Proverbs 11:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When the wicked dies, his hope will perish, and the expectation of wealth perishes too.

NIV: Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of their power comes to nothing.

NASB: When a wicked person dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of strong people perishes.

CSB: When the wicked person dies, his expectation comes to nothing, and hope placed in wealth vanishes.

NLT: When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength.

KJV: When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

NKJV: When a wicked man dies, his expectation will perish, And the hope of the unjust perishes.

According to this verse, the wicked person has no hope of surviving death. Death ends his quest for wealth, and his hope of becoming rich dies with him. Worse, the evil person plunges into an eternity without hope or redemption (John 3:36).

Jesus asked a crowd two vitally important questions. He asked, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his own soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?" (Mark 8:36–37). If it were possible to accumulate and possess all the wealth of the world, its value would not equal the value of a person's soul. Wealth will not last forever, but the soul lives beyond the grave, either in heaven or in hell. No amount of money can purchase eternal life.

Peter reminds his readers in 1 Peter 1:18–19 that they were not redeemed "with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot."

Proverbs 11:1–8 describes the righteous life of a wise man in contrast to the corrupt life of a wicked man. The righteous person is honest and is delivered from trouble, whereas the wicked person is dishonest, crooked, lustful, and without hope.

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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 3:28:45 PM