Chapter
Verse

Proverbs 1:27

ESV when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
NIV when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
NASB When your dread comes like a storm And your disaster comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.
CSB when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when trouble and stress overcome you.
NLT when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster engulfs you like a cyclone, and anguish and distress overwhelm you.
KJV When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
NKJV When your terror comes like a storm, And your destruction comes like a whirlwind, When distress and anguish come upon you.

What does Proverbs 1:27 mean?

The imagery of this verse hints at the reality of cause and effect. God sometimes intervenes in his creation through miracles. Most of the time, though, He allows the universe He has designed to function exactly as it was designed to. A primary theme of the book of Proverbs is that we do, in fact, have opportunities to reduce our suffering. This is the purpose of God-given wisdom. All too often, we ignore what God has told us, and then complain about the results. But if we ignore wisdom, we're throwing ourselves on the mercy of chance and consequences.

Cause and effect are not something we can escape, whether we follow Christ or not. Following the foolish ways of sin and temptation absolutely guarantees that calamity and terror will ensue. This passage, especially verses 26 and 27, is a stark reminder that when we purposefully ignore wisdom, we can't rightly demand sympathy.
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