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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Proverbs 4:19 But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/proverbs/4-19.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/5/20_Pro_04_19.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Proverbs 4:19 - A Father's Instruction" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/proverbs/4-19.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/proverbs/4-19.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/proverbs/">Proverbs</a> > <a href="/proverbs/4.htm">Chapter 4</a> > Verse 19</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad19.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/proverbs/4-18.htm" title="Proverbs 4:18">◄</a> Proverbs 4:19 <a href="/proverbs/4-20.htm" title="Proverbs 4:20">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/proverbs/4.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/proverbs/4.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/proverbs/4.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/proverbs/4.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked <i>is</i> as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/proverbs/4.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked <i>is</i> like darkness; They do not know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/proverbs/4.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/proverbs/4.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/proverbs/4.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/proverbs/4.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like thick darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/proverbs/4.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like [deep] darkness; They do not know over what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/proverbs/4.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don’t know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/proverbs/4.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they don&#8217t know what makes them stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/proverbs/4.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/proverbs/4.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />The lifestyle of the wicked is like total darkness, and they will never know what makes them stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/proverbs/4.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/proverbs/4.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />The way of wicked people is like deep darkness. They do not know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/proverbs/4.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />The road of the wicked, however, is dark as night. They fall, but cannot see what they have stumbled over. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/proverbs/4.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness, and they do not know what they are stumbling over.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/proverbs/4.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/proverbs/4.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like gloomy darkness; they do not know what causes them to stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/proverbs/4.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/proverbs/4.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/proverbs/4.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/proverbs/4.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, "" They have not known at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/proverbs/4.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> The way of the wicked is as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/proverbs/4.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />The way of the unjust as darkness: they shall not know in what they shall stumble.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/proverbs/4.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/proverbs/4.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />The way of the impious is darkened. They do not know where they may fall.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/proverbs/4.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know on what they stumble. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/proverbs/4.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/proverbs/4.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/proverbs/4.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />But the way of the wicked is darkness and they do not know on what they stumble.<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/proverbs/4.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />The way of the wicked is as darkness; They know not at what they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/proverbs/4.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/proverbs/4-19.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kpUA5ZltBeQ?start=699" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/proverbs/4.htm">A Father's Instruction</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">18</span>The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday. <span class="reftext">19</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/1870.htm" title="1870: de·reḵ (N-csc) -- Way, road, distance, journey, manner. From darak; a road; figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb.">But the way</a> <a href="/hebrew/7563.htm" title="7563: rə·šā·‘îm (Adj-mp) -- Wicked, criminal. From rasha'; morally wrong; concretely, an bad person.">of the wicked</a> <a href="/hebrew/653.htm" title="653: kā·’ă·p̄ê·lāh (Prep-k, Art:: N-fs) -- Darkness, gloominess, calamity. Feminine of 'aphel; duskiness, figuratively, misfortune; concrete, concealment.">is like the darkest gloom;</a> <a href="/hebrew/3808.htm" title="3808: lō (Adv-NegPrt) -- Not. Or lowi; or loh; a primitive particle; not; by implication, no; often used with other particles.">they do not</a> <a href="/hebrew/3045.htm" title="3045: yā·ḏə·‘ū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- A primitive root; to know; used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially.">know</a> <a href="/hebrew/4100.htm" title="4100: bam·meh (Prep-b:: Interrog) -- What? how? anything. ">what</a> <a href="/hebrew/3782.htm" title="3782: yik·kā·šê·lū (V-Nifal-Imperf-3mp) -- To stumble, stagger, totter. A primitive root; to totter or waver; by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fall.">makes them stumble.</a> </span><span class="reftext">20</span>My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/12-35.htm">John 12:35</a></span><br />Then Jesus told them, “For a little while longer, the Light will be among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_john/2-11.htm">1 John 2:11</a></span><br />But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness. He does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/59-9.htm">Isaiah 59:9-10</a></span><br />Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness does not reach us. We hope for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom. / Like the blind, we feel our way along the wall, groping like those without eyes. We stumble at midday as in the twilight; among the vigorous we are like the dead.