I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Eighth Address. Chap. Pro 4:10-19
11. right paths ] Rather, paths of uprightness, R.V., as at once being a more exact rendering and preserving better the parallelism.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
In the way of wisdom; either
1. Which procureth wisdom. Or,
2. Which wisdom directeth thee to walk in.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11, 12. way of wisdomwhich itprescribes.
led theeliterally,”caused thee to tread,” as a path (Ps107:7).
not be straitenedhaveample room (Ps 18:36).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom,…. In the way that leads to it, or is concerning it; in the Gospel, which is the wisdom of God in a mystery, the manifold wisdom of God, and which directs to Christ and the knowledge of him, who is true wisdom; this is another reason or argument why the wise man’s instructions should be attended to;
I have led thee in right paths; in paths of righteousness, holiness, and truth; in such as are agreeable to the will and word of God, and which lead right on to the city of habitation; and therefore such teachings and leadings should be followed, and such ways walked in.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Pro 4:11 I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
Ver. 11. I have led thee in right paths. ] Impli ambulant in circuitu, The wicked walk the round. So doth the devil, that great peripatetic. Job 1:6-12 “How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter?” Jer 31:22 “How long wilt thou run retrograde, or turn aside unto crooked ways?” Psa 125:5 “The ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous shall walk in them; but the transgressors shall fall therein.” Hos 14:9
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
taught = directed.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 4:11-19
Pro 4:10-19
THE SEVENTH DISCOURSE
“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 the paths of uprightness.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
And if 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 walk not in the way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it;
Turn from it, and pass on.
For they sleep not, except 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.
But the path of the righteous is as the dawning light,
That shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
The day of the wicked is as darkness:
They know not at what they stumble.”
“The years of thy life shall be many” (Pro 4:10). “The Hebrew in this line actually means, `thy years shall be multiplied’. The fact of the life of Solomon having been cut short indicates that he did not follow his own good advice.
In this section, two ways of living are presented; and then they are compared. “Pro 4:10-13 describe the way of wisdom; Pro 4:14-17 describe the way of the wicked; and Pro 4:18-19 present a comparison of the two ways.
“Thy steps shall not be straitened” (Pro 4:12). “The word `straitened’ here is a derivative from an old English word strait which does not mean straight, but `strict’ or `narrow.’ The way of wisdom is “the narrow way” (Mat 7:13-14), or the straitened way. This really should surprise no one, for the truth is always narrow, exact and minutely perfect. For example, the exact ratio between the diameter and the circumference of a circle is so precise that no exact statement of it is possible. It is placed at 3.1416159+!
“She is thy life” (Pro 4:13). “Here is another parallel between Wisdom personified in Proverbs and Jesus Christ the Incarnate Wisdom of Joh 1:4.”
“Enter not … walk not in … avoid … pass not by …turn from it … pass on” (Pro 4:14-15). The object of all these impressive verbs is the way of the wicked. There is no way that language could more forcibly warn God’s servant against the way of wickedness.
“They sleep not except they do evil” (Pro 4:16). “This and the following verses exhibit the extreme depravity and wickedness” of hardened sinners. In a metaphor they are said to eat the bread of wickedness and to drink the wine of violence. They cannot sleep unless they have first exerted themselves in the perpetration of evil; and upon those days when they have not caused someone to fall, they cannot sleep at all! “The Bible does not hide the fact that one can become just as zealous for evil as for good.” Iniquity of the worst kind can become the food and drink of those who depart from the way of Truth.
“The path of the righteous … is light … the way of the wicked … darkness” (Pro 4:18-19). There is nothing in these verses that is hard to understand or that requires any emphasis from scholarly comment. The most common metaphor in the New Testament is that which contrasts the way of God’s children who, “Walk in the light as He is in the Light,” and that of the sons of the devil who revel in “The works of darkness.”
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 it-stay 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 Christ-Php 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 life-this 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).
STUDY QUESTIONS – Pro 4:11-19
1. What is the difference between taught and led in Pro 4:11?
2. What does straitened mean (Pro 4:12)?
3. What is the significance of taking fast hold of instruction (Pro 4:13)?
4. What was the practical value of the Horatio Alger, Jr. books for boys years ago (Pro 4:14)?
5. What 4 pointed instructions are given in Pro 4:15?
6. According to Pro 4:16 how perverse can some people get?
7. What is the diet of perverse people (Pro 4:17)?
8. Comment upon beautiful in Pro 4:18.
9. Living in sin is like walking in …………… (Pro 4:19).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
taught: Pro 4:4, Deu 4:5, 1Sa 12:24, Ecc 12:9
led: Pro 8:6, Pro 8:9, Pro 8:20, Psa 23:3, Psa 25:4, Psa 25:5, Act 13:10
Reciprocal: Gen 24:27 – the Lord Gen 24:48 – led me 1Sa 12:23 – I will teach Psa 119:35 – the path Pro 9:6 – in
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4:11 I have {d} taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right paths.
(d) Solomon declares what care his father had to bring him up in the true fear of God: for this was David’s protest.