon him to teach; whom he advises to listen to what he had further to say, and to embrace, and not reject, his doctrines;
and the years of thy life shall be many; see Pr 3:1; long life here, and length of days for ever and ever, or eternal life hereafter; which must be a very forcible argument to engage attention to his sayings.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
There is no reason for the supposition that the warning which his father gave to the poet now passes over into warnings given by the poet himself (Hitzig); the admonition of the father thus far refers only in general to the endeavour after wisdom, and we are led to expect that the good doctrines which the father communicates to the son as a viaticum will be further expanded, and become more and more specific when they take a new departure.
10 Hearken, my son, and receive my sayings,
So shall the years of life be increased to thee.
11 In the way of wisdom have I taught thee,
Guided thee in the paths of rectitude.
12 When thou goest, thy step shall not be straitened;
And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Regarding (of ) of appropriating reception and taking up in succum et sanguinem , vid., Pro 1:3; regarding , years not merely of the duration of life, but of the enjoyment of life, Pro 3:2; regarding ( ), path (track), Pro 2:9; regarding the of , of the department and subject of instruction, Psa 25:8. The perfects, Pro 4:11, are different from , 2a: they refer to rules of life given at an earlier period, which are summarily repeated in this address. The way of wisdom is that which leads to wisdom (Job 28:23); the paths of rectitude, such as trace out the way which is in accordance with the rule of the good and the right. If the youth holds to this direction, he will not go on in darkness or uncertainty with anxious footsteps; and if in youthful fervour he flies along his course, he will not stumble on any unforeseen obstacle and fall. is as a metaplastic fut. to or , to be narrow, to straiten, formed as if from . The Targ. after Aruch,
(Note: R. Nathan ben Jechiel, a.d. 1106, who is usually styled by the Jewish writers , Auctor Aruch, author of a Talmudical Lexicon.)
, thou shalt not need to bind together ( constringere ) or to hedge up thy way.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
TEXT Pro. 4:10-19
10.
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;
And the years of thy life shall be many.
11.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;
I have led thee in paths of uprightness.
12.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
13.
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:
Keep her; for she is thy life.
14.
Enter not into the path of the wicked,
And walk not in the way of evil men.
15.
Avoid it, pass not by it;
Turn from it, and pass on.
16.
For they sleep not, except they do evil;
And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
17.
For they eat of the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18.
But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light,
That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
19
The way of the wicked is as darkness:
They know not at what they stumble.
STUDY QUESTIONS OVER 4:10-19
1.
Tie Pro. 4:10 in with the first commandment of the Ten Commandments that contains a promise.
2.
What is the difference between taught and led in Pro. 4:11?
3.
What does straitened mean (Pro. 4:12)?
4.
What is the significance of taking fast hold of instruction (Pro. 4:13)?
5.
What was the practical value of the Horatio Alger, Jr. books for boys years ago (Pro. 4:14)?
6.
What 4 pointed instructions are given in Pro. 4:15?
7.
According to Pro. 4:16 how perverse can some people get?
8.
What is the diet of perverse people (Pro. 4:17)?
9.
Comment upon beautiful in Pro. 4:18.
10.
Living in sin is like walking in …………… (Pro. 4:19).
PARAPHRASE OF 4:10-19
10.
My son, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.
1113.
I would have you learn this great fact: that a life of doing right is the wisest life there is. If you live that kind of life, youll not limp or stumble as you run. Carry out my instructions; dont forget them, for they will lead you to real living.
1417.
Dont do as the wicked do. Avoid their hauntsturn away, go somewhere else, for evil men dont sleep until theyve done their evil deed for the day. They cant rest unless they cause someone to stumble and fall. They eat wickedness and violence!
18, 19.
But the good man walks along in the ever brightening light of Gods favor; the dawn gives way to morning splendor, while the evil man gropes and stumbles in the dark.
