Proverbs 12:3
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
3 A man does not stand by wickedness, But the root of the righteous remains unmoved. In רשׁע there lies the idea of want of inward stay (vid., at Psa 1:1); in a manner of thought and of conduct which has no stay in God and His law, there can be expected no external endurance, no solidity. The righteous, on the contrary, have their root in God; nothing can tear them from the ground in which they are rooted, they are as trees which no storm outroots. The very same thought is clothed in other words in Pro 10:25, and another statement regarding the root of the righteous is found at Pro 12:12.
Open source ↗Note, 1. Though men may advance themselves by sinful arts, they cannot by such arts settle and secure themselves; though they may get large estates they cannot get such as will abide: A man shall not be established by wickedness; it may set him in high places, but they are slippery places, Psa 73:18. That prosperity which is raised by sin is built on the sand, and so it will soon appear. 2. Though good men may have but little of the world, yet that little will last, and what is honestly got will wear well: The root of the righteous shall not be moved, though their branches may be shaken. Those that by faith are rooted in Christ are firmly fixed; in him their comfort and happiness are so rooted as never to be rooted up.
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.
When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
The wicked desire the plunder of evil men, but the root of the righteous flourishes.
who lends his money without interest and refuses a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.
Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, because today you kept me from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand.
He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.