Proverbs 2:14 kjv
Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
Proverbs 2:14 nkjv
Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perversity of the wicked;
Proverbs 2:14 niv
who delight in doing wrong and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,
Proverbs 2:14 esv
who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil,
Proverbs 2:14 nlt
They take pleasure in doing wrong,
and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil.
Proverbs 2 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 1:1 | Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked... | Contrasts paths: blessed avoid wicked; here, describes wicked |
| Rom 1:32 | Though they know God's righteous decree... give approval to those who practice | Approving/delighting in evil deeds of others |
| 1 Cor 13:6 | Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. | Love’s opposition to rejoicing in unrighteousness |
| Prov 10:23 | Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding. | Fools finding pleasure in wicked schemes |
| Prov 17:15 | He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both an abomination. | Delight in moral reversal |
| Prov 4:16 | For they cannot sleep unless they have done evil... | compulsion/joy in active evil |
| Isa 5:20 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil... | Inversion of moral values; delight in perversion |
| Ps 36:4 | He plots mischief while on his bed; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he does not despise evil. | Premeditation and lack of repentance for evil |
| Mic 2:1 | Woe to those who devise mischief and work evil on their beds! | Actively planning and desiring wickedness |
| Jer 5:26 | For among my people are found wicked men... | Describes general wicked actions and intentions |
| Job 20:5 | The exulting of the wicked is short... | Transitory nature of the wicked's joy |
| Prov 21:10 | The soul of the wicked desires evil... | Internal desire for evil |
| John 3:19 | And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. | Loving darkness/evil deeds over light/good |
| Rom 6:1 | What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? | Questioning deliberate continuation in sin |
| 2 Thess 2:12 | In order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. | Finding pleasure in unrighteousness leading to condemnation |
| Titus 3:3 | For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy... | Describes a former state of life ruled by sin and negative passions |
| Ps 58:3 | The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. | Innate tendency towards perversity |
| Prov 15:21 | Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense, but a man of understanding walks straight. | Joy in foolishness, which aligns with evil |
| Prov 24:17-18 | Do not rejoice when your enemy falls... | Warning against finding joy in another's misfortune, implying such joy is evil |
| Gen 6:5 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | Depths of human depravity: joy in constant evil intention |
| Ps 119:163 | I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. | Contrasts righteous love for God’s law with abhorrence of evil/falsehood |
| Eph 5:11-12 | Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of what they do in secret. | Separating from and exposing works of darkness rather than rejoicing in them |
| Jas 4:17 | So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. | Implies a choice to act against known good; can lead to delight in wrong |
Proverbs 2 verses
Proverbs 2 14 Meaning
Proverbs 2:14 describes a dangerous individual whose inner disposition is utterly corrupted. It characterizes those who do not merely commit evil acts, but actively find pleasure, joy, and satisfaction in doing so, and who delight in what is morally twisted and perverse. Their moral compass is inverted, celebrating actions and outcomes that contradict righteousness and divine order. This serves as a warning, urging discernment and separation from such destructive influences.
Proverbs 2 14 Context
Proverbs chapter 2 opens with a profound invitation to pursue wisdom with intense earnestness. The author, likely Solomon, exhorts his "son" (representing any disciple) to seek, receive, and store up wisdom's words, implying diligent study and internalization (Prov 2:1-4). This active pursuit leads to understanding the fear of the Lord and finding the knowledge of God (Prov 2:5-8). Wisdom then protects the individual from the way of evil, specifically from "men who speak perverse things" (Prov 2:12), and from the "forbidden woman" (Prov 2:16). Verse 14 falls within this warning against wicked individuals, highlighting one of their most dangerous characteristics: their intrinsic delight in unrighteousness. It distinguishes them as people whose moral orientation is not just astray, but actively inverted, finding joy in what is objectively bad and perverse. This serves to impress upon the reader the severity of the threat and the critical importance of spiritual and moral discernment provided by wisdom. Historically, such proverbs would have guided young men in a society constantly grappling with moral choices, contrasting the covenant life of Israel with surrounding cultures often marked by different moral frameworks.
