Length of Days
Commonplace –
“The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened” (Proverbs 10:27).
In Proverbs 10:27, Solomon touches on the Biblical perspective on the key to long life: fear of the Lord. In a previous post, I covered the use of the word “fear”, which is the Hebrew word yir’â (“H3374”) and means ‘fear of God’ but also respect, reverence, piety. In contrast, the wicked live a short life, because they do not fear God.
Length of days is often mentioned as a blessing in the Bible, such as with Abraham, upon his passing:
“Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people” (Genesis 25:8, emphasis mine).
In secular society, too, living to an old age is considered a great achievement, and we track the oldest living person. (Currently, “the oldest known living person is Ethel Caterham of the United Kingdom, aged 116 years, 148 days” (Wikipedia)). Occasionally a reporter will seek this person out and ask the centenarians what their secret is to long life. Per AI, here is a summary of the responses:
“Secrets to a long life from centenarians often involve a mix of healthy diet (plant-based, Mediterranean), consistent activity, strong social/family ties, a positive attitude, purpose/spirituality, and sometimes moderate indulgences like wine, alongside stress management, with many emphasizing genetics and not sweating the small stuff” (Google AI, empasis mine).
It’s interesting that “purpose/spirituality” is often cited among the secrets that helped the person achieve longevity.
Yet how do we account for those Christians who die young? It would be short sighted not to consider that long life in this verse is actually a reference to eternal life and not simply days on earth. Eternal life is the blessing of every believer, even those who die young or early, and makes more sense in terms of Proverbs 10:27, because it speaks to every believer and not just those who are blessed with many days on earth.
Here is a summary of Matthew Henry’s thoughts on Proverbs 10:27:
“Religion lengthens men’s lives and crowns their hopes. What man is he that loves life? Let him fear God, and that will secure him from many things that would prejudice his life, and secure to him life enough in this world and eternal life in the other; the fear of the Lord will add days more than was expected, will add them endlessly, will prolong them to the days of eternity” (695).
Works Cited
“H3374 – yir’â – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Jan, 2026. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3374/kjv/wlc/0-1/.
Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 10:27.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.
Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.
Wikipedia contributors. “List of the verified oldest people.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 Jan. 2026. Web. 16 Jan. 2026.
© 2025 Angela Hormberg
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