Proverbs 11:23
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The desire of the righteous leads only to good, but the hope of the wicked brings wrath.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The following proverbs are especially directed, as connected with this כן, against the contradiction of the external appearance and of the masked internal nature. 20 An abomination to Jahve are the crookedly dishonest of heart, And they who are of honest walk are his delight.
Open source ↗This tells us what the desire and expectation of the righteous and of the wicked are and how they will prove, what they would have and what they shall have. 1. The righteous would have good, only good; all they desire is that it may go well with all about them; they wish no hurt to any, but happiness to all; as to themselves, their desire is not to gratify any evil lust, but to obtain the favour of a good God and to preserve the peace of a good conscience; and good they shall have, that good which they desire, Psa 37:4. 2. The wicked would have wrath; they desire the woeful day, that God's judgments may gratify their passion and revenge, may remove those that stand in their way, and that they may make an advantage to themselves by fishing in troubled waters; and wrath they shall have, so shall their doom be. They expect and desire mischief to others, but it shall return upon themselves; as they loved cursing, they shall have enough of it.
Open source ↗11:23 The wicked might prosper and the godly might suffer in the short term, but the future will right this imbalance.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.
But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.
My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and seek Him in His temple.
The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectations of the wicked will perish.
You have heard, O LORD, the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts. You will incline Your ear,
Oh, that my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes!
When the wicked man dies, his hope perishes, and the hope of his strength vanishes.