Proverbs 19:23

[ 1 minutes to read ]

The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
– Proverbs 19:23

[L]ife in Proverbs has a range of meaning beyond mere physical life as opposed to death. Kidner points out the term often denotes fullness, or abundance, of life in terms of flourishing and harmonious home life (Proverbs 16:15; 15:27). Here it is life lived in the fear of the Lord, and so it is wisdom life, since wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). Other proverbs speak of wisdom in life tending to long life and peace (Proverbs 6:22; 10:27; 14:26-27). The life in this proverb is explained in the two lines that follow. The word for satisfied means full, or satiated. It speaks of having enough, or not being in want. The word for evil can mean moral evil in terms of wickedness done, or it can mean natural evil in terms of calamity, adversity, or natural disaster. Wisdom life in the fear of the Lord tends to having needs met and living in peace.

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