In Proverbs 3:2, it reads, “for length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee.”\u00a0\u00a0What is the difference between “length of days” and “long life?”<\/p>\n\t
A more literal translation of the verse is: “For\u00a0length of days<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0years of life<\/strong>\u00a0and peace they will add to you<\/em>” (Proverbs 3:2 NASB). A similar statement is found later, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0will be multiplied, And\u00a0years of life<\/strong>\u00a0will be added to you<\/em>” (Proverbs 9:10-11). Still, your question remains because there isn’t much difference between “length of days” and “years of life.” The contrast in “The fear of the LORD prolongs\u00a0days<\/strong>, but the\u00a0years<\/strong>\u00a0of the wicked will be shortened<\/em>” (Proverbs 10:27), shows terms “days” and “years” to be synonyms. We often find them used together in poetry:<\/p>\n “Are Your\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0like the\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0of a mortal man? Are Your\u00a0years<\/strong>\u00a0like the\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0of a mighty man?<\/em>” (Job 10:5).<\/p>\n “I have considered the\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0of old, the\u00a0years<\/strong>\u00a0of ancient times<\/em>” (Psalms 77:5).<\/p>\n “For all our\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0have passed away in your wrath. We bring our\u00a0years<\/strong>\u00a0to an end as a sigh. The\u00a0days<\/strong>\u00a0of our\u00a0years<\/strong>\u00a0are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty\u00a0years<\/strong>; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away<\/em>” (Psalms 90:9 WEB).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n “Years of life” is a phrase often used in the Old Testament to say how long a person lived: “These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the\u00a0years of the life<\/strong>\u00a0of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven<\/em>” (Exodus 6:16). Following wisdom increases how long we live on this earth. “Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the\u00a0years of your life<\/strong>\u00a0will be many<\/em>” (Proverbs 4:10).<\/p>\n But sometimes the phrase is “days of life.” “Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the\u00a0days of his life<\/strong>\u00a0which God gives him; for it is his heritage<\/em>.\u00a0… For he will not dwell unduly on the\u00a0days of his life<\/strong>, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 5:18, 20).<\/p>\n “Length of days” puts more emphasis on how long someone lives, not just breathing, but in a productive fashion. Each day is put to full use and their number will be many, for God keeps a man busy.<\/p>\n “Wisdom is with aged men, and with\u00a0length of days<\/strong>, understanding<\/em>” (Job 12:12).<\/p>\n “That you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your\u00a0life<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0length of your days<\/strong>; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them<\/em>” (Deuteronomy 30:20).<\/p>\n “Length of days<\/strong>\u00a0is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor<\/em>” (Proverbs 3:16).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This is a poetic way of emphasizing a productive and long life.<\/p>\n In pointing out the various usage of “days” and “years” I had to pick through versions that rendered these words literally. Too often a translation will switch the words for another to make the meaning clearer.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Question: In Proverbs 3:2, it reads, “for length of days, and long life, and peace shall they add to thee.”\u00a0\u00a0What is the difference between “length of days” and “long life?” Answer: A more literal translation of the verse is: “For\u00a0length of days\u00a0and\u00a0years of life\u00a0and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:2 NASB). A similar…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[668,76],"class_list":["post-27218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-proverbs","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4012,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-there-a-set-time-for-someone-to-die\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":0},"title":"Is there a set time for someone to die?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 5, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is there a set time for someone to die? You often hear people say, \"It was just their time to go.\" Answer: It is a fact that living means each of us will eventually die, barring those who will see our Lord's return. \"And as it is appointed for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41834,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-psalms-13916-mean-our-days-are-predetermined\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":1},"title":"Does Psalms 139:16 mean our days are predetermined?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have been participating in a women's Bible study that touches on the sovereignty of God. One of the verses that have been cited is Psalm 139:16. This verse has been interpreted in a way that assures us that the days of our lives were planned out by God\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59924,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/teach-your-child-the-fear-of-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":2},"title":"Teach Your Child the Fear of the Lord","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Forrest D. Moyer, 1989 When Paul had listed all the sins of the Gentiles and of the Jews and was summing up his argument as to why all need the gospel, he told us why there is so much sin in the world in these succinct words: \"There is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/03\/rainbow-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":68049,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-help-new-christians-start-their-journey\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":3},"title":"How do I help new Christians start their journey?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello brother, Two of my friends were baptized less than two weeks ago. I want to help them along this journey.\u00a0Are there any tips you can give me about how to help these new Christians? Answer: \"By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5343,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-solomons-writings-be-gods-words\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":4},"title":"How can Solomon’s writings be God’s words?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 16, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read what you said about Solomon's writing being the words of God, but it seems to me that something must have changed. How do you explain Proverbs 10:15 (in light of James 1:9-10), Proverbs 10:27 (in light of Jesus and John the Baptist), Proverbs 12:21 (in light of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61167,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wisdom-and-youth\/","url_meta":{"origin":27218,"position":5},"title":"Wisdom and Youth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 5, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Marshall Reid via Gospel Power, Vol. 15, No. 29, July 20, 2008. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a teenager at Florida College, full of energy and life, feeling like I could take on the world. I was going to be successful. I was going to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27218\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}