Proverbs 15:25 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The LORD tears down the house of the proud but maintains the widow’s boundaries.

NIV: The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but he sets the widow's boundary stones in place.

NASB: The Lord will tear down the house of the proud, But He will set the boundary of the widow.

CSB: The Lord tears apart the house of the proud, but he protects the widow's territory.

NLT: The Lord tears down the house of the proud, but he protects the property of widows.

KJV: The LORD will destroy the house of the proud: but he will establish the border of the widow.

NKJV: The Lord will destroy the house of the proud, But He will establish the boundary of the widow.

Earthly justice is not always complete; those who do evil in this life might not suffer full consequences prior to death (Psalm 73:2–3). Here, Solomon assures us that the proud—the arrogant, the self-righteous—are guaranteed to face a day of reckoning. Because they lift themselves up instead of humbling themselves in the sight of the Lord, all that they have built and accumulated will come crashing down under the Lord's hand of judgment (Proverbs 10:16, 25, 28).

In direct contrast, Solomon refers to a widow. In ancient culture, widows were especially vulnerable. Their position, by definition, was not something secure or a source of pride. To make his point about God's preference for the humble person, Solomon depicts God defending such a woman and her land against thieves. Unlike the house of the proud, her house would stand. The Lord would keep the boundaries of her land in place.

Those who rely on their own prideful ability, rather than on God, are building houses on sand. This cannot stand when the Lord sends wind, rain, and floods against it (Matthew 7:26–27). James 4:6 teaches that "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Jesus told the story of two men who entered the temple to pray. One, a Pharisee, was proud. He boasted to the Lord about his self-righteousness. The other man, a tax collector, was humble. He admitted to the Lord that he was a sinner, and he asked for mercy. Jesus said only the humble tax collector went home as a justified man (Luke 18:14). He explained, "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Proverbs 15:13–30 continues Solomon's contrasting descriptions of the wise and the foolish. In this book, those ideas are associated with accepting or rejecting God's truth, respectively (Proverbs 1:7). He writes about the gladness of the upright, wise person and the depressing existence of the wicked, foolish person. He contrasts attitudes, thoughts, and actions of both kinds of individuals, and he states that the Lord is far from the wicked but close enough to the righteous to hear their prayers.

Solomon begins this chapter of Proverbs by addressing subjects such as anger and self-control and how those reactions produce different responses from others. That extends to how carefully a person guards their words, and their responses to questions. Wise people seek wisdom and humbly accept it. Foolish people are careless, lazy, or arrogant. Solomon also notes the importance of perspective, and once again commends those who sincerely seek godly wisdom.

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.