Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless, But wickedness overthrows the sinner.
Parallel translations
- WEB Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
- KJV Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.
- BSB Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness undermines the sinner.
- NASB Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But wickedness brings the sinner to ruin.
- NLT Godliness guards the path of the blameless, but the evil are misled by sin.
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
Righteousness protects those who walk with integrity, but wickedness ruins the sinner. Moral character shapes one's destiny.
Overview
This proverb personifies righteousness as a guardian over the upright path and wickedness as a destructive force that overthrows the sinner. The contrast is not merely about outcomes but about the inherent direction each way leads. Ultimately it is Christ's righteousness, received by faith, that truly guards the believer and secures the way of life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Prov 11:3The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
- Prov 11:5–6The righteousness of the blameless will direct his way, but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
- Ps 26:1By David. Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
- Ps 15:2He who walks blamelessly does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart;
- Ps 140:11An evil speaker won’t be established in the earth. Evil will hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
- Prov 21:12The Righteous One considers the house of the wicked, and brings the wicked to ruin.
- Ps 25:21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
- Prov 5:22The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare him. The cords of his sin hold him firmly.
- 2 Chr 28:23For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus, which struck him. He said, “Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, so I will sacrifice to them, that they may help me.” But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.
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 13:6 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.