The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.
Parallel translations
- WEB The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hope of the wicked will perish.
- KJV The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
- BSB The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
- NKJV The hope of the righteous will be gladness, But the expectation of the wicked will perish.
- NASB The hope of the righteous is gladness, But the expectation of the wicked perishes.
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
The righteous look forward to joy, but the hope of the wicked comes to nothing. What we hope in determines whether our future is gladness or disappointment.
Overview
Hope grounded in God yields lasting joy, while hope set on sin or self ultimately perishes. The proverb contrasts two destinies that flow from two different foundations for hope. For the believer this hope is secured in Christ, in whom our expectation can never be put to shame.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Job 8:13So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man shall perish,
- Ps 73:24–26You will guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
- Rom 15:13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Prov 11:7When a wicked man dies, hope perishes, and expectation of power comes to nothing.
- 2 Th 2:16Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
- Rom 5:2through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
- Job 11:20But the eyes of the wicked shall fail. They shall have no way to flee. Their hope shall be the giving up of the spirit.”
- Ps 112:10The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
- Rom 12:12rejoicing in hope; enduring in troubles; continuing steadfastly in prayer;
- Prov 14:32The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge.
- Luke 16:23–26In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.
- Ps 16:9Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 10:28 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.