He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.
- KJV He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
- NKJV He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.
- NASB One who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
- NLT Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise him.
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
Walking uprightly shows reverence for the LORD; crooked living despises Him. Conduct reveals one's true attitude toward God.
Overview
This proverb ties moral behavior directly to one's relationship with God: integrity expresses the fear of the LORD, while a perverse life shows contempt for Him. There is no neutral ground; how we live declares what we think of God. The gospel makes plain that genuine reverence flows from a heart renewed to love and obey God (1 John 5:3).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- 2 Tim 3:2–3For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
- Acts 10:35but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.
- Prov 28:6Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
- Ps 112:1Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Job 28:28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
- Eccl 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
- Rom 2:4–5Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
- Luke 10:16Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
- Ps 25:21May integrity and uprightness preserve me, because I wait for You.
- Acts 9:31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.
- Prov 11:12Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.
- 1 Kgs 3:6Solomon replied, “You have shown much loving devotion to Your servant, my father David, because he walked before You in faithfulness, righteousness, and uprightness of heart. And You have maintained this loving devotion by giving him a son to sit on his throne this very day.
- Prov 16:17The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.
- Luke 16:14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
- Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.
- Acts 10:22“Cornelius the centurion has sent us,” they said. “He is a righteous and God-fearing man with a good reputation among the whole Jewish nation. A holy angel instructed him to request your presence in his home so he could hear a message from you.”
- Prov 2:15whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious.
- Prov 19:1Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
- Mal 2:5–6“My covenant with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him; it called for reverence, and he revered Me and stood in awe of My name.
- Ps 123:3–4Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
- Job 12:4I am a laughingstock to my friends, though I called on God, and He answered. The righteous and upright man is a laughingstock.
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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 14:2 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
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