Proverbs 29:16 · King James Version
Proverbs 29:16 in the Original Hebrew
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Proverbs 29:16 in Other Translations
| KJV | When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. |
|---|---|
| WEB | When the wicked increase, sin increases; but the righteous will see their downfall. |
| ASV | When the wicked are increased, transgression increaseth; But the righteous shall look upon their fall. |
| YLT | In the multiplying of the wicked transgression multiplieth, And the righteous on their fall do look. |
| WBT | When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall. |
| DBY | When the wicked increase, transgression increaseth; but the righteous shall see their fall. |
Commentary on Proverbs 29:16
Expositions from classic Bible commentators.
John Gill · Proverbs 29:16
When the wicked are multiplied,.... Or "are in authority" (r); as the word is rendered, Pro 29:2;
transgression increaseth; among the common people, being encouraged by their wicked rulers, whose examples they follow; or as the wicked themselves increase, in numbers, in age, in power, and riches, their sins increase too;
but the righteous shall see their fall, from their places of authority and power, of honour, riches, and grandeur, into a low and despicable condition, into ruin and destruction; and that with pleasure, because of the glory of God, his wisdom, justice, truth, and faithfulness, displayed therein; see Psa 58:10.
(r) "dominantibus impiis"; some in Mercerus; "quum praesunt impii", Tigurine version.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Proverbs 29:16
(Compare Pro 29:2, Pro 29:12; Psa 12:1-8).
shall see . . . fall--and triumph in it (Psa 37:34-38; Psa 58:10-11).
Read Jamieson, Fausset & Brown's full commentary on Proverbs 29 →
Cross References for Proverbs 29:16
Related passages, ranked by how often readers connect them. Cross-reference data from openbible.info (CC-BY).
Questions about Proverbs 29:16
What does Proverbs 29:16 say?
Proverbs 29:16 in the King James Version reads: “When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increaseth: but the righteous shall see their fall.” Read it in the full context of Proverbs 29, alongside the classic commentary on this page.
Where is Proverbs 29:16 found in the Bible?
Proverbs 29:16 is in the book of Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 16, in the Old Testament.
What Bible translation is Proverbs 29:16 shown in?
This is the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation. You can compare how other translations render Proverbs 29:16 in the table on this page.
Note, 1. The more sinners there are the more sin there is: When the wicked, being countenanced by authority, grow numerous, and walk on every side, no marvel if transgression increases, as a plague in the country is said to increase when still more and more are infected with it. Transgression grows more impudent and bold, more imperious and threatening, when there are many to keep it in countenance. In the old world, when men began to multiply, they began to degenerate and corrupt themselves and one another. 2. The more sin there is the nearer is the ruin threatened. Let not the righteous have their faith and hope shocked by the increase of sin and sinners. Let them not say that they have cleansed their hands in vain, or that God has forsaken the earth, but wait with patience; the transgressors shall fall, the measure of their iniquity will be full, and then they shall fall from their dignity and power, and fall into disgrace and destruction, and the righteous shall have the satisfaction of seeing their fall (Psa 37:34), perhaps in this world, certainly in the judgment of the great day, when the fall of God's implacable enemies will be the joy and triumph of glorified saints. See Isa 66:24; Gen 19:28.