The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.
Parallel translations
- WEB What the wicked fear, will overtake them, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
- KJV The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
- BSB What the wicked man dreads will overtake him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
- NASB What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted.
- NLT The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
What the wicked dread will overtake them, but the righteous will be granted their desire. Fear comes upon the wicked; the godly receive what they long for.
Overview
This proverb contrasts the destinies of the wicked, who are seized by the very things they fear, and the righteous, whose godly desires are fulfilled. It assumes that the desires of the righteous are shaped by God's will. The principle reflects the promise that those who delight in the Lord are granted the desires of their hearts (Psalm 37:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 145:19He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him. He also will hear their cry, and will save them.
- Isa 66:4I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears on them; because when I called, no one answered; when I spoke, they didn’t listen; but they did that which was evil in my eyes, and chose that in which I didn’t delight.”
- Matt 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
- Job 15:21A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.
- 1 Jn 5:14–15This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us.
- Ps 37:4Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
- Job 3:25For the thing which I fear comes on me, That which I am afraid of comes to me.
- John 16:24Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.
- Heb 10:27but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries.
- Ps 21:2You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah.
- John 14:18I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 10:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.