A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.
Parallel translations
- WEB A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
- BSB A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
- NKJV A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
- NASB A good person leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren, And the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
- NLT Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.
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
A good man leaves a lasting inheritance, while the sinner's wealth ends up with the righteous. God ultimately redistributes according to His justice.
Overview
This proverb commends generational stewardship and observes that, in God's providence, ill-gotten or hoarded wealth often passes finally to the righteous. It encourages provision for one's family and confidence in God's just ordering of things. The truest inheritance, however, is the imperishable one kept in heaven for God's children (1 Peter 1:4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Eccl 2:26For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
- Job 27:16–17Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay;
- Prov 28:8He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.
- Ps 37:25I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
- Ps 112:2His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.
- Gen 17:7–8And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.
- Ps 25:12–13What man is he that feareth the LORD? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
- Ezra 9:12Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth for ever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children for ever.
- Ps 128:6Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.
- Ps 102:28The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.
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 13:22 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.