Proverbs 10:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

NIV: The name of the righteous is used in blessings, but the name of the wicked will rot.

NASB: The mentioning of the righteous is a blessing, But the name of the wicked will rot.

CSB: The remembrance of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

NLT: We have happy memories of the godly, but the name of a wicked person rots away.

KJV: The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.

NKJV: The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

Righteous men and women, as well as the wicked, will all die, because "it is appointed for man to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). However, what godly people leave behind is quite different from the legacy of the wicked.

Those who honor God and live by His law (Proverbs 1:7) leave behind a memorable legacy. Those who live on recall the blessings that accompanied their lives. They are grateful that the righteous helped them grow spiritually. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth." Psalm 112:3 tells us the righteousness of the person who fears the Lord endures forever, and verse 6 says he will be remembered forever.

Ultimately, the wicked leave no legacy except corruption and embarrassment. It's difficult to look back with pride on a life of violence and crookedness. In fact, when evil people die, those who live on are more likely to be relieved than they are to grieve. The memory of the evil one fades away and their reputation decays. Like putrefying waste, it only becomes more unpleasant over time. Those wicked people whom the world never knows fade into obscurity. Those whose evil is known are, eventually, only known for that evil.

Proverbs 10:6–10 contrasts the blessings of righteousness with the crooked lifestyle of the wicked. The righteous person is wise, whereas the wicked person is a fool. The righteous person blesses others, whereas the wicked person conceals violence and causes trouble.

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.