COMMENTS ON 4:10-19
Pro. 4:10. If our conjecture is right, the direct quotation of Davids words to Solomon ended with Pro. 4:9, in which case we return to this verse in Solomons words to his son. Just as Solomon had received the sayings of his father and had passed some of them on in Pro. 4:4-9, so now he calls upon his son to receive his sayings. While his son Rehoboam did not demonstrate wisdom in 1Ki. 12:13-14, he was probably wise as a rule. Honoring ones parents by listening to them and doing as they teach carry the promise of length of life: here and in Exo. 20:12; Eph. 6:1-3; Pro. 3:2. Wisdom itself can be the means of lengthening ones life just as folly can shorten it. The promise of God can of itself lengthen it just as disobedience to His will can nullify the promise. But so can sin enter into the length of ones life: Vice and intemperance impair the health and shorten the days of the wicked; while true religion, sobriety, and temperance prolong them. The principal part of our diseases spring from indolence, intemperance, and disorderly passions. Religion excites to industry, promotes sober habits, destroys evil passions, and harmonizes the soul; and thus, by preventing many diseases, necessarily prolongs life (Clarke).
Pro. 4:11. As a father he had taught with words, and he had led with example, and unless the latter combines with the former, a father is wasting his words. The inspired Luke was as much interested in what Jesus did as he was in what He said (Act. 1:1). Paul both taught and set an example (Act. 20:20; Act. 20:35). Our verse indicates that the wisdom contained in teaching leads to uprightness of living.
Pro. 4:12. Straitened means limited. Following the wisdom of parental teaching will lead to a full and not a limited life; life will open itself to a wise person. He may be born in obscurity but become a well known person of renown. He may begin at the bottom and end up on top. Runnest would signify going fast; stumble would signify an abrupt stopping of that progress. Wisdom would keep one from becoming broken and ruined at the height of progress. Psa. 18:36 is a similar verse: Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
Pro. 4:13. Do not dilly-dally about the matter of learning. Be in earnest about it. The wording of this verse shows how important instruction is. It is about like saying to a man overboard who cannot swim, Take fast hold of the lifeline; let it not go; keep a tight hold on it, for it is thy life. How many of us fully grasp as we should the importance of learning?
Pro. 4:14. Neither begin (enter not) nor continue (walk not) in the way of the wicked. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked (Psa. 1:1). My son, walk not thou in the way with them; Refrain thy foot from their path (Pro. 1:15). Clarke: Never associate with those whose life is irregular or sinful; never accompany them in any of their acts of transgression. One will never walk the way of an evil man unless he enters their path; to do so is to prefer their way to Gods way. The Horatio Alger, Jr. series of books for boys was good for sounding the same warning, and they were good reading matter for growing, developing minds.
Pro. 4:15. How can one keep from entering the wrong path? Know that it is wrong, and then avoid itstay away from it, stay as far away from it as you can (like you would a rattlesnake den or a vicious dog). Adam and Eve walked with God as long as they did not go near the forbidden tree. The careful Joseph tried never to be with the wicked wife of Potipher (Gen. 39:10). Pro. 5:8 says, Remove thy way from her, And come not nigh the door of her house.
Pro. 4:16. Some are so wicked that they live just as this verse says. Instead of living as a Christian (To me to live is ChristPhp. 1:21), to them to live is to do evil and to cause some to fall (others to join them in the sin-game). When an older Christian woman was asked about the two men she was caring for, she said, All they do is sit in front of the television all day, smoke their cigarettes, and run down the church of Christ. What a way to live! They know not God, and they are not obedient to the gospel; therefore, they will be punished with everlasting destruction: …the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire, rendering vengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2Th. 1:7-9).
Pro. 4:17. Violence is the only item in some peoples diet of lifethis is what they eat and drink everyday. With such perverted appetites, they have no hunger for God and no thirst for righteousness.
Pro. 4:18. But is set in contrast with the foregoing verse. Besides the way the wicked life, there is also a path that the righteous follow. This good path is illuminated with the light of God. When we begin in that path, it is like beholding the first rays of dawn; as we follow, the day gets brighter and brighter, and we can see the righteousness of Gods way more and more; in time this path will bring us to the perfect day (eternity with God). This verse contains a fine metaphor; it refers to the sun rising above the horizon and the increasing twilight till its beams shine full upon the earth (Clarke).
