Proverbs 19:20
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This verse highlights that gaining wisdom isn't just for the present moment, but specifically prepares you for your latter end—your future, and even the ultimate end of life. It emphasizes that the choices you make now about listening and learning are an investment in a future of better decisions and a peaceful departure.
This proverb is part of a larger section in Proverbs where wisdom is presented as a vital guide for life, contrasting sharply with foolishness. It follows warnings against hasty speech and impulsive actions, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful consideration and learning from others. The ultimate goal presented is not just immediate cleverness, but a lasting wisdom that shapes one's entire life, especially as they face the end of their days.
Why does Proverbs tell us to listen to advice AND accept instruction? It sounds like the same thing, right? But there's a crucial difference that unlocks the pathway to true wisdom.
More Than Just Hearing
The verse presents two actions: 'Hear counsel' and 'receive instruction.'
This isn't just about gathering information; it's about a willingness to be taught and, if necessary, corrected. True wisdom requires both attentive listening and obedient acceptance.
The goal of gaining wisdom isn't just for today or tomorrow. Proverbs points to a far grander purpose: a wise 'latter end.' What does that really mean for us?
Preparing for What's Ahead
The verse promises that listening and accepting instruction leads to wisdom 'in thy latter end.' This phrase points to several layers of meaning:
Understand the original words
musar · Hebrew Noun
The corrective training, warning, or teaching that guides a person toward right living. It implies a teachable spirit that receives wisdom to avoid error and grow in holiness.
chokmah · Hebrew Noun
The practical application of divine knowledge; the skill of living in a way that is consistent with God’s design. It begins with the fear of the LORD and results in a life of integrity and discernment.
This verse echoes the same core idea, presenting hearing instruction and not neglecting it as the direct path to wisdom and a secure future.
Job 8:7This passage highlights the potential for growth and increase in one's 'latter end' that comes from a humble beginning, mirroring the proverb's emphasis on future wisdom gained through present instruction.
Ecclesiastes 7:11-12This text speaks to the superior value of wisdom, especially when gained through instruction, linking it to protection and profit, much like Proverbs 19:20 promises wisdom for the future.
Luke 10:38-42Mary's choice to sit at Jesus' feet and listen ('hearing instruction') is presented as the 'better part,' directly correlating with the idea of gaining true, lasting wisdom by prioritizing His words over distractions.
bensonProverbs 19:20: "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."
Proverbs 19:20 . Hear counsel, &c. — Be willing to be taught and ruled; to be advised and reproved, when thou art young; that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end — Before thy death come. Which he adds, not exclusively, as if a man ought not to be wise before, but emphatically, to show that how foolishly soever he may have spent his former and younger years, it highly and especially concerns hi…
pulpitProverbs 19:20: "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."
Verse 20. - (Comp. Proverbs 8:10; Proverbs 12:15.) The Septuagint directs the maxim to children, "Hear, O son, the instruction of thy father." That thou mayest be wise in thy latter end. Wisdom gathered and digested in youth is seen in the prudence and intelligence of manhood and old age. Job 8:7, "Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase." Ecclesiastes 25:6, "O…
This verse highlights that gaining wisdom isn't just for the present moment, but specifically prepares you for your latter end—your future, and even the ultimate end of life. It emphasizes that the choices you make now about listening and learning are an investment in a future of better decisions and a peaceful departure.
This proverb is part of a larger section in Proverbs where wisdom is presented as a vital guide for life, contrasting sharply with foolishness. It follows warnings against hasty speech and impulsive actions, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful consideration and learning from others. The ultimate goal presented is not just immediate cleverness, but a lasting wisdom that shapes one's entire life, especially as they face the end of their days.
This proverb is part of a larger section in Proverbs where wisdom is presented as a vital guide for life, contrasting sharply with foolishness. It follows warnings against hasty speech and impulsive actions, emphasizing the importance of thoughtful consideration and learning from others. The ultimate goal presented is not just immediate cleverness, but a lasting wisdom that shapes one's entire life, especially as they face the end of their days.
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This is why proactive learning and humility are so vital – they are investments in our ultimate well-being.
"Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future." — This verse highlights that gaining wisdom isn't just for the present moment, but specifically prepares you for your latter end—your future, and even the ultimate end of life. It emphasizes that the…
