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Proverbs 9:9

ESV Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
NIV Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.
NASB Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser; Teach a righteous person and he will increase his insight.
CSB Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still; teach the righteous, and he will learn more.
NLT Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more.
KJV Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.

What does Proverbs 9:9 mean?

Solomon affirms that a person who sincerely seeks truth—the "wise" man—cooperates with correction and will become even wiser. Furthermore, those who seek to be godly, or righteous, will respond positively to your knowledge. They will improve their own wisdom by considering yours. This is in direct contrast to the arrogance of those who hate being corrected, who respond to wisdom with venom and evil (Proverbs 9:7–8).

The Christian life is not static; it is dynamic, A believer will never reach a point where they have no need for additional wisdom or further learning. The Bible challenges believers to build on their faith and to grow their knowledge of the Lord. In 2 Peter 1:5–7 the apostle Peter admonishes: "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love." He concludes 2 Peter by writing: "But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

Even the apostle Paul, among the most wise and experienced of Christians, writes: "Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13–14).
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