Pro. 4:19. In this verse about the wicked we are back in darkness. Living in sin is like walking in darkness in which one can stumble and fall to his hurt because he could not see what there was to trip over. Jer. 23:12 talks of the wicked walking in slippery places in the darkness (can you think of anything more scary?). Jesus urged men to walk in His light to avoid the darkness that would come upon them if they didnt; He also said that he that walketh in the darkness knoweth not whither he goeth (Joh. 12:35).
TEST QUESTIONS OVER 4:10-19
1.
What promise does honoring ones parents and their teachings carry (Pro. 4:10)?
2.
How important is example in a parent (Pro. 4:11)?
3.
Comment on runnest in Pro. 4:12.
4.
What comparison did the comments on Pro. 4:13 make?
5.
What double prohibition is laid down in Pro. 4:14?
6.
What young man in Gen. was careful to avoid the way of evil (Pro. 4:15)?
7.
What will happen to those who are evil and do not know God in their lives (Pro. 4:16)?
8.
How do the wicked show their perverted appetites (Pro. 4:17)?
9.
What is the perfect day to which we hope someday to arrive (Pro. 4:18)?
10.
What did Jesus say about the wicked and darkness (Pro. 4:19)?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
10. Shall be many Better, shall increase to thee the years of life. Miller says, “They [the instructions of wisdom] shall grow greater to thee through years of life.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
God’s Wisdom Teaches Men The Way In Which They Should Go, A Way In Which They Will Not Stumble And Which Leads To Life, They Are Thus To Avoid The Way Of The Wicked In Which Men Stumble And Where Death Is Prevalent ( Pro 4:10-19 ).
He has stressed in subsection 2 that his father had taught him the great value of wisdom, (which was connected to his words and commandments), as something that should be loved and cherished like a beloved wife, and which would crown him with spiritual beauty. Now he calls on ‘his son’ to hear his sayings, which will lead him in the right paths so that he will not stumble, and so that he will find life. He must therefore avoid the path of the wicked, for such can find no rest until they themselves cause other men to stumble and suffer violence. Thus their way is a way of darkness, stumbling and death, both for others and for themselves. And this in contrast to the path of the righteous which grows ever brighter as time passes until it reaches its climax in the perfect day.
Note the continual emphasis on the two ways (compare Pro 2:13; Pro 2:18-19), which are emphasised throughout. On the one hand is the way of wisdom, the paths of uprightness, the path of the righteous (what Jesus called ‘the narrow way’), and on the other is the path of the wicked, the way of evil men, the way of the wicked (what Jesus called ‘the broad way’). The one leads to life, and light, and is secure, the other leads to violence and darkness, and is insecure.
This subsection is in the form of a chiasmus:
A Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many, I have taught you in the way of wisdom, I have led you in paths of uprightness (Pro 4:10-11).
B When you go, your steps will not be hampered or ‘distressed’), and if you run, you will not stumble, take fast hold of instruction, let her not go, keep her, for she is your life (Pro 4:12-13).
C Do not enter into the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil men (Pro 4:14).
C Avoid it, do not pass by it, turn from it, and pass on (Pro 4:15).
B For they do not sleep unless they do evil, and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to stumble, for they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence (Pro 4:16-17).
A But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, which shines more and more unto the perfect day, the way of the wicked is as darkness, they do not know at what they stumble (Pro 4:18-19).
Note that in A the years of his life will be many and he will be led in the paths of uprightness, and in the parallel he is in the path of the righteous, and this will shine more and more unto the perfect day, In B he will run and will not stumble, and wisdom will give him life, and in the parallel the wicked are unhappy unless they make men stumble, and they drink the wine of violence (take away men’s lives – Pro 1:10-12). Centrally in C is stressed the need to avoid the way of sinful men.
Pro 4:10-11
‘Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many.
I have taught you in the way of wisdom,
I have led you in paths of uprightness.
In the same way as he has retained his father’s words, and kept his commandments in order to find life (Pro 4:4) Solomon now calls on ‘his son’ (those who hang on his words) to do the same with his sayings, for they teach them the way of wisdom, and lead them in the paths of uprightness. They are a source of God’s wisdom, passed on from one generation to another. And as a consequence they will enjoy long lives (compare Pro 3:2; Pro 10:27). In New Testament terms they will have eternal life.
