The righteous man walks with integrity; blessed are his children after him.
Parallel translations
- WEB A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him.
- KJV The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
- NKJV The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
- NASB A righteous person who walks in his integrity— How blessed are his sons after him.
- NLT The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.
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
A righteous person's integrity blesses even his children. Godly character leaves a legacy of blessing.
Overview
This proverb commends the righteous man who walks in integrity and pronounces his children blessed after him, recognizing how a parent's godly life benefits the next generation. It reflects the covenant pattern of God's faithfulness extending to the children of those who love Him (Exod. 20:6). While each person stands before God individually, the verse encourages parents that integrity bears fruit beyond themselves, ultimately rooted in God's covenant grace in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 112:2His descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
- Ps 37:26They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
- Jer 32:39I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
- 2 Cor 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
- Acts 2:39This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- 3 Jn 1:3–4For I was overjoyed when the brothers came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you continue to walk.
- Prov 13:22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
- Prov 19:1Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a fool whose lips are perverse.
- Luke 1:6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord.
- Ps 15:2He who walks with integrity and practices righteousness, who speaks the truth from his heart,
- Gen 17:7I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Ps 26:1Of David. Vindicate me, O LORD! For I have walked with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
- Prov 14:2He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.
- Titus 2:11–12For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to everyone.
- Isa 33:15He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, who refuses gain from extortion, whose hand never takes a bribe, who stops his ears against murderous plots and shuts his eyes tightly against evil—
- Ps 26:11But I will walk with integrity; redeem me and be merciful to me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:7 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.