For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
Parallel translations
- WEB For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.
- BSB For the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will 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 shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
- Ps 37:9For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
- Ps 37:29The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.
- Prov 10:30The righteous shall never be removed: but the wicked shall not inhabit the earth.
- Job 42:12So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses.
- Ps 37:11But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
- Ps 37:3Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
- Ps 37:22For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off.
- Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
- Ps 112:4–6Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, 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.