Consonant with the theme of the subsection he speaks of this as walking in ‘the way of (God’s) wisdom’ and ‘the paths of uprightness’. This is to be their goal and their lifestyle. By determining our goals and choosing our lifestyle each of us chooses the way in which we will go. It is worth noting that ‘paths’ have been formed by many treading that way before us. We are not alone. We follow in the train of those who have gone before (consider Hebrews 11).
Pro 4:12-13
‘When you go, your steps will not be hampered,
And if you run, you will not stumble,
Take fast hold of disciplinary instruction, let her not go,
Keep her, for she is your life.’
And those who walk in this way of wisdom and uprightness will find that their steps are free and unhampered, and that even when they run they will not trip up or stumble. (It is, of course, when we stray from that way that we stumble). And the way to walk in that way is by taking fast hold of His disciplinary instruction and not letting it go. We are to treasure both God’s instruction and his necessary discipline (Pro 3:11-12), and keep hold of them, for they offer life, that is, a wholesome and abundant life, life with God. For this promise of life see also Pro 3:22; Pro 4:22; Pro 8:35; Pro 2:19; Pro 3:18; Pro 5:6; Pro 6:23
Pro 4:14-15
Do not enter into the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil men,
Avoid it, do not pass by it,
Turn from it, and pass on.’
In contrast what they must avoid doing is entering into the paths of the ‘wicked’, the unrighteous, those who come short of uprightness. Nor must they walk in the way of ‘evil men’, those who do not treat God’s covenant seriously, who come short of true goodness. Notice his emphasis on this. They must avoid that way, they must not pass along it, they must turn from it, they must pass on (to the upright way). The constant urging is necessary because of the seductive nature of sin.
Pro 4:16-17
‘For they do not sleep unless they do evil,
And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall,
For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.’
This is, of course, exaggeration. It is underlining how intensely people love sin. They cannot even sleep until they have sinned, and they are restless until they have dragged others down with them. Whilst not literally true the points are poignant. They love their sin, and there is that in them which loves causing others, especially the upright, to sin. For wickedness (coming short of righteousness) is their daily bread which they avidly consume. And they follow it up by drinking the wine of ‘violence’ (which includes violating truth). They are unrestrained in what they do. And in many cases it leads to literal violence. Sin is food and drink to them. They have chosen the broad way (Mat 7:13-14).
Pro 4:18-19
‘But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light,
Which shines more and more unto the perfect day,
The way of the wicked is as darkness,
They do not know at what they stumble.’
The discourse ends with the regular contrast between the upright and the sinful (compare Pro 1:32-33; Pro 2:21-22; Pro 3:33-35). On the one hand is the path of the righteous, which commences as a dawning light, and continues to grow brighter and brighter until it reaches the ultimate. The idea is of a perfect day, which dawns with the rising of the sun and grows brighter and brighter until it reaches its zenith in the glory of the midday sun. The idea may be of a growing in righteousness, but more probably it indicates a growing in the light of God’s wisdom, for ‘the commandment is a lamp and the torah is light’ (Pro 6:23). More and more of God’s wisdom brings more and more light. But this would clearly be seen as accompanied by such a growth in righteousness (otherwise they would not be growing in wisdom). Thus the picture is of a life blossoming as a consequence of responding to God’s wisdom until it attains ultimate knowledge of God. To put it in another way, as on their journey they grow closer and closer to the light of God, knowing Him more and more as time goes by, His light will also shine forth in their lives. And this will go on until they attain the ultimate light, the presence of God Himself. For He is the One Who is light and in Whom there is no darkness at all (1Jn 1:5).
In those days the time of light was the time during which men could truly live as a consequence of the light that God had given them (the sun). This was in stark contrast with the time of darkness in which they were left to struggle on as best they could, at the best enjoying the dim light of a full moon (the world’s wisdom). Thus for them light was the time in which they ‘lived’. And Solomon has taken over this idea as pointing to a life lived in the light of God’s wisdom. They walk in the light of God’s commandment and torah, for His word is a lamp to their feet and a light to their path (Psa 119:105). And as they grow in wisdom so the light grows brighter. Furthermore, as we consider the idea of reaching the perfect day, when the knowledge of God and His wisdom is complete, and His light shines at its brightest, we cannot doubt that Solomon’s words here were pointing to the hope of a glorious life beyond the grave. David himself had spoken of the path of life as leading to His presence resulting in fulness of joy and everlasting enjoyment (Psa 16:11), and had declared that at that time, we will behold His face in righteousness, and awake in His likeness (Psa 17:15). So whilst the idea of eternal life with God had not been theologically worked out at this stage, it was clearly instinctive in the hearts of true believers.
