When the righteous increase, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, they groan.
Two civic atmospheres are named in Proverbs 29:2: When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan (v. 2).
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice. When good men gain influence in a society, the ordinary people feel it. Justice is more reliable. Public office is more honest. Daily life carries less weight. The result is genuine rejoicing, not forced celebration.
When a wicked man rules, people groan. The opposite atmosphere is groaning. The Hebrew word names the deep involuntary sound of a people under oppression. Daily life becomes harder. Speech becomes guarded. Hopes contract. Solomon's observation has been borne out across countless reigns. The verse honors what righteous rulers produce and warns what wicked rulers produce.
Proverbs 29:2
2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice,
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Proverbs 29:2 meaning
Two civic atmospheres are named in Proverbs 29:2: When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan (v. 2).
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice. When good men gain influence in a society, the ordinary people feel it. Justice is more reliable. Public office is more honest. Daily life carries less weight. The result is genuine rejoicing, not forced celebration.
When a wicked man rules, people groan. The opposite atmosphere is groaning. The Hebrew word names the deep involuntary sound of a people under oppression. Daily life becomes harder. Speech becomes guarded. Hopes contract. Solomon's observation has been borne out across countless reigns. The verse honors what righteous rulers produce and warns what wicked rulers produce.