WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS WHERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines the word Vision as follows: the ability to think about or plan the future with wisdom. A mental image of what the future will or could be like. An experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition.

The Hebrew word for Vision is Châzôwn. It means a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation or oracle.

In proverbs 29:18 we have the verse that reads, where there is no vision, the people perish, but happy is he that keeps the law.

Mostly everyone I’ve listened to has regarded this verse to mean a vision, plan or dream God has given them perhaps for their ministry or just a personal goal. While God does give us plans for our lives in service to him as believers, that is not the meaning of this passage.

What the writer means here is, where there is no prophetic revelation, that is no word from the Lord, the people cast off restraint, that is the people will rebel, but happy is he that keeps the law. The word vision in Proverbs 29:18 is synonymous with the word law which in the Hebrew is the word Tôrâh; meaning precept or statute; the Decalogue or Penatateuch.

It is the power of the word that prevents us from doing some of the evil things that we do. It is the power of the word of God that restrains us for fulfilling our lustful desires. It is the word of God that provides direction; The word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Another powerful passage is in Psalm 19:7 which reads, the law of the Lord is perfect converting or restoring the soul (emphasis added).

Without God’s word we’re lost and are in darkness; Why? Because God is no longer speaking to us therefore we have no direction; without divine guidance, we’re left to our own devices which will certainly brings us swift destruction.

To say this passage means personal dreams or aspirations or goals is a misinterpretation of the passage and removes it from it’s original context and places a private interpretation on it which is error. Scholars call this Eisegesis; that is placing ones own ideas on what the writer meant in the bible. Eisegesis is the opposite of Exegesis which of course is correctly explaining the text of scripture.