Bible Strands
Proverbs 11:21
Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses a general audience with a series of contrasting proverbs on moral character and divine justice. The immediate context places this statement between warnings about the perverse heart and a metaphor about misplaced beauty.
The words — The text uses יִנָּ֣קֶה (yi.Na.keh), literally “he will go unpunished,” and נִמְלָֽט (nim.Lat), literally “he will be delivered.” These terms establish a direct contrast between inevitable judgment and preservation.
The thread — The theme of covenant faithfulness to descendants appears in Acts 2:39 and Jeremiah 32:39, which extend God’s promises to children and future generations. Psalms 112:1 introduces this line of thought by blessing the one who fears the Lord and delights in His commands.
Why it lands — The text states that divine justice operates on a clear divide between the wicked and the righteous, with consequences affecting both individuals and their descendants. It asks the reader to align with the righteous path by recognizing that moral choices carry real, lasting weight.
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.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
Cross-references
- Psalms 112:1 Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Acts 2:39 This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
- Psalms 37:26 They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
- Proverbs 16:5 Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
- Exodus 23:2 You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.
- Isaiah 27:4 I am not angry. If only thorns and briers confronted Me, I would march and trample them, I would burn them to the ground.