Limitless Word
For the upright will dwell in the land, And the blameless will remain in it;
Proverbs 2:21 · New King James Version
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.
  • BSB For the upright will inhabit 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 Yahweh God is a sun and a shield. Yahweh will give grace and glory. He withholds no good thing from those who walk blamelessly.
  • Ps 37:9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
  • Ps 37:29The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever.
  • Prov 10:30The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
  • Job 42:12So Yahweh blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand female donkeys.
  • Ps 37:11But the humble shall inherit the land, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
  • Ps 37:3Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
  • Ps 37:22For such as are blessed by him shall inherit the land. Those who are cursed by him shall be cut off.
  • Job 1:1There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God, and turned away from evil.
  • Ps 112:4–6Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 2:21YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 2:21 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.