Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.
Parallel translations
- WEB Getting treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor for those who seek death.
- KJV The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
- ESV The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.
- NKJV Getting treasures by a lying tongue Is the fleeting fantasy of those who seek death.
- NASB The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor, the pursuit of death.
- NLT Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Wealth gained by lies is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare. It matters because dishonest riches are worthless and lead to ruin.
Overview
Treasures amassed through deceit vanish like mist and lead those who pursue them toward death (Proverbs 10:2; 13:11). The verse exposes the emptiness and danger of ill-gotten gain. Lasting good comes only through honesty and righteousness, not through lying lips.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 13:11Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.
- Prov 10:2Ill-gotten treasures profit nothing, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.
- Jer 17:11Like a partridge hatching eggs it did not lay is the man who makes a fortune unjustly. In the middle of his days his riches will desert him, and in the end he will be the fool.”
- Prov 20:21An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.
- Prov 8:36But he who fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
- 1 Tim 6:9–10Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.
- Prov 30:8Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.
- 2 Pet 2:3In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.
- Prov 22:8He who sows injustice will reap disaster, and the rod of his fury will be destroyed.
- Prov 20:14“Worthless, worthless!” says the buyer, but on the way out, he gloats.
- Titus 1:11who must be silenced. For the sake of dishonorable gain, they undermine entire households and teach things they should not.
- Ezek 18:31Cast away from yourselves all the transgressions you have committed, and fashion for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, O house of Israel?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
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 21:6 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.