The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
- KJV The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
- BSB The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- NKJV The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- NASB The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- NLT The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
God keeps distance from the wicked but hears the prayers of the righteous. It matters because access to God in prayer is tied to a life turned toward Him.
Overview
The proverb affirms that Yahweh is near to hear the righteous while remaining far from the wicked. This is not earning God's ear by merit but reflects the relational nearness of those who walk with Him. Through Christ, sinners are made righteous and granted bold access to God in prayer (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-22).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- John 9:31We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
- Ps 145:18–19Yahweh is near to all those who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
- Prov 15:8The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
- 1 Pet 3:12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears open to their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
- Ps 34:15–17Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. His ears listen to their cry.
- Jas 5:16–18Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
- Eph 2:12–13that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
- Rom 8:26–27In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered.
- Ps 66:18–19If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened.
- Ps 138:6For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly; but the proud, he knows from afar.
- Isa 55:8–9“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not my ways,” says Yahweh.
- Matt 25:46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Ps 73:27For, behold, those who are far from you shall perish. You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to you.
- Ps 10:1Why do you stand far off, Yahweh? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
- Ps 18:41They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.
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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 15:29 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.