What does Proverbs 10:25 mean?
A "proverb," by definition, is a brief, general-case observation or commonsense teaching. Most are self-contained, but some harmonize with other ideas. This proverb closely connects to the one given in the prior verse (Proverbs 10:24). Solomon has already noted that participating in evil brings a person great risks, in this life, and condemnation in eternity (Proverbs 10:8–11).In parallel with those earlier ideas, Solomon observes that "a tempest," suggesting a storm or disaster, destroys the wicked but it does not destroy the righteous. Taken in an earthly sense, this might imply that the risks taken by a life of sin and evil leave a person less likely to be helped or rescued during a crisis. Or, that a "storm" of opposition is more of a threat to those who live through lies and deception, whereas those who are honest and decent have less to fear.
Translations such as the NASB render this verse to say, "the righteous has an everlasting foundation." Scripture teaches that the life built by an unbeliever is like a house built on sand. When heavy rains pound it and a flood engulfs it, the house collapses; but the life of a righteous person is like a house built on a rock. Heavy rains and a rising flood cannot destroy it (Matthew 7:24–27). Whether spiritually or physically, living by godly truth is a more secure choice (Proverbs 10:27).
Alternatively, this reference to a tempest may be a figurative depiction of divine judgment. When God judges the wicked, they will not survive. They will be consigned to the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:15). The righteous—those whose faith is anchored in Jesus—will not suffer a similar fate. They will never perish. Romans 8:1 states, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." On the cross, Jesus was punished for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2), and "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36).
