Bible Strands
Proverbs 4:22
For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — A father addresses his son in a wisdom discourse, immediately following the command to keep the teachings within his heart. He speaks to reinforce the practical value of the instruction he has just given.
The words — The verse centers on חַיִּ֣ים (chaiyim), meaning life, and מַרְפֵּֽא (marpe), meaning health or healing. These nouns directly modify the subject "they" (the teachings), stating their function rather than describing a future reward.
The thread — The connection between faithful instruction and physical longevity appears in Proverbs 4:10, which promises extended years. The motif of God or wisdom bringing healing runs through Jeremiah 33:6 and Proverbs 12:18, where wise speech is explicitly linked to restoration.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to retain the instruction and treat it as immediate sustenance. It frames obedience as a direct mechanism for preserving life and bodily well-being, not as a symbolic gesture.
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
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 12:18 Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
- Proverbs 4:10 Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.
- Jeremiah 33:6 Nevertheless, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal its people and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth.
- Proverbs 3:8 This will bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones.
- Proverbs 4:4 he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.