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/15-14.htm">Matthew 15:14</a></span><br />Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ephesians/4-18.htm">Ephesians 4:18</a></span><br />They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_corinthians/4-4.htm">2 Corinthians 4:4</a></span><br />The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/job/18-5.htm">Job 18:5-6</a></span><br />Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow. / The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/8-20.htm">Isaiah 8:20</a></span><br />To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/23-12.htm">Jeremiah 23:12</a></span><br />“Therefore their path will become slick; they will be driven away into the darkness and fall into it. For I will bring disaster upon them in the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/82-5.htm">Psalm 82:5</a></span><br />They do not know or understand; they wander in the darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/60-2.htm">Isaiah 60:2</a></span><br />For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/2-17.htm">2 Peter 2:17</a></span><br />These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/6-23.htm">Matthew 6:23</a></span><br />But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/1-21.htm">Romans 1:21</a></span><br />For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/5-20.htm">Isaiah 5:20</a></span><br />Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/1_samuel/2-9.htm">1 Samuel 2:9</a></b></br> He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/5-14.htm">Job 5:14</a></b></br> They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/12-25.htm">Job 12:25</a></b></br> They grope in the dark without light, and he maketh them to stagger like <i>a</i> drunken <i>man</i>.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/proverbs/4-16.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/proverbs/2-13.htm">Dark</a> <a href="/proverbs/2-13.htm">Darkness</a> <a href="/proverbs/3-20.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-16.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/proverbs/3-34.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-14.htm">Sinners</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-16.htm">Stumble</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-18.htm">Way</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-14.htm">Wicked</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/proverbs/6-15.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/proverbs/7-9.htm">Dark</a> <a href="/proverbs/7-9.htm">Darkness</a> <a href="/proverbs/4-21.htm">Deep</a> <a href="/proverbs/10-8.htm">Fall</a> <a href="/proverbs/6-34.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/proverbs/10-6.htm">Sinners</a> <a href="/proverbs/24-16.htm">Stumble</a> <a href="/proverbs/5-6.htm">Way</a> <a href="/proverbs/5-22.htm">Wicked</a><div class="vheading2">Proverbs 4</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-1.htm">persuades to wisdom</a></span><br><span class="reftext">14. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-14.htm">and to show wickedness</a></span><br><span class="reftext">20. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/proverbs/4-20.htm">He exhorts to sanctification</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/4.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/proverbs/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/proverbs/4.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>But the way of the wicked</b><br>The "way" in biblical terms often refers to one's lifestyle or path in life. In the context of Proverbs, the "wicked" are those who live in opposition to God's commandments and wisdom. This phrase sets up a contrast with the path of the righteous, which is illuminated by God's truth. The wicked choose a path that leads away from God, aligning with the broader biblical theme of two divergent paths: one leading to life and the other to destruction (<a href="/matthew/7-13.htm">Matthew 7:13-14</a>).<p><b>is like the darkest gloom;</b><br>The imagery of "darkest gloom" conveys a sense of deep spiritual blindness and confusion. In biblical times, darkness was often associated with chaos, evil, and judgment. This phrase suggests that the wicked are enveloped in a spiritual darkness that obscures their understanding and leads them further from the light of God's truth. This aligns with passages such as <a href="/john/3-19.htm">John 3:19-20</a>, where people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.<p><b>they do not know what makes them stumble.</b><br>This phrase highlights the ignorance and self-deception of the wicked. They are unaware of the true cause of their downfall, which is their rejection of God's wisdom and guidance. This lack of awareness is a common theme in Scripture, where spiritual blindness prevents individuals from recognizing their need for repentance and salvation. It echoes the warning in <a href="/isaiah/59-10.htm">Isaiah 59:10</a>, where people grope along a wall like the blind, unable to find their way. This also points to the necessity of divine intervention for enlightenment, as seen in the ministry of Jesus, who came to open the eyes of the blind (<a href="/luke/4-18.htm">Luke 4:18</a>).<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/s/solomon.htm">Solomon</a></b><br>- Traditionally considered the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He wrote Proverbs to impart wisdom and understanding.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_wicked.htm">The Wicked</a></b><br>- This term refers to those who live in opposition to God's ways, often characterized by moral corruption and spiritual blindness.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_path_of_darkness.htm">The Path of Darkness</a></b><br>- A metaphorical description of the life and choices of the wicked, symbolizing confusion, danger, and lack of direction.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_consequences_of_wickedness.htm">The Consequences of Wickedness</a></b><br>The path of the wicked leads to confusion and stumbling. Living apart from God's wisdom results in spiritual blindness and moral failure.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_importance_of_spiritual_light.htm">The Importance of Spiritual Light</a></b><br>Just as physical light guides our steps, spiritual light—God's Word—illuminates our path and prevents us from stumbling.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_call_to_discernment.htm">The Call to Discernment</a></b><br>Believers are called to discern the paths they choose, ensuring they align with God's wisdom rather than the darkness of the world.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_role_of_god's_word.htm">The Role of God's Word</a></b><br>Scripture serves as a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, guiding us away from the pitfalls of wickedness.