Bible Strands
Proverbs 13:21
Disaster pursues sinners, but prosperity is the reward of the righteous.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text delivers a wisdom instruction from a teacher to students, contrasting the inevitable outcomes of two opposing life paths.
The words — The Hebrew term תְּרַדֵּ֣ף (te.ra.Def) means "it pursues," paired with רָעָ֑ה (ra.'Ah), literally "calamity" or "disaster."
The thread — This pattern of retribution and reward appears in Psalms 32:10, Isaiah 3:10, and Proverbs 13:13.
Why it lands — The verse demands a clear choice: pursue righteous conduct to receive good, or persist in sin to face inevitable disaster.
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
Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed.
Cross-references
- Psalms 32:10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but loving devotion surrounds him who trusts in the LORD.
- Isaiah 3:10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.
- Proverbs 13:13 He who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but the one who respects a command will be rewarded.
- Romans 2:7 To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life.
- Genesis 4:7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”
- Psalms 140:11 May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
- Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.
- Acts 28:4 When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”