In Scripture God regularly promises light to His people. In Psa 43:3 the Psalmist cries out for God’s light to lead him and bring him into the presence of God. In Job 29:3 Job declares, ‘by His light I walked through darkness’. In Isa 9:2 the people who sat in darkness saw a great light, a light which dawned on them, the light of the coming King. In Isa 42:16 God’s promise to His people was that He would make darkness light before them (as He had with the flaming fire by night at the Exodus), and the crooked places straight, with the guarantee that He would not forsake them. And most importantly of all Jesus Himself declared that He had come as a light into the world to lead us out of darkness into the light of life (Joh 8:12).
In contrast is the way of the wicked. This is a way of darkness so that they cannot see where they are going (Deu 28:29), so much so that when they trip up and stumble they do not know what has caused them to trip up because they ‘walk in the ways of darkness’ (see Pro 2:13 and compare especially Joh 8:12; Joh 12:35; Joh 12:46). Sinful man, without God’s wisdom, will blame his problems and his mortality on many things, but he will never blame it on his sin. That recognition is a consequence of God’s light. Thus he is puzzled by suffering, not recognising that he has, along with all mankind, brought it on himself. And he is puzzled when life goes wrong and he stumbles and falls. And this is because he walks in darkness, and cannot see the connection between sin and suffering. After all, he reasons, as he rebels against God, I am not such a great sinner. Like the woman Folly, he knows nothing about what really matters (Pro 9:13).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Path of Wisdom that Renews the Mind (note that light is symbolic of understanding in Pro 4:18 ) – The previous passage of Scripture (Pro 4:1-9) tells us how wisdom will transform our heart, Pro 4:10-19 tells us how wisdom renews our minds. We will then see in the next passage (Pro 4:20-27) how wisdom directs our bodies. Thus, wisdom sanctifies our whole bodies to become like Jesus, our Saviour and Lord.
Making daily decisions can be likened to walking down a path. When we have received God’s Word (Pro 4:10) and have been taught in His ways (Pro 4:11), our decisions will keep us from falling (Pro 4:12). We will begin to learn to cling to the right decisions (Pro 4:13) and abhor the wrong decisions (Pro 4:14-17). This path of wisdom will become clearer each day in our minds as we walk in the light of God’s Word (Pro 4:18-19). We will be able to make better decisions with much more insight as the years go by.
Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Pro 4:10
Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Pro 4:11
Pro 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Pro 4:12
Pro 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
Pro 4:13
Comments- This word is most often translated as “instruction,” but quiet often “chastisement.” This word means any form of discipline and instruction that leads to a changed life.
Pro 4:13 Comments – As the process of learning to make wise decisions is developed in our lives (Pro 4:12), we will begin to cling more and more to wisdom, and less and less to our old ways of foolishness.
Pro 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Pro 4:14
Pro 4:15 Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Pro 4:15
Pro 4:14-15 Comments – The Enticement of Sinners – Lost sinners do not mind a bit of fellowship with Christians. They even think that Christians are self-righteous for avoiding fellowship with sinners. They will entice and ask you to fellowship with them. Note in a similar passage in Pro 1:10-16 how the sinners entice the righteous.
Pro 4:16 For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
Pro 4:16
Pro 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
Pro 4:17
“Those who refused to eat it simply weakened until they fell. Those who did eat it were strengthened for a time, but with the strength of the evil one. Then they would weaken unless they would drink the waters of bitterness that were constantly being offered to them. After drinking the bitter waters they would then begin to vomit on the others. When one of the prisoners began to do this, a demon that was waiting for a ride would climb up on him, and would ride him up to one of the front divisions.” [67]
[67] Rick Joyner, The Final Quest (Charlotte, North Carolina: Morning Star Publications, 1977), 21.
