Proverbs 11:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

NIV: When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

NASB: When things go well for the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting.

CSB: When the righteous thrive, a city rejoices; when the wicked die, there is joyful shouting.

NLT: The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed; they shout for joy when the wicked die.

KJV: When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth: and when the wicked perish, there is shouting.

NKJV: When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices; And when the wicked perish, there is jubilation.

A "proverb" is a brief, broad statement of common sense. These short expressions of wisdom explain the normal, expected way of things. In this case, good people typically find themselves celebrated by others, and evil people see the world celebrate when they fall.

In Old Testament times, the impact of a few wealthy people on a city was greatly multiplied, compared to the modern world. When that wealth was in the hands of godly people, their buying power prospered their city and caused its people to rejoice. Further, those who pursue righteousness do not commit crime, and therefore bring a sense of security and stability to their community. Jeremiah 22:1–4 relates God's promise of stability and security if the king of Judah would "do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place" (Jeremiah 22:3).

It is also generally true that a city's residents openly celebrate the death or ruin of those they see as evil. The death of the wicked ends their earthly slander, lies, and hateful speech (Proverbs 11:9). The wicked may betray their city and divulge secret information to an enemy (Proverbs 11:11), or participate in crime, or crooked business (Proverbs 11:1), but all of those sins end when the wicked die.

Many of the proverbs in this section deal with contrasts between those who are righteous and those who are wicked. Righteous people follow God's will, bring honor and blessing on themselves, and have hope. Evil people disobey God, bring trouble on others, are hated, and their lives lead to disaster.

This continues a long passage filled with Solomon's general, common-sense observations. As in chapter 10, Solomon presents a variety of contrasts. We see distinctions such as those between integrity and dishonesty, trust in wealth and trust in the Lord, wise and foolish talk, true riches and false riches, the blessing of the righteous and the harm caused by the wicked, and the respective rewards of the godly and those who are evil.

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.