Movatterモバイル変換

Job 5:21,22
Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh…

Job 11:13-15
If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him; …

Psalm 27:1,2
A Psalm of David. The LORDis my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORDis the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? …

neither

Proverbs 1:27
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

Psalm 73:19
How are theybrought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Matthew 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

or the ruin that overtakes the wicked
This part of the verse contrasts the fate of the righteous with that of the wicked. The ruin mentioned here refers to the ultimate judgment and destruction that befalls those who live in opposition to God's ways. In the cultural and historical context, the wicked often seemed to prosper temporarily, but biblical wisdom literature, including Proverbs, emphasizes that their end is destruction (Psalm 73:18-19). This serves as a reminder of divine justice and the eventual triumph of righteousness. Theologically, this can be seen as a type of Christ's ultimate victory over sin and evil, as He will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). The assurance given to the righteous is that they will not share in the ruin of the wicked, echoing the promise of eternal security found inJohn 10:28-29.

“Do not fear sudden danger or the ruin that overtakes the wicked.”Proverbs 3:25 opens with a clear command: “Do not fear.” The Father addresses His child—anyone walking in wisdom (Proverbs 3:21-24)—and settles the matter of anxiety before He describes the threats.

• Fear is displaced by trust.Psalm 56:3 says, “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”Isaiah 41:10 reminds us, “Do not fear, for I am with you.” The Lord’s presence, not our circumstances, governs our peace.

• Fear drains strength; faith fuels courage (2 Timothy 1:7). The verse assumes we live in real danger yet are fully supplied with God’s Spirit.

• The command is ongoing. It is not “feel brave” but “choose not to fear,” a deliberate response made possible by the certainty that “the LORD will be your confidence” (Proverbs 3:26).

The phrase moves from the heart (fear) to the trigger (danger). “Sudden” pictures an unexpected calamity—something that blindsides us.

• Life holds surprises: earthquakes, layoffs, diagnoses.Psalm 91:5-6 reassures us we need not “fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.”

• Wisdom prepares us. Earlier verses promise “sound judgment” and “discretion” (Proverbs 3:21-22), leading to “when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (v.24). Prepared hearts are calm hearts.

• God stands between His child and disaster. “He will deliver you from six calamities; in seven no harm will touch you” (Job 5:19). Even when danger arrives, He limits its reach.

The verse contrasts the righteous, who enjoy God’s shielding, with the wicked, who suddenly collapse.

• “Ruin” speaks of God’s righteous judgment (Psalm 37:13). What feels random is often the outworking of divine justice.

• The wicked may flourish for a season, but “their hope will perish” (Proverbs 11:7). Destruction “overtakes” them—inescapable, swift, and deserved (Proverbs 1:27).

• The righteous observe without sharing the fate.Psalm 91:8 notes, “You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.” Safe in Christ, we are spectators, not victims, of that final reckoning.

Proverbs 3:25 comforts believers with a two-part promise: dismiss fear and stand unshaken when crises arise. Sudden events cannot sever us from the God who foresees every peril. Meanwhile, the apparent triumph of the wicked is temporary; their downfall is certain. Trusting the Lord’s presence today and His justice tomorrow equips us to live—and sleep—in untroubled confidence.

(1) as the desolation made by the violence of the wicked, the desolation or strum which they raise against the righteous (so the LXX., Vulgate, Mariana, Michaelis, Hitzig, and others); or

(2) the desolation which overtakes the wicked, the desolating vengeance executed upon them (so Doderlein, Lapide, Stuart, Muensch., Delitzsch, Wardlaw). The latter is probably the right interpretation, and agrees with the threatening language of Wisdom against her despisers, inProverbs 1:27, whereshdath also occurs. Iu the desolation which shall overwhelm the wicked he who has made Wisdom his guide shall be undismayed, for the Lord is his confidence. The passage was probably suggested byProverbs 5:21, "Neither shalt thou be afraid of desolation when it cometh." Lee,in loc. cit., says the places are almost innumerable where this sentiment occurs. Compare the fearlessness of the man of integrity and justice, in Horace -

"Si fractus illabatur orbis,
Impavidum ferient ruinae."

(Horace, 'Od.,' 3:3, 7, 8.) . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...