One who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But 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.
- BSB He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
- NKJV He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord, But he who is perverse 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 self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- Acts 10:35but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
- Prov 28:6Better is the poor who walks in his integrity, than he who is perverse in his ways, and he is rich.
- Ps 112:1Praise Yah! Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh, who delights greatly in his commandments.
- Job 28:28To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
- Eccl 12:13This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
- Rom 2:4–5Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
- Luke 10:16Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
- Ps 25:21Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
- Acts 9:31So the assemblies throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
- Prov 11:12One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace.
- 1 Kgs 3:6Solomon said, “You have shown to your servant David my father great loving kindness, because he walked before you in truth, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with you. You have kept for him this great loving kindness, that you have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.
- Prov 16:17The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
- Luke 16:14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they scoffed at him.
- Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
- Acts 10:22They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say.”
- Prov 2:15who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:
- Prov 19:1Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
- Mal 2:5–6“My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him that he might be reverent toward me; and he was reverent toward me, and stood in awe of my name.
- Ps 123:3–4Have mercy on us, Yahweh, have mercy on us, for we have endured much contempt.
- Job 12:4I am like one who is a joke to his neighbor, I, who called on God, and he answered. The just, the blameless man is a joke.
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 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
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.