The author then describes a scene that is even worse than the vomit from the vultures. He says that the demons would urinate and defecate a repulsive slime onto these fallen Christians that they rode. This slime, which was the pride, selfish ambition, etc., that characterized the nature of this army division made the Christians feel better than those who partook of vomit and bitter water. Thus, they believed that these demons were messengers of God and that the slime was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
Pro 4:16-17 Comments – The Addiction of the Wicked to His Sins – We can see in these two verses how a wicked person literally becomes addicted to the habits that will eventually destroy him. He cannot go through the day without causing affliction in someone’s life. He will realize this addiction at some point in his life, but will not be able to free himself without the divine intervention of an Almighty God.
Pro 4:14-17 Comments – Cling to Wisdom, Abhor the Ways of the Fool – As we learn to cling to wise counsel, we will begin to abhor the ways of the fool. As we walk down the path of wisdom, these wicked ways will become more and more obvious to us as destructive ways.
Pro 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
Pro 4:18
2Pe 1:19, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts :”
Pro 4:18 “that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” – Comments – As a new Christian, we find this path a challenge to walk. However, as we learn to walk this path of wisdom, it becomes easier. We find that making the right choices is easier as the years go by.
Pro 4:19 The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Pro 4:19
This is what it is like walking in the light. The brighter the light, the greater the intensity of darkness that we see around us. If we are also in the dark, then this darkness seems to give to us light enough to follow, but we do not know that we are really walking in the darkness.
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths. When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble. Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life. Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away. For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall. For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.
We have here the same blessed instructions given in other words, with the motives which ought to prompt to the due attention which they so justly demand. And under the same idea that Christ is all along held forth as wisdom, nothing can be more suited to the pure truths of the gospel than what is here said.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 4:10 Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of thy life shall be many.
Ver. 10. Hear, O my son, and receive. ] How slippery an age youth is, and how easily it slips into sinful courses and companies the wise man well knew; and therefore ceaseth not to inculcate and repeat the same thing over and over. Liquidae sunt puerorum memoriae.
Proverbs
THE TWO PATHS
Pro 4:10 – Pro 4:19 This passage includes much more than temperance or any other single virtue. It is a perfectly general exhortation to that practical wisdom which walks in the path of righteousness. The principles laid down here are true in regard to drunkenness and abstinence, but they are intended to receive a wider application, and to that wider application we must first look. The theme is the old, familiar one of the two paths, and the aim is to recommend the better way by setting forth the contrasted effects of walking in it and in the other.
The general call to listen in Pro 4:10 is characteristically enforced by the Old Testament assurance that obedience prolongs life. That is a New Testament truth as well; for there is nothing more certain than that a life in conformity with God’s will, which is the same thing as a life in conformity with physical laws, tends to longevity. The experience of any doctor will show that. Here in England we have statistics which prove that total abstainers are a long-lived people, and some insurance offices construct their tables accordingly.
After that general call to listen comes, in Pro 4:11 , the description of the path in which long life is to be found. It is ‘the way of Wisdom’-that is, that which Wisdom prescribes, and in which therefore it is wise to walk. It is always foolish to do wrong. The rough title of an old play is The Devil is an Ass , and if that is not true about him, it is absolutely true about those who listen to his lies. Sin is the stupidest thing in the universe, for it ignores the plainest facts, and never gets what it flings away so much to secure.
Another aspect of the path is presented in the designation ‘paths of uprightness,’ which seems to be equivalent to those which belong to, or perhaps which consist of, uprightness. The idea of straightness or evenness is the primary meaning of the word, and is, of course, appropriate to the image of a path. In the moral view, it suggests how much more simple and easy a course of rectitude is than one of sin. The one goes straight and unswerving to its end; the other is crooked, devious, intricate, and wanders from the true goal. A crooked road is a long road, and an up-and-down road is a tiring road. Wisdom’s way is straight, level, and steadily approaches its aim.
