Proverbs 4:18

Proverbs 4:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
• New International Version (NIV)The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.

Context of Proverbs 4:18

16For they can’t sleep unless they have done what is evil; they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble. 17They eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. 19But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble. 20My son, pay attention to my words; listen closely to my sayings.

Proverbs 4:18 word by word

וְאֹ֣רַח צַ֭דִּיקִים כְּא֣וֹר נֹ֑גַהּ הוֹלֵ֥ךְ וָ֝א֗וֹר עַד־נְכ֥וֹן הַיּֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But the pathאֹ֫רַח'ôrach · wayH734
• of the justצַדִּיקtsaddîyq · righteousH6662
• as the shiningנֹ֫גַהּnôgahh · brightnessH5051
• lightאוֹר'ôr · lightH216
• that shinethאוֹר'ôr · to lightH215
• moreהָלַךְhâlak · to go: continueH1980
• and more unto the perfectכּוּןkûn · to establish: prepareH3559
• dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117

Cross-references for Proverbs 4:18

• 2 Samuel 23:4is like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”
• Job 11:17Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning.
• Job 23:10Yet he knows the way I have taken; when he has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold.
• Psalms 84:7They go from strength to strength; each appears before God in Zion.
• Hosea 6:3Let’s strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land.
• Zechariah 14:6On that day there will be no light; the sunlight and moonlight will diminish.
• Matthew 5:14“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.
• John 8:12Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:18We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.
• Philippians 2:15so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world,
• 2 Peter 1:19We also have the prophetic word strongly confirmed, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
• 2 Peter 3:18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.
• Revelation 21:23The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb.
• Revelation 22:5Night will be no more; people will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, because the Lord God will give them light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Commentaries on Proverbs 4:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18But the path of the just - The path of the wicked is gloomy, dark, and dangerous; that of the righteous is open, luminous, and instructive. This verse contains a fine metaphor; it refers to the sun rising above the horizon, and the increasing twilight, till his beams shine full upon the earth. The original, היום נכון עד ואור הולך holech vaor ad nechon haiyom, may be translated, "going and illuminating unto the prepared day." This seems plainly to refer to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-20Verses 4-20 The counsel which has come to him, in substance, from his father. Compare it with 2 Samuel 23:2 etc.; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalm 15:1-5; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 4:7 Or, “The beginning of wisdom is - get wisdom.” To seek is to find, to desire is to obtain. Proverbs 4:12 The ever-recurring parable of the journey of life. In the way of wisdom the path is clear and open, obstacles disappear; in the quickest activity (“when thou…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-27Verses 14-27 The way of evil men may seem pleasant, and the nearest way to compass some end; but it is an evil way, and will end ill; if thou love thy God and thy soul, avoid it. It is not said, Keep at a due distance, but at a great distance; never think you can get far enough from it. The way of the righteous is light; Christ is their Way, and he is the Light. The saints will not be perfect till they reach heaven, but there they shall shine as the sun…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-19Light symbolizes wisdom and righteousness, while darkness represents foolishness and wickedness (see Ecclesiastes 2:12–14). Light reveals actions; darkness conceals them. Righteous people have nothing to hide, but the wicked try to hide their actions and stumble over obstacles in the dark (see Matthew 4:16; 5:14–16; John 1:14; Romans 2:19).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-1918-19. As shining light increases from twilight to noonday splendor, so the course of the just increases in purity, but that of the wicked is as thickest darkness, in which one knows not on what he stumbles.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 4:18

• Day
• Grace of God
• Perseverance
• Righteous
• Wisdom
• Young Men

In the dictionaries

• Diligence
• Getting
• Hold
• Look
• Ponder
• Principal
• Promote
• Right
• Stumble
• Hezekiah (2)

Commentaries on Proverbs 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings