Bible Strands
Proverbs 15:24
The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author of Proverbs addresses the reader within a sequence of wisdom instructions contrasting prudent and foolish conduct. He speaks directly to anyone seeking to navigate daily decisions with discernment.
The words — לְ/מַ֣עְלָ/ה (le./Ma'.la/h) literally means "upwards" or "toward the height," while ס֝֗וּר (Sur) means "to turn aside" or "to avoid." Together they frame the wise person’s directional choice between ascent and descent.
The thread — The motif of a directional path to life appears in Psalms 16:11, Matthew 7:14, and Colossians 3:1. These passages extend the physical ascent into spiritual or eternal destinations.
Why it lands — It requires the reader to make a deliberate directional choice in daily conduct, prioritizing prudent decisions that avoid destruction. The text demands active avoidance of destructive paths rather than passive acceptance of them.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Cross-references
- Colossians 3:1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, strive for the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
- Psalms 16:11 You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
- Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.
- Jeremiah 21:8 Furthermore, you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD says: ‘Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death.
- John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,
- Psalms 139:24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.
- Proverbs 23:14 Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
- Proverbs 2:18 For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits.
- Proverbs 5:5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.