What is the meaning of Proverbs 14:24?

The crown of the wise

• Scripture pictures wisdom wearing a crown—an image of honor, dignity, and visible blessing. Proverbs 4:9 says, “She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will give you a crown of beauty,” linking wisdom and crowning.

• A crown isn’t earned once and forgotten; it is continually displayed. Likewise, the life-choices of the wise keep demonstrating God’s favor (Proverbs 16:31; 8:18).

• This crown reminds others that fearing the LORD really is “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10), and it invites them to pursue the same path.

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is their wealth

• Solomon states plainly that the wise accumulate “wealth.” Diligence, integrity, and restraint lead to tangible provision (Proverbs 10:4; 21:20).

• Wealth, in Scripture, is a tool for worship: “Honor the LORD with your wealth” (Proverbs 3:9-10). The wise see their resources as God-given and God-directed.

• Their riches bless more than themselves. “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children” (Proverbs 13:22) and is “rich in good deeds” (1 Timothy 6:17-19).

• The crown-like display of wealth therefore points back to God’s faithfulness and forward to generous living.

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but the effort of fools

• Fools work, too, yet their “effort” (literally, their labor or pursuits) is misdirected. Ecclesiastes 10:15 observes, “The toil of fools wearies them, for they do not know the way to the city.”

• They ignore wisdom’s warnings, chase quick gain, and refuse correction (Proverbs 12:15; 14:16).

• Their energy may be impressive, but without godly guidance it runs in circles—much heat, little light.

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is folly

• All that striving ends in “folly”—emptiness, shame, and loss. Proverbs 21:17 cautions, “He who loves pleasure will become poor,” and James 3:16 shows how selfish ambition breeds “disorder and every evil practice.”

• The fool’s final balance sheet is negative: wasted time, squandered resources, broken relationships, and spiritual bankruptcy.

• The contrast could not be sharper: the wise display a crown; the fool displays disappointment.

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summary

Proverbs 14:24 draws a vivid line. Wisdom produces visible, God-honoring abundance that serves as a crown. Folly produces frantic motion with nothing to show but shame. Choose wisdom, fear the LORD, steward His blessings, and let your life become an ongoing testimony to His goodness.