Fulfilled desire is sweet, but fools hate the repentance that would turn them away from evil.
In Proverbs 13:19, Solomon writes, Desire realized is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil (v. 19). Fulfilled desire brings delight because human beings are made to long for good and rejoice when it is received rightly.
To say desire realized is sweet to the soul is to recognize the goodness of fulfillment, a sign that God is not opposed to joy. When what is desired accords with wisdom and comes in the right way, it refreshes and sweetens life.
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. Fools find repentance repulsive because they love the path they are on. This is the tragedy of folly: it resists the very turn that would lead to life. The sweetness of good desire is contrasted with the fool’s revulsion toward leaving evil behind.
Proverbs 13:19
19 Desire realized is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil.
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Proverbs 13:19 meaning
In Proverbs 13:19, Solomon writes, Desire realized is sweet to the soul, but it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil (v. 19). Fulfilled desire brings delight because human beings are made to long for good and rejoice when it is received rightly.
To say desire realized is sweet to the soul is to recognize the goodness of fulfillment, a sign that God is not opposed to joy. When what is desired accords with wisdom and comes in the right way, it refreshes and sweetens life.
But it is an abomination to fools to turn away from evil. Fools find repentance repulsive because they love the path they are on. This is the tragedy of folly: it resists the very turn that would lead to life. The sweetness of good desire is contrasted with the fool’s revulsion toward leaving evil behind.