The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.
Parallel translations
- KJV The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
- BSB The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
- 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 3:1–2If then you were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God.
- Ps 16:11You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.
- Matt 7:14How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
- Jer 21:8“To this people you shall say, ‘Yahweh says: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
- John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
- Phil 3:20For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
- Ps 139:24See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
- Prov 23:14Punish him with the rod, and save his soul from Sheol.
- Prov 7:27Her house is the way to Sheol, going down to the rooms of death.
- Prov 5:5Her feet go down to death. Her steps lead straight to Sheol.
- Prov 9:8Don’t reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
- Prov 2:18for her house leads down to death, her paths to the departed spirits.
- Prov 6:23For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.