Proverbs - 19:23



23 The fear of Yahweh leads to life, then contentment; he rests and will not be touched by trouble.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Proverbs 19:23.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life; And he that hath it'shall abide satisfied; He shall not be visited with evil.
The fear of the Lord is unto life: and he shall abide in fulness without being visited with evil.
The fear of Jehovah tendeth to life, and he that hath it shall rest satisfied without being visited with evil.
The fear of Jehovah is to life, And satisfied he remaineth, he is not charged with evil.
The fear of the LORD tends to life: and he that has it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
The fear of the Lord gives life: and he who has it will have need of nothing; no evil will come his way.
The fear of the Lord is unto life. And he shall linger in plentitude, without being visited by disaster.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Shall abide satisfied - Better, one that is satisfied hath a sure abiding-place. The word "abide" has, most probably, here as elsewhere, its original sense of "passing the night." Even in the hour of darkness he shall be free from fear.

The fear of the Lord tendeth to life,.... "Godliness", of which the fear of the Lord is a principal part, has "the promise of this life and that to come", 1-Timothy 4:8, the fear of God is the beginning of a spiritual life; and it leads to eternal life, as Gersom observes, and is connected with it;
and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; with his lot and portion in this life; with the good things of it he has, being content therewith and "godliness with contentment is great gain", 1-Timothy 6:6, such a man has enough; he has all things in a spiritual sense; he is full of the blessings of goodness; he is blessed with all spiritual blessings; his mouth is satisfied, and his mind is filled with good things; and so he rests and abides night after night, and day after day;
he shall not be visited with evil; nothing shall hurt him; all his afflictions, his worst things, his evil ones: work together for his good; and they shall never separate from the love of God, nor anything that befalls him in this life, Romans 8:28; see Psalm 91:10.

Those that live in the fear of God, shall get safety, satisfaction, and true and complete happiness.

The fear . . . life--(Compare Proverbs 3:2).
abide--or, "remain contented" (1-Timothy 4:8).
not visited with evil-- (Proverbs 10:3; Psalm 37:25), as a judgment, in which sense visit is often used (Psalm 89:32; Jeremiah 6:15).

23 The fear of Jahve tendeth to life;
Satisfied, one spendeth the night, not visited by evil.
The first line is a variation of Proverbs 14:27. How the fear of God thus reacheth to life, i.e., helps to a life that is enduring, free from care and happy, 23b says: the promises are fulfilled to the God-fearing, Deuteronomy 11:15 and Leviticus 26:6; he does not go hungry to bed, and needs fear no awakening in terror out of his soft slumber (Proverbs 3:24). With ו explic., 23a is explained. לין שׂבע means to spend the night (the long night) hungry. as לין ערוּם, Job 24:7, to pass the night in nakedness (cold). נפקד, of visitation of punishment, we read also at Isaiah 29:6, and instead of בּרע, as it might be according to this passage, we have here the accus. of the manner placing the meaning of the Niph. beyond a doubt (cf. Proverbs 11:15, רע, in an evil manner). All is in harmony with the matter, and is good Hebrews.; on the contrary, Hitzig's ingenuity introduces, instead of שׂבעו, an unheard of word, ושׂרע, "and he stretches himself." One of the Greeks excellently translates: καὶ ἐμπλησθεὶς αὐλισθήσεται ἄνευ ἐπισκοπῆς πονηρᾶς. The lxx, which instead of רע, γνῶσις, translates thus, דּע, discredits itself. The Midrash - Lagarde says of its translation - varies in colour like an opal. In other words, it handles the text like wax, and forms it according to its own taste, like the Midrash with its "read not so, but so."

Satisfied - Shall be fully contented with God's favour and blessing.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


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