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 Living Translation (NLT)The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.

Context of Proverbs 4:18

16For they do not sleep unless they have done evil; And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall. 17For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence. But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day. 19The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble. 20My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear 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 23:4And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’
• Job 11:17And your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning.
• Job 23:10But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.
• Psalms 84:7They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.
• Hosea 6:3Let us know, Let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. His going forth is established as the morning; He will come to us like the rain, Like the latter and former rain to the earth.
• Zechariah 14:6It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
• Matthew 5:14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
• John 8:12Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
• 2 Corinthians 3:18But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
• Philippians 2:15that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
• 2 Peter 1:19And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines 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 forever. Amen.
• Revelation 21:23The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
• Revelation 22:5There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall 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