Proverbs 29:16
in Proverbs 29When the wicked thrive, rebellion increases; but the righteous will see their downfall.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth; But the righteous shall look upon their fall.
KJV
When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.
⋯
This verse in Proverbs 29
Commentary
3 notes on this verseWhen the wicked are multiplied - That, in the multiplication of the wicked transgression is increased, requires no proof; but an important doctrine attaches to this. On this account wicked nations and wicked families are cut off and rooted out. Were it not so righteousness would in process of time be banished from the earth. This will account for many of the numerous instances in which whole families fail.
This site's exposition
The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever
on Proverbs 29:14-16
The king that faithfully judgeth the poor, his throne shall be established for ever, promises permanence to the very quality bribery destroyed earlier in the chapter, faithful judgment for those with nothing to offer in return. The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame, restates the book's discipline teaching plainly, correction now sparing shame later. When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth, but the righteous shall see their fall, closes the group with the same assurance the earlier verses gave a nation's righteous remnant, wickedness in the majority not having the last word.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
When the wicked are multiplied,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
but a child left free Whom his father set free to follow the dictates of his heart, ultimately.. brings shame to his mother This is Ishmael; since he was wicked, he brought about that Sarah should say to Abraham (Gen.:10): “Expel this bondwoman and her son.”
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בִּרְב֣וֹת | birvot | when increase | H7235 → | 227 times |
| רְ֭שָׁעִים | reshaim | wicked [people] | H7563 → | 263 times |
| יִרְבֶּה־ | yirbeh- | it increases | H7235 → | 227 times |
| פָּ֑שַׁע | pasha' | transgression | H6588 → | 93 times |
| וְ֝צַדִּיקִ֗ים | vetzadikim | and righteous [people] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| בְּֽמַפַּלְתָּ֥ם | bemapaltam | on overthrow their | H4658 → | |
| יִרְאֽוּ׃ | yiru | they will look | H7200 → | 1300 times |
בִּרְב֣וֹתwhen increase
birvotH7235 →227 times
רְ֭שָׁעִיםwicked [people]
reshaimH7563 →263 times
יִרְבֶּה־it increases
yirbeh-H7235 →227 times
פָּ֑שַׁעtransgression
pasha'H6588 →93 times
וְ֝צַדִּיקִ֗יםand righteous [people]
vetzadikimH6662 →206 times
בְּֽמַפַּלְתָּ֥םon overthrow their
bemapaltamH4658 →
יִרְאֽוּ׃they will look
yiruH7200 →1300 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 91:8You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.
it leads to
- Psalms 37:34
Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 3:25–26
Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
- Psalms 92:11
My eyes see the downfall of my enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
- Malachi 1:5
You will see this with your own eyes, and you yourselves will say, ‘The LORD is great—even beyond the borders of Israel.’”
- Psalms 58:10–11
The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
- Psalms 37:34
Through
Psalms 92:11My eyes see the downfall of my enemies; my ears hear the wailing of my wicked foes.
it leads to
- Psalms 91:8
You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 91:8
Through
Psalms 37:34Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will raise you up to inherit the land. When the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
it leads to
- Psalms 27:14
Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
- Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, “I will avenge this evil!” Wait on the LORD, and He will save you.
- Psalms 27:14
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.