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He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.
Proverbs 28:10 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will inherit good.
  • KJV Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession.
  • NKJV Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, He himself will fall into his own pit; But the blameless will inherit good.
  • NASB One who leads the upright astray in an evil way Will himself fall into his own pit, But the blameless will inherit good.
  • NLT Those who lead good people along an evil path will fall into their own trap, but the honest will inherit good things.

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

Whoever leads the upright into evil will be caught in his own trap, while the blameless inherit good. It assures that those who corrupt others bring ruin on themselves.

Overview

The proverb promises that those who seduce the righteous into wrongdoing will fall into the very snare they set, while the blameless receive good. God overturns the schemes of the wicked and rewards integrity. This reflects the gospel hope that the faithful inherit good, ultimately the inheritance kept in heaven for those in Christ (1 Peter 1:4).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 22

  • Prov 26:27He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.
  • Ps 37:25–26I once was young and now am old, yet never have I seen the righteous abandoned or their children begging for bread.
  • Ps 7:15–16He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
  • Prov 10:3The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry, but He denies the craving of the wicked.
  • Matt 6:33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.
  • Prov 15:6The house of the righteous has great treasure, but the income of the wicked is trouble.
  • Ps 37:11But the meek will inherit the land and delight in abundant prosperity.
  • Gal 1:8–9But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a curse!
  • Gal 2:4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
  • Deut 7:12–14If you listen to these ordinances and keep them carefully, then the LORD your God will keep His covenant and the loving devotion that He swore to your fathers.
  • Rom 16:17–18Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
  • Gal 3:1–4O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
  • Rev 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
  • 2 Cor 11:3–4I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
  • 2 Pet 2:18–20With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.
  • 2 Cor 11:13–15For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
  • Prov 21:20Precious treasures and oil are in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man consumes them.
  • Num 31:15–16“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.
  • Ps 9:15The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
  • Acts 13:8–10But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
  • 1 Sam 26:19Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
  • Eccl 10:8He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake.

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 28:10YouTube · 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 28:10 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.