Bible Strands
Proverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — No speaker, audience, or scene is named; it is a standalone wisdom saying within the collection attributed to Solomon.
The words — כְּפִיר (khefir) is specifically a young lion, not a mature one, and the verb יִבְטָח (yivtah) means "he is confident," the root of the noun bitachon.
The thread — Psalm 53:5 mirrors the first half almost verbatim: "overwhelmed with dread where there was nothing to fear." Isaiah 26:3 ties the second half to trust in God as the source of steady confidence.
Why it lands — It asks the reader to check whether their fear is proportional to an actual threat or is self-generated, and to recognize that unprovoked dread is itself a confession.
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 wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 28:7 The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.
- Psalms 53:5 There they are, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to fear. For God has scattered the bones of those who besieged you. You put them to shame, for God has despised them.
- Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace the steadfast of mind, because he trusts in You.
- Psalms 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 112:7 He does not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:2 As you are aware, we had already endured suffering and shameful treatment in Philippi. But in the face of strong opposition, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God.
- Acts 4:13 When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.
- Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- Acts 14:3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who affirmed the message of His grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.
- Jeremiah 20:4 For this is what the LORD says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They will fall by the sword of their enemies before your very eyes. And I will hand Judah over to the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away to Babylon and put them to the sword.