The rewards of humility and the fear of the LORD are wealth and honor and life.
Parallel translations
- WEB The result of humility and the fear of Yahweh is wealth, honor, and life.
- KJV By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.
- NKJV By humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches and honor and life.
- NASB The reward of humility and the fear of the Lord Are riches, honor, and life.
- NLT True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life.
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
Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth, honor, and life. It matters because reverent humility is the path to true blessing.
Overview
Genuine humility joined to the fear of the Lord yields lasting reward — riches rightly understood, honor, and life (Proverbs 15:33; 1 Peter 5:5-6). The verse roots all real blessing in a right relationship with God. Such life is fulfilled in Christ, who exemplified humility and grants abundant life to those who fear God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Matt 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
- Jas 4:10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
- Ps 34:9–10Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.
- Prov 21:21He who pursues righteousness and loving devotion finds life, righteousness, and honor.
- Ps 112:1–3Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Isa 57:15For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and humble in spirit, to restore the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the contrite.
- Jas 4:6But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Isa 33:6He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
- Prov 3:16Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.
- 1 Tim 4:8For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 22:4 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.