Proverbs 10:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: What the wicked dreads will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted.

NIV: What the wicked dread will overtake them; what the righteous desire will be granted.

NASB: What the wicked fears will come upon him, But the desire of the righteous will be granted.

CSB: What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them.

NLT: The fears of the wicked will be fulfilled; the hopes of the godly will be granted.

KJV: The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted.

NKJV: The fear of the wicked will come upon him, And the desire of the righteous will be granted.

This contrasts two very different results of living wickedly versus living righteously. The wicked live in fear of punishment for their evil deeds, whereas the righteous can look forward to the rewards of blessing and God's approval.

In an earthly sense this is like the warning given a few verses ago (Proverbs 10:12, 22). It's also expressed in prior passages from the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 6:27–28; 10:2, 9). Those who deal in evil and lies, by necessity, put themselves at risk of being found out, or subjected to revenge, or criminal charges (Proverbs 9:16–18). What evil people try to avoid, through their sins, is always lurking and keeping them from being fully at ease (Proverbs 3:21–25). In direct contrast, those who live righteously are not subject to those consequences.

Eternally, this contrast also applies. Though they try to "get ahead" through sin, those who reject God will ultimately experience judgment. God's wrath will engulf them, and they will suffer eternally in the lake of fire (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:18; Revelation 20:10–15). By contrast, those who practice righteousness will be rewarded at the Judgment Seat of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10–14; 9:24–25; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Psalm 37:4 promises, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart." The same passage provides wise counsel and promises a good reward: "Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday" (Psalm 37:5–6).

The choice is clear: a person can opt for wickedness and judgment or righteousness and reward. The idea is continued in the following verses (Proverbs 10:25, 27).

This chapter begins 375 "proverbs," which are general-case lessons or observations. These wise remarks continue the discussion of wisdom and wickedness begun in chapters 1—9. Most of the verses in chapter 10 contain a sharp contrast, with the conjunction "but" separating the lines. Often, the subject changes from verse to verse. The contrasting subjects include sons, treasure, work ethic, reputation, relationships, success, and speech.

In Proverbs 7—9 Solomon contrasts wisdom and wickedness in the symbolic persons of Lady Wisdom and Woman Folly. He calls upon his sons, or students, to choose wisdom, and he points out the benefits of choosing wisdom and the disastrous results of choosing wickedness. Chapter 10 presents vivid contrasts between wisdom and wickedness in many of life's settings. These comparisons continue into chapter 11.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.