Bible Strands
Proverbs 11:5
The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Solomon addresses Israel's youth and general readers within a wisdom collection that contrasts the trajectories of the righteous and the wicked. The verse functions as a standalone proverb within a larger section evaluating the practical outcomes of moral conduct.
The words — צִדְקַת (tzidqat) translates to "righteousness," and תָּמִים (tamim) means "blameless" or "complete." The verb תְּיַשְּׁר (yashsher) literally means "it makes straight," indicating that integrity actively aligns a person's course.
The thread — The text states that wicked conduct guarantees self-destruction, a pattern repeated in Proverbs 5:22 where iniquities entrap the wicked, and Psalms 9:15 where nations fall into pits of their own making. Proverbs 11:6 reinforces this structure by contrasting the deliverance of the upright with the entrapment of the faithless by their own desires.
Why it lands — The verse asserts that moral integrity actively guides a person's path while wickedness ensures self-inflicted ruin. A reader must acknowledge that personal conduct, not external wealth or circumstance, determines the ultimate direction of one's life.
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
The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 5:22 The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him.
- Psalms 9:15 The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
- Esther 7:3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request.
- Proverbs 1:31 So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
- Proverbs 3:6 in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the faithless destroys them.
- Matthew 27:4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
- 2 Samuel 17:23 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and set out for his house in his hometown. He put his affairs in order and hanged himself. So he died and was buried in his father’s tomb.