Proverbs 9:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For by me your days will be multiplied, and years will be added to your life.

NIV: For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

NASB: For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

CSB: For by me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

NLT: Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.

KJV: For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

NKJV: For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

Wisdom (Proverbs 8:1–4; 9:1–6) extends one's life. This is not presented as an absolute promise of safety or health for all people, in all times. The context is much the same as a doctor who tells a patient, "eat healthy food and you will live longer." Compared to a life lived in sin and ignorance, the person who lives by godly wisdom has a better likelihood of experiencing blessing and avoiding negative consequences.

A life of obedience to God's instructions is a good life. It is marked by peace, joy, significance, and fellowship with the Lord. The person who chooses wisdom sets themselves on a path much more likely to involve both quantity of years and quality of life.

Nothing else can compare to the life granted by godly wisdom. Solomon himself went through a period of looking for the meaning to life. He sought for it in such things as self-indulgence, possessions, fame, and work, but concluded: "Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God" (Ecclesiastes 8:12–13). Solomon ends Ecclesiastes by counseling his readers: "Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

Generally speaking, the earlier a person gains wisdom by fearing the Lord, the better and longer his life will be.

Proverbs 9:7–12 bridges the other two sections of this chapter. The first depicts Wisdom as a generous, benevolent woman calling on others to respond to her invitation and live (Proverbs 9:1–6). The last segment portrays Wisdom's mirror image, Folly, who entices others with lies and deception, leading to their death. In this section of Proverbs 9, Solomon describes what is at stake in the decision between these two proverbial women. This also notes the inherent difference between those who sincerely seek wisdom, versus those who can only stand to be told what they want to hear.

Wisdom is portrayed as a dignified woman who prepares a spacious house and feast. She invites those who are gullible and lacking judgment to improve their wisdom, by accepting her invitation. She urges invitees to abandon their simple ways and walk in the way of insight. Solomon then contrasts the attitudes of those who sincerely seek truth, compared to those who hate being corrected. The chapter ends with a description of Wisdom's mirror image: Folly. She is seductive and ignorant. She invites the gullible to enter her house, promising that immorality is enjoyable and pleasant. Sadly, those who are seduced do not realize her invitation leads to ruin and damnation.

In chapter 7, Solomon portrayed an evil woman (Proverbs 7:7–27). In chapter 8 he portrays wisdom as a refined lady who offers instruction to all who heed her call. Chapter 9 contrasts Lady Wisdom with the evil Woman Folly, who lures the foolish to their ruin. This extended warning about the dangers of rejecting God's wisdom leads into an extended collection of standalone proverbial comments, beginning in chapter 10.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.