Proverbs 10:16

Study note

Setting — The text is wisdom instruction from Proverbs 10 placed between a comparison of wealth and poverty and a warning about ignoring reproof. It addresses the listener with a direct contrast between two types of conduct and their respective outcomes.

The words — צַדִּ֣יק (tza.Dik) means the righteous, and לְ/חַטָּֽאת (le./cha.Tat) literally means to sin, which the translation renders as punishment. These terms anchor the verse’s contrast between the result of faithful labor and the result of wicked gain.

The thread — The verse’s contrast between righteous reward and wicked consequence parallels Isaiah 3:10, which promises well-being for the righteous, and Romans 6:23, which states the wages of sin is death. John 6:27 also extends the theme by directing work toward enduring life rather than perishable gain.

Why it lands — The text states that the righteous labor results in life while the wicked gain results in sin, establishing a direct causal link between conduct and outcome. It asks the reader to evaluate their own pursuits by measuring them against this concrete division of results.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.