Proverbs 6:23

23 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,

Proverbs 6:23 in Other Translations

KJV
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
ESV
23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,
NLT
23 For their command is a lamp and their instruction a light; their corrective discipline is the way to life.
MSG
23 For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path.
CSB
23 For a commandment is a lamp, teaching is a light, and corrective instructions are the way to life.

Proverbs 6:23 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 6:23

For the commandment [is] a lamp
The law of God is a lamp or candle to see to work by and to walk by; it enlightens the eyes and directs the feet, and makes working more pleasant, and walking more comfortable; and indeed wit, bout it a man knows not rightly what to do or where he should walk, or where he is walking; see ( Psalms 119:105 ) ; and the law [is] light;
it makes things clear and manifest, what is right and what is wrong; it enlightens the eyes of the understanding, whereby persons come to see both their sin and their duty; and it directs them to avoid the one and do the other; see ( Psalms 19:8 ) ; and reproofs of instruction [are] the way life;
kind reproofs given by parents agreeable to the word of God, which instruct what should be shunned and what should be performed, when attended to, put men in the way of an honourable and useful life; and are the means of preserving them from a scandalous and useless one.

Proverbs 6:23 In-Context

21 Bind them always on your heart; fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you; when you sleep, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
23 For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life,
24 keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman.
25 Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Psalms 19:8; Psalms 119:105
  • 2. Proverbs 10:17
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