In Pro 4:13 the image of the path is dropped for the moment, and the picture of the way of uprightness and its travellers is translated into the plain exhortation to keep fast hold of ‘instruction,’ which is substantially equivalent to the queenly Wisdom of these early chapters of Proverbs. The earnestness of the repeated exhortations implies the strength of the forces that tend to sweep us, especially those of us who are young, from our grasp of that Wisdom. Hands become slack, and many a good gift drops from nerveless fingers; thieves abound who will filch away ‘instruction,’ if we do not resolutely hold tight by it. Who would walk through the slums of a city holding jewels with a careless grasp, and never looking at them? How many would he have left if he did? We do not need to do anything to lose instruction. If we will only do nothing to keep it, the world and our own hearts will make sure that we lose it. And if we lose it, we lose ourselves; for ‘she is thy life,’ and the mere bodily life, that is lived without her, is not worth calling the life of a man.
Pro 4:14 – Pro 4:17 give the picture of the other path, in terrible contrast with the preceding. It is noteworthy that, while in the former the designation was the ‘path of uprightness’ or of ‘wisdom,’ and the description therefore was mainly of the characteristics of the path, here the designation is ‘the path of the wicked ,’ and the description is mainly of the travellers on it. Righteousness was dealt with, as it were, in the abstract; but wickedness is too awful and dark to be painted thus, and is only set forth in the concrete, as seen in its doers. Now, it is significant that the first exhortation here is of a negative character. In contrast with the reiterated exhortations to keep wisdom, here are reiterated counsels to steer clear of evil. It is all about us, and we have to make a strong effort to keep it at arm’s-length. ‘Whom resist’ is imperative. True, negative virtue is incomplete, but there will be no positive virtue without it. We must be accustomed to say ‘No,’ or we shall come to little good. An outer belt of firs is sometimes planted round a centre of more tender and valuable wood to shelter the young trees; so we have to make a fence of abstinences round our plantation of positive virtues. The decalogue is mostly prohibitions. ‘So did not I, because of the fear of God’ must be our motto. In this light, entire abstinence from intoxicants is seen to be part of the ‘way of Wisdom.’ It is one, and, in the present state of England and America, perhaps the most important, of the ways by which we can ‘turn from’ the path of the wicked and ‘pass on.’
The picture of the wicked in Pro 4:16 – Pro 4:17 is that of very grossly criminal sinners. They are only content when they have done harm, and delight in making others as bad as themselves. But, diabolical as such a disposition is, one sees it only too often in full operation. How many a drunkard or impure man finds a fiendish pleasure in getting hold of some innocent lad, and ‘putting him up to a thing or two,’ which means teaching him the vices from which the teacher has ceased to get much pleasure, and which he has to spice with the condiment of seeing an unaccustomed sinner’s eagerness! Such people infest our streets, and there is only one way for a young man to be safe from them,-’avoid, pass not by, turn from, and pass on.’ The reference to ‘bread’ and ‘wine’ in Pro 4:17 seems simply to mean that the wicked men’s living is won by their ‘wickedness,’ which procures bread, and by their ‘violence,’ which brings them wine. It is the way by which these are obtained that is culpable. We may contrast this foul source of a degraded living with Pro 4:13 , where ‘instruction’ is set forth as ‘the life’ of the upright.
Pro 4:18 – Pro 4:19 bring more closely together the two paths, and set them in final, forcible contrast. The phrase ‘the perfect day’ might be rendered, vividly though clumsily, ‘the steady of the day’-that is, noon, when the sun seems to stand still in the meridian. So the image compares the path of the just to the growing brightness of morning dawn, becoming more and more fervid and lustrous, till the climax of an Eastern midday. No more sublime figure of the continuous progress in goodness, brightness, and joy, which is the best reward of walking in the paths of uprightness, can be imagined; and it is as true as it is sublime. Blessed they who in the morning of their days begin to walk in the way of wisdom; for, in most cases, years will strengthen their uprightness, and to that progress there will be no termination, nor will the midday sun have to decline westward to diminishing splendour or dismal setting, but that noontide glory will be enhanced, and made eternal in a new heaven. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. That blaze of growing glory, possible for us all, makes the tragic gloom to which evil men condemn themselves the thicker and more doleful, as some dungeon in an Eastern prison seems pitch dark to one coming in from the blaze outside. ‘How great is that darkness!’ It is the darkness of sin, of ignorance, of sorrow, and what adds deeper gloom to it is that every soul that sits in that shadow of death might have been shining, a sun, in the spacious heaven of God’s love.
my son. See note on Pro 1:8.
sayings. Hebrew. imrah. See App-73.
the years of thy life shall be many = [my sayings] shall grow greater [through] the years of thy life. The verb denotes increase of size, not merely numbers. See notes on Pro 3:2, Pro 3:16; Pro 10:27. The verb here is masculine, but “years of life” is feminine. The verb therefore refers to “sayings”.
