The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
Parallel translations
- WEB The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.
- KJV The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
- NKJV The way of life winds upward for the wise, That he may turn away from hell below.
- NASB The path of life leads upward for the wise, So that he may keep away from Sheol below.
- NLT The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The wise pursue a path that leads upward to life, turning away from the downward road to death. It matters because wisdom sets the whole direction of one's life and destiny.
Overview
This proverb describes two trajectories: the wise ascend toward life while the foolish descend toward Sheol, the realm of the dead. It frames wisdom as a matter not merely of better living but of ultimate destiny. The New Testament unfolds this fully in Christ, who is the way to life and rescues from death (John 14:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Col 3:1–2Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
- Ps 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.
- Matt 7:14But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- Jer 21:8Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
- John 14:6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Phil 3:20But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
- Ps 139:24See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
- Prov 23:14Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
- Prov 7:27Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.
- Prov 5:5Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.
- Prov 9:8Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.
- Prov 2:18For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
- Prov 6:23For this commandment is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 15:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.