Proverbs 10:9-32

9 He 1who walks in integrity walks securely, But 2he who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He 3who winks the eye causes trouble, And 4a babbling fool will be ruined.
11 The 5mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, But 6the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife, But 7love covers all transgressions.
13 On 8the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found, But 9a rod is for the back of him who lacks understanding.
14 Wise men 10store up knowledge, But with 11the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The 12rich man's wealth is his fortress *, The 13ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The 14wages of the righteous is life, The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 He 15is on the path of life who heeds instruction, But he who ignores reproof goes astray.
18 He 16who conceals hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are 17many words, transgression is unavoidable *, But 18he who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is as 19choice silver, The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The 20lips of the righteous feed many, But fools 21die for lack of understanding.
22 It is the 22blessing of the LORD that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like 23sport to a fool, And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
24 What 24the wicked fears will come upon him, But the 25desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the 26whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the 27righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the 28lazy one to those who send him.
27 The 29fear of the LORD prolongs life, But the 30years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The 31hope of the righteous is gladness, But the 32expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The 33way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, But 34ruin to the workers of iniquity.
30 The 35righteous will never * be shaken, But 36the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The 37mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the 38perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous bring forth 39what is acceptable, But the 40mouth of the wicked what is perverted.

Proverbs 10:9-32 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PROVERBS 10

From this chapter to the "twenty fifth" are various proverbial sentences, without any very apparent connection or coherence with each other; describing righteous and wicked men; setting forth their different temper, conduct, and actions, and the fruits and effects of them. It should be observed, that frequently in the preceding chapters two persons are represented as women; one goes by the name of "Wisdom", the other is called the "foolish" woman and a "harlot"; the former is clearly to be understood of Christ; and the latter, being opposed to him, must be antichrist, the whore of Rome, and mother of harlots: now in the following part of this book two sorts of persons are spoken of; the one as wise, righteous, good and the other as foolish, wicked, &c. who are no other than the followers of Christ and antichrist; which observation is a key to the whole book.

Cross References 40

  • 1. Psalms 23:4; Proverbs 3:23; Proverbs 28:18; Isaiah 33:15, 16
  • 2. Proverbs 26:26; Matthew 10:26; 1 Timothy 5:25
  • 3. Psalms 35:19; Proverbs 6:13
  • 4. Proverbs 10:8
  • 5. Psalms 37:30; Proverbs 13:14; Proverbs 18:4
  • 6. Proverbs 10:6
  • 7. Proverbs 17:9; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:8
  • 8. Proverbs 10:31
  • 9. Proverbs 19:29; Proverbs 26:3
  • 10. Proverbs 9:9
  • 11. Proverbs 10:8, 10; Proverbs 13:3; Proverbs 18:7
  • 12. Job 31:24; Psalms 52:7; Proverbs 18:11
  • 13. Proverbs 19:7
  • 14. Proverbs 11:18, 19
  • 15. Proverbs 6:23
  • 16. Proverbs 26:24
  • 17. Job 11:2; Proverbs 18:21; Ecclesiastes 5:3
  • 18. Proverbs 17:27; James 1:19; James 3:2
  • 19. Proverbs 8:19
  • 20. Proverbs 10:11
  • 21. Proverbs 5:23; Hosea 4:6
  • 22. Genesis 24:35; Genesis 26:12; Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 8:21
  • 23. Proverbs 2:14; Proverbs 15:21
  • 24. Job 15:21; Proverbs 1:27; Isaiah 66:4
  • 25. Psalms 145:19; Proverbs 15:8; Matthew 5:6; 1 John 5:14, 15
  • 26. Job 21:18; Psalms 58:9; Proverbs 12:7
  • 27. Psalms 15:5; Proverbs 12:3; Matthew 7:24, 25
  • 28. Proverbs 26:6
  • 29. Proverbs 3:2; Proverbs 9:11; Proverbs 14:27
  • 30. Job 15:32, 33; Job 22:16; Psalms 55:23
  • 31. Proverbs 11:23
  • 32. Job 8:13; Job 11:20; Proverbs 11:7
  • 33. Proverbs 13:6
  • 34. Proverbs 21:15
  • 35. Psalms 37:29; Psalms 125:1; Proverbs 2:21
  • 36. Proverbs 2:22
  • 37. Psalms 37:30; Proverbs 10:13
  • 38. Proverbs 17:20
  • 39. Ecclesiastes 12:10
  • 40. Proverbs 2:12; Proverbs 6:12

Footnotes 7

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