Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t be afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it comes:
- BSB Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
- NKJV Do not be afraid of sudden terror, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
- NASB Do not be afraid of sudden danger, Nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes;
- NLT You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked,
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
Do not be afraid of sudden terror or the ruin that overtakes the wicked. The wise need not live in dread of calamity.
Overview
The father urges fearlessness in the face of sudden disaster and the storm that falls on the wicked. This is not denial of danger but confident trust grounded in the LORD (made explicit in v. 26). The promise echoes the believer's freedom from fear because God is their refuge (Ps 91; Rom 8:31-39).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Isa 41:10–14Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
- Ps 112:7He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
- Ps 91:5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
- 1 Pet 3:14But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
- Isa 8:12–13Say ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.
- Matt 8:24–26And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
- Ps 46:1–3God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
- Job 11:13–15If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
- Matt 24:6And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
- Luke 21:18–28But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
- John 14:1Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
- Mark 4:40And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?
- Ps 73:19How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
- Dan 3:17–18If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
- Ps 27:1–2The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
- Luke 21:9But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
- Matt 24:15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
- Job 5:21–22Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.
- Prov 1:27When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
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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 3:25 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
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