The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but he loves him who follows after righteousness.
Parallel translations
- KJV The way of the wicked is an abomination unto the LORD: but he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
- BSB The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves those who pursue righteousness.
- NKJV The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves him who follows righteousness.
- NASB The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, But He loves the one who pursues righteousness.
- NLT The Lord detests the way of the wicked, but he loves those who pursue godliness.
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 LORD detests the way of the wicked but loves those who pursue righteousness. God's affection rests on the pursuit of holiness.
Overview
This proverb contrasts God's abhorrence of the wicked's lifestyle with His love for those who earnestly follow righteousness. It reveals that God is not indifferent but personally responds to the direction of our lives. The pursuit of righteousness it commends is empowered in the believer by grace, as we follow after Christ (Hebrews 12:14).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Tim 6:11But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
- Prov 21:21He who follows after righteousness and kindness finds life, righteousness, and honor.
- Hos 6:3Let us acknowledge Yahweh. Let us press on to know Yahweh. As surely as the sun rises, Yahweh will appear. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain that waters the earth.”
- Jer 44:4However I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, “Oh, don’t do this abominable thing that I hate.”
- Hab 1:13You who have purer eyes than to see evil, and who cannot look on perversity, why do you tolerate those who deal treacherously, and keep silent when the wicked swallows up the man who is more righteous than he,
- Matt 7:13“Enter in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter in by it.
- Isa 51:7“Listen to me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law: Don’t fear the reproach of men, and don’t be dismayed at their insults.
- Prov 21:4A high look, and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, is sin.
- 2 Tim 2:22Flee from youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
- Isa 26:7The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.
- Prov 4:19The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.
- Ps 146:8–9Yahweh opens the eyes of the blind. Yahweh raises up those who are bowed down. Yahweh loves the righteous.
- Ps 1:6For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
- Prov 21:8The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.
- Isa 51:1“Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh: look to the rock you were cut from, and to the quarry you were dug from.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 15:9 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.