Proverbs 2 14 Word analysis
- who rejoice: (עַשִּׂמְחִים – `assimkhim) Derived from the Hebrew root śāmaḥ, meaning to be glad, to rejoice, to make merry. This denotes an internal state of active pleasure and satisfaction. Its use here indicates that the wicked find genuine happiness and contentment, not merely a fleeting thrill, in their wrongdoing.
- in doing evil: (בַּעֲשׂוֹת רָע – ba'asot ra`)
- doing: (עָשׂוֹת – `asot) An infinitive construct, meaning "to do" or "to make." It emphasizes the act or practice of evil.
- evil: (רָע – ra`) A comprehensive term in Hebrew for what is bad, wicked, harmful, morally wrong, displeasing to God, or brings distress. It encompasses moral perversion and destructive outcomes. This phrase highlights that their joy is derived from engaging in harmful and morally corrupt actions.
- and delight: (יַעֲלֹצוּ – ya'alotsu) From the root `ālatz, meaning to exult, to be jubilant, to triumph, or to leap for joy. This word carries a stronger sense of effervescent, celebratory joy than "rejoice." Often used in the Bible to describe the joyful exultation of the righteous in God's deliverance, its application here to wickedness profoundly underscores the perversity of these individuals. They revel triumphantly in their evil.
- in the perverseness of evil: (בְּתַהְפֻּכֹת רָע – b’tahpukhot ra`)
- perverseness: (תַּהְפֻּכֹת – tahpukhot) Derived from the root hāpak, meaning to turn, overturn, transform, or turn upside down. Tahpukhot therefore means things turned upside down, distortion, crookedness, treachery, or perverse acts. It implies a deliberate subversion of truth and moral order.
- of evil: (רָע – ra`) As above, reinforcing the wicked nature of their delight.This phrase emphasizes that their pleasure is specifically found in that which is fundamentally twisted, inverted, and contrary to divine and moral rectitude. They celebrate moral chaos and the disruption of what is right.
- Words-group analysis:
- who rejoice in doing evil and delight: The double affirmation of joy ("rejoice" and "delight") emphasizes the profound depth of their corruption. This is not sin committed in weakness or regret, but from an inner embrace and even enthusiasm for depravity. It points to a hardened heart that has chosen wickedness as its source of fulfillment.
- the perverseness of evil: This phrase pinpoints the precise object of their delight. It is not just "evil" in general, but the "perverseness of evil" – the twisted, warped, and distorted aspects of wrongdoing. They find joy in turning morality upside down, in deceit, and in actions that actively defy God's ordered world.
Proverbs 2 14 Bonus section
The parallel structure and emphatic use of synonyms for joy in Proverbs 2:14 highlight the comprehensive and ingrained nature of the wickedness described. The two verbs for rejoicing (śāmaḥ and `ālatz) intensify the sense of the wicked person's active and enthusiastic participation in sin. While śāmaḥ indicates general happiness, `ālatz implies a boisterous, triumphant joy, often associated with righteous exultation in God's blessings elsewhere in Scripture. Its application to delight in perversity underscores the profound distortion of their values. This verse serves as a spiritual diagnostic tool, revealing that the ultimate corruption lies not just in sinful acts, but in a soul that derives pleasure and satisfaction from committing those acts and from seeing righteousness twisted or overthrown. Such a mindset represents a formidable spiritual danger, demanding complete avoidance for anyone pursuing God's wisdom.
Proverbs 2 14 Commentary
Proverbs 2:14 exposes a dire state of the human heart where evil is not a mistake or a temptation yielded to, but a source of genuine elation. It depicts individuals whose very nature aligns with malevolence; their moral compass is not merely broken, but intentionally inverted, leading them to find satisfaction in deeds that violate righteousness. This "joy" is distinct from simple gratification of sinful desires; it speaks of an active, internal celebration of what is perverse. Such individuals view morality as foolishness and their wrongdoing as a triumph. The verse functions as a critical characteristic of the "evil man" from whom wisdom protects, serving as a stark warning to avoid associating with those who willingly find pleasure in moral depravity, as their influence leads away from life and into darkness. Their delight in perversity sets them directly against the path of wisdom, which champions delight in truth and righteousness.