Guide-Posts on the Way of Life
Pro 4:10-27
One or two sentences stand out in this section, demanding special attention. The path of the just, etc., Pro 4:18. We may compare this beautiful similitude with 2Sa 23:4. In the East, where the heavens are for the most part free of cloud, the steadily increasing light of any day to perfect noontide glory is the ordinary experience. Let us so live that the path of our life may become ever more radiant and beneficent in its heat and light.
Keep thy heart, etc., Pro 4:23. Above all keeping, margin. The gates of the heart need careful scrutiny. When we are careless, thoughts creep in with malign intent. We should imitate the good Neh 13:19. Ask that pure and holy angels may stand sentry as at the gates of pearl, Rev 21:12. If you think right, you will live right.
Ponder the path, etc., Pro 4:26. Weigh carefully. Act in haste and repent at leisure! Ask God to keep you back from presumptuous sins; and bear in mind the wise exhortation of Ecc 5:2.
my: Pro 8:10, Pro 19:20, Job 22:22, Jer 9:20, Joh 3:32, Joh 3:33, 1Th 2:13, 1Ti 1:15
the: Pro 3:2, Pro 3:16, Deu 5:16, Deu 6:2
Reciprocal: Deu 11:21 – your days Psa 119:9 – shall Pro 4:22 – life Pro 23:19 – and guide Jer 35:8 – General Joh 17:8 – received
Pro 4:10-13. Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings Diligently attend to and imbibe my instructions, as the earth drinks in the rain that drops upon it. I have taught thee in the way of wisdom Either, 1st, The way which procureth wisdom; or, 2d, Which wisdom directs thee to walk in. Thy steps shall not be straitened Thou shalt manage thine affairs with great facility, safety, and success. It is a metaphor taken from those who walk in a strait and uneven path, where they are apt to stumble and fall. Thou shalt not stumble No miscarry. Take fast hold of instruction As being resolved to keep thy hold, and never to let it go. Keep her, for she is thy life The conductor, preserver, and comforter of thy life.
7. The two paths 4:10-19
In Pro 4:10-19, two paths again lie before the youth: the way of wisdom (Pro 4:10-13) and the way of folly (the way of the wicked; Pro 4:14-17). [Note: See Norman C. Habel, "The Symbolism of Wisdom in Proverbs 1-9," Interpretation 26:2 (April 1972):131-57, for a study of "the way" as a nuclear symbol in this section of Proverbs; and Daniel P. Bricker, "The Doctrine of the ’Two Ways’ in Proverbs," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 38:4 (December 1995):501-17.]
"Upright" paths (Pro 4:11) are straightforward ways of behaving, morally and practically. God’s way is the best route to take (cf. Mat 7:13-14). It offers the fewest potholes, detours, and dangers. God’s commands are similar to the lines on modern highways. They help travelers stay on the proper part of the road so they do not have accidents, but instead arrive safely at the right destination.
"The road metaphor does not depict life from the cradle to the grave, but the road to eternal life versus the road to eternal death." [Note: Waltke, The Book . . ., p. 289.]
One writer restated Pro 4:14-15 as follows.
"Don’t take the first step, for you may not be master of your destiny thereafter." [Note: Plaut, p. 69.]
A person can become as zealous for evil as for good. However, this is upside down morality (Pro 4:16; cf. Rom 14:21). Another writer commented on Pro 4:16-17 in these words.
"How sick to find peace only at the price of another man’s misfortune!" [Note: Robert L. Alden, Proverbs: A Commentary on an Ancient Book of Timeless Advice, p. 47.]
This section closes with another summary comparison (Pro 4:18-19; cf. Pro 1:32-33; Pro 2:21-22; Pro 3:35).
"With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack? Surely we are the most favored of all creatures." [Note: A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 70.]
The main opposing elements set in contrast in Pro 4:10-19 alternate between safety and danger, and between certainty and uncertainty.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)