from those who enjoy doing evil and rejoice in the twistedness of evil,
Parallel translations
- WEB who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;
- KJV Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
- NKJV Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
- NASB Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil;
- NLT They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
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
They actually rejoice in doing evil and delight in its perverseness. It matters because it reveals how deeply sin can corrupt the heart's affections.
Overview
The wicked do not merely sin but take pleasure in it, celebrating evil and perversity. When the heart delights in wrong, corruption has gone deep. This sobering portrait shows the need for the new heart that only God's grace can give.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 10:23The fool delights in shameful conduct, but a man of understanding has wisdom.
- Rom 1:32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
- Jer 11:15What right has My beloved in My house, having carried out so many evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your doom, so that you can rejoice?
- Luke 22:4–5And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them.
- 1 Cor 13:6Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices in the truth.
- Hos 7:3They delight the king with their evil, and the princes with their lies.
- Zeph 3:11On that day you will not be put to shame for any of the deeds by which you have transgressed against Me. For then I will remove from among you those who rejoice in their pride, and you will never again be haughty on My holy mountain.
- Hab 1:15The foe pulls all of them up with a hook; he catches them in his dragnet, and gathers them in his fishing net; so he rejoices gladly.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 2:14 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.