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_urgency_of_repentance.htm">The Urgency of Repentance</a></b><br>Those who find themselves on the path of darkness are urged to repent and seek the light of Christ, who offers clarity and direction.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_proverbs_4.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Proverbs 4</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_omit_manasseh's_repentance_in_2_kings.htm">Why does 2 Kings 21 omit any mention of Manasseh's repentance, which appears in 2 Chronicles 33?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_does_walking_in_darkness_mean.htm">What is the meaning of walking in darkness?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_day_near_as_night_ends.htm">What does the Bible say about perverseness?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what's_the_basis_for_job_15_20-24's_torment.htm">In Job 15:20–24, where is the historical or archaeological basis for the notion that the wicked perpetually face this kind of torment? </a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/proverbs/4.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(19) <span class= "bld">The way of the wicked is as darkness</span>.--By refusing to "walk in the light" of God's Word, and conscience (<a href="/1_john/1-7.htm" title="But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.">1John 1:7</a>), the light that was in them has become darkness (<a href="/matthew/6-23.htm" title="But if your eye be evil, your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you be darkness, how great is that darkness!">Matthew 6:23</a>); they know not whither they are going (<a href="/john/12-35.htm" title="Then Jesus said to them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come on you: for he that walks in darkness knows not where he goes.">John 12:35</a>), and stumble (<a href="/proverbs/11-10.htm" title="When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.">Proverbs 11:10</a>) over difficulties which in the light they might have avoided.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/proverbs/4.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 19.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The way of the wicked is as darkness.</span> In contrast with the path of the just is the way of the wicked, which is described as darkness itself: <span class="accented">i.e.</span> so deeply enveloped in gloom that the wicked are not able even to see the obstacles and impediments against which they stumble, and which are the cause of their ruin. It is a way dark throughout - a <span class="accented">via tenebrosa</span> (Vulgate) - terminating at length in "the blackness of darkness." As light is emblematical of knowledge, holiness, and joy, so darkness represents ignorance, unholiness, and misery (see <a href="/isaiah/8-22.htm">Isaiah 8:22</a>). <span class="accented">Darkness</span> (<span class="accented">aphelah</span>); strictly, <span class="accented">thick darkness</span>, midnight gloom, the entire absence of light. It is the word used of the plague of "thick darkness" that settled over all the land of Egypt, even a darkness that "might be felt," when the Egyptians "saw not one another, nor any arose from his place for three days" (<a href="/exodus/10-21.htm">Exodus 10:21-23</a>). It occurs again in ch. 7:9, "in the black and <span class="accented">dark</span> night." In this darkness the wicked cannot help but stumble. Compare our Lord's teaching, "But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him" (<a href="/john/11-10.htm">John 11:10</a>; cf. 12:36). The expression, <span class="cmt_word">they know not at what they stumble,</span> carries with it the idea that they are so ignorant that they neither know wickedness as wickedness, nor do they apprehend the destruction which it involves. "Sins, however great and detestable they may be, are looked upon as trivial, or as not sins at all, when men get accustomed to them" (St. Augustine, 'Enchiridion,' cap. 80). On "stumble" (<span class="accented">kashal</span>), see ver. 12; and on the destruction of the wicked implied in the stumbling, see <a href="/proverbs/1-27.htm">Proverbs 1:27</a>, <span class="accented">seq.</span>, 2:18-22; 3:35. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/proverbs/4-19.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">But the way</span><br /><span class="heb">דֶּ֣רֶךְ</span> <span class="translit">(de·reḵ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - common singular construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1870.htm">Strong's 1870: </a> </span><span class="str2">A road, a course of life, mode of action</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of the wicked</span><br /><span class="heb">רְ֭שָׁעִים</span> <span class="translit">(rə·šā·‘îm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7563.htm">Strong's 7563: </a> </span><span class="str2">Wrong, an, bad person</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is like the darkest gloom;</span><br /><span class="heb">כָּֽאֲפֵלָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(kā·’ă·p̄ê·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-k, Article | Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_653.htm">Strong's 653: </a> </span><span class="str2">Duskiness, misfortune, concealment</span><br /><br /><span class="word">they do not</span><br /><span class="heb">לֹ֥א</span> <span class="translit">(lō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb - Negative particle<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3808.htm">Strong's 3808: </a> </span><span class="str2">Not, no</span><br /><br /><span class="word">know</span><br /><span class="heb">יָ֝דְע֗וּ</span> <span class="translit">(yā·ḏə·‘ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3045.htm">Strong's 3045: </a> </span><span class="str2">To know</span><br /><br /><span class="word">what</span><br /><span class="heb">בַּמֶּ֥ה</span> <span class="translit">(bam·meh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-b | Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4100.htm">Strong's 4100: </a> </span><span class="str2">What?, what!, indefinitely what</span><br /><br /><span class="word">makes them stumble.</span><br /><span class="heb">יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ׃</span> <span class="translit">(yik·kā·šê·lū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3782.htm">Strong's 3782: </a> </span><span class="str2">To totter, waver, to falter, stumble, faint, fall</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/proverbs/4-19.htm">Proverbs 4:19 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/proverbs/4-19.htm">OT Poetry: Proverbs 4:19 The way of the wicked is like (Prov. Pro Pr) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/proverbs/4-18.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Proverbs 4:18"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Proverbs 4:18" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/proverbs/4-20.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Proverbs 4:20"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Proverbs 4:20" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>