When the wicked rise men hide, but when they perish the righteous flourish in the public square again.
Proverbs 28:28 closes the chapter the way it began, with a contrast in social presence: When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase (v. 28). The verse echoes verse 12.
When the wicked rise, men hide themselves. The opening half repeats verse 12. The wicked in power produce a hidden citizenry.
But when they perish, the righteous increase. When wicked rulers fall, those who were hiding emerge again. Righteous people grow in number, in influence, and in public presence. The verse ends the chapter on hope. Wicked regimes do not last forever. When they fall, the righteous flourish in the air the wicked had filled with fear. History repeatedly bears the pattern out.
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Proverbs 28:28 meaning
Proverbs 28:28 closes the chapter the way it began, with a contrast in social presence: When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase (v. 28). The verse echoes verse 12.
When the wicked rise, men hide themselves. The opening half repeats verse 12. The wicked in power produce a hidden citizenry.
But when they perish, the righteous increase. When wicked rulers fall, those who were hiding emerge again. Righteous people grow in number, in influence, and in public presence. The verse ends the chapter on hope. Wicked regimes do not last forever. When they fall, the righteous flourish in the air the wicked had filled with fear. History repeatedly bears the pattern out.