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The wicked are overthrown and perish, but the house of the righteous will stand.
Proverbs 12:7 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The wicked are overthrown, and are no more, but the house of the righteous shall stand.
  • KJV The wicked are overthrown, and are not: but the house of the righteous shall stand.
  • NKJV The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand.
  • NASB The wicked are overthrown and are no more, But the house of the righteous will stand.
  • NLT The wicked die and disappear, but the family of the godly stands firm.

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 wicked are overthrown and gone, but the house of the righteous stands. Evil is impermanent, while righteousness endures.

Overview

This proverb contrasts the swift downfall of the wicked with the lasting stability of the righteous household. It reaffirms the wisdom theme that godliness has staying power while evil does not. The enduring house points to the security of those built on the firm foundation of God's truth, fully realized in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Matt 7:24–27Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
  • Prov 10:25When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.
  • Prov 11:21Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
  • Job 5:3–4I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
  • Esth 9:6–10In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,
  • Ps 37:10Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
  • Job 18:15–20Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur rains down on his dwelling.
  • Job 27:18–23The house he built is like a moth’s cocoon, like a hut set up by a watchman.
  • Job 11:20But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; they will hope for their last breath.”
  • 2 Sam 7:16Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”
  • 2 Sam 7:26so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, ‘The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.’ And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.
  • Esth 9:14So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.
  • Job 34:25Therefore, He recognizes their deeds; He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.
  • Ps 37:35–37I have seen a wicked, ruthless man flourishing like a well-rooted native tree,
  • Ps 73:18–19Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
  • Prov 14:11The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish.
  • Prov 24:3–4By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established;
  • Prov 14:1Every wise woman builds her house, but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.
  • Prov 15:25The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but He protects the boundaries of the widow.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 12:7YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 12:7 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.