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He who plots evil will be called a schemer.
Proverbs 24:8 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.
  • KJV He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person.
  • NKJV He who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer.
  • NASB ¶One who plans to do evil, People will call a schemer.
  • NLT A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.

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 one who schemes to do evil earns a reputation as a troublemaker.

Overview

A person who deliberately plans wrongdoing becomes known for his mischief. The verse links inner scheming to public reputation; what one devises eventually defines one's name. Scripture warns that hidden plots will be exposed, for God weighs the heart and judges every secret intention (Luke 12:2-3).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ps 21:11Though they intend You harm, the schemes they devise will not prevail.
  • Prov 6:18a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
  • Prov 6:14With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.
  • Ezek 38:10–11This is what the Lord GOD says: On that day, thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil plan.
  • Prov 14:22Do not those who contrive evil go astray? But those who plan goodness find loving devotion and faithfulness.
  • Rom 1:30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.
  • Prov 24:2for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble.
  • Prov 24:9A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.
  • Nah 1:11From you, O Nineveh, comes forth a plotter of evil against the LORD, a counselor of wickedness.
  • Isa 10:7–13But this is not his intention; this is not his plan. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off many nations.
  • 1 Kgs 2:44The king also said, “You know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. Therefore the LORD will bring your evil back upon your head.
  • Isa 32:7The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 24:8YouTube · 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 24:8 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.