An evil man seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
Parallel translations
- WEB An evil man seeks only rebellion; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
- BSB An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- NKJV An evil man seeks only rebellion; Therefore a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- NASB A rebellious person seeks only evil, So a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- NLT Evil people are eager for rebellion, but they will be severely punished.
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
An evil person bent on rebellion invites severe judgment against himself. It matters because persistent defiance brings inevitable and harsh consequences.
Overview
This proverb warns that the evil man seeking only rebellion will face a cruel messenger of judgment. Rebellion against rightful authority, and ultimately against God, provokes certain reckoning. It reflects the biblical truth that defiance of God's order leads to ruin (Romans 13:2).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Kgs 2:46So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; which went out, and fell upon him, that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 2 Sam 18:15And ten young men that bare Joab’s armour compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.
- 2 Sam 16:5–9And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came.
- 2 Sam 20:22Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.
- 1 Kgs 2:24–25Now therefore, as the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.
- Matt 22:7But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- 1 Kgs 2:31And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
- Luke 19:27But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.
- Matt 21:41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
- 2 Sam 15:12And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom.
- 2 Sam 20:1And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
- 2 Sam 18:19Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD hath avenged him of his enemies.
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 17:11 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.