For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
Parallel translations
- WEB For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.
- KJV For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
- NKJV For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;
- NASB For the upright will live in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;
- NLT For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.
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 upright will dwell in the land and the blameless remain in it. It matters because it promises lasting security for those who live rightly.
Overview
Echoing covenant language about the promised land, this verse assures the upright of enduring, settled blessing. Dwelling in the land symbolizes resting securely under God's favor. The promise points forward to the inheritance of the meek who will inherit the earth (Matt. 5:5).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 84:11For the LORD God is a sun and a shield; the LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
- Ps 37:9For the evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
- Ps 37:29The righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
- Prov 10:30The righteous will never be shaken, but the wicked will not inhabit the land.
- Job 42:12So the LORD blessed Job’s latter days more than his first. He owned 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys.
- Ps 37:11But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.
- Ps 37:3Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
- Ps 37:22Surely those He blesses will inherit the land, but the cursed will be destroyed.
- Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And this man was blameless and upright, fearing God and shunning evil.
- Ps 112:4–6Light dawns in the darkness for the upright—for the gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
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 2:21 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.