Limitless Word
The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.
Proverbs 14:32 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB The wicked is brought down in his calamity, but in death, the righteous has a refuge.
  • KJV The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
  • NKJV The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death.
  • NASB The wicked is thrust down by his own wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.
  • NLT The wicked are crushed by disaster, but the godly have a refuge when they die.

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 crushed by calamity, but the righteous have a refuge even in death. Faith provides hope beyond the grave.

Overview

While disaster overwhelms the wicked, the righteous find shelter, even when facing death itself. This striking phrase hints at a hope that outlasts this life, developed more fully in later revelation. For the believer, that refuge is Christ, who has conquered death and secured eternal life for His own (John 11:25-26).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 25

  • 2 Tim 4:18And the Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
  • Ps 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
  • 2 Cor 5:8We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
  • Gen 49:18I await Your salvation, O LORD.
  • Job 19:25–27But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.
  • Rev 14:13And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
  • Job 13:15Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.
  • Ps 37:37Consider the blameless and observe the upright, for posterity awaits the man of peace.
  • 2 Cor 1:9Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
  • Prov 24:16For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times.
  • Ps 17:15As for me, I will behold Your face in righteousness; when I awake, I will be satisfied in Your presence.
  • Ps 16:11You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
  • John 8:21Again He said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for Me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.”
  • John 8:24That is why I told you that you would die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
  • Rom 9:22What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?
  • 1 Th 5:3While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
  • Job 27:20–22Terrors overtake him like a flood; a tempest sweeps him away in the night.
  • Job 18:18He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world.
  • Dan 5:26–30And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.
  • Luke 2:29“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.
  • Phil 1:21For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
  • Phil 1:23I am torn between the two. I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better indeed.
  • Prov 6:15Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.
  • 1 Cor 15:55–58“Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
  • Ps 58:9Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

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 14:32YouTube · 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 14:32 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.