A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him.
Parallel Translations
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A righteous man walks in integrity. Blessed are his children after him.
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The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.
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He that walketh in his integrity as a just man, happy are his children after him.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to Proverbs 20:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 112:2 His offspring will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed.
- Psalms 37:26 All day long he deals graciously, and lends. His offspring is blessed.
- Jeremiah 32:39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their good, and the good of their children after them.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.
- Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.”
- 3 John 1:3-4 For I rejoiced greatly when brothers came and testified about your truth, even as you walk in truth. I have no greater joy than this: to hear about my children walking in truth.
- Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
- Proverbs 19:1 Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.
- Genesis 17:7 I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your offspring after you.
- Psalms 15:2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart;
- Psalms 26:1 Judge me, Yahweh, for I have walked in my integrity. I have trusted also in Yahweh without wavering.
- Proverbs 14:2 He who walks in his uprightness fears Yahweh, but he who is perverse in his ways despises him.
- Luke 1:6 They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord.
- Titus 2:11-12 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we would live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age;
- Isaiah 33:15 He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—
- Psalms 26:11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. Redeem me, and be merciful to me.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 20:7 The just [man] walketh in his integrity:…
Pro 20:7 The just [man] walketh in his integrity: his children [are] blessed after him.
Ver. 7. The just man walketh in his integrity.] Walketh constantly; {a} not for a step or two only, when the good fit is upon him. {See Trapp on "Gen 17:1"}
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His children are blessed after him.] Personal goodness is profitable to posterity; yet not of merit, but of free grace, and for the promise’ sake; which Jehu’s children found and felt to the fourth generation, though himself were a wicked idolater.
{a} Continenter ambulat.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain The just man walketh in his integrity; he proveth…
The just man walketh in his integrity; he proveth himself to be so not only by his profession, of which he spoke in the former verse, but by his sincere and unblamable conversation. His children are blessed after him, by virtue of that covenant which God hath made with such men, which is not confined to their persons, but entaileth blessings upon their posterity.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain It is here observed to the honour of a…
It is here observed to the honour of a good man, 1. That he does well for himself. He has a certain rule, which with an even steady hand he governs himself by: He walks in his integrity; he keeps good conscience, and he has the comfort of it, for it is his rejoicing. He is not liable to those uneasinesses, either in contriving what he shall do or reflecting on what he has done, which those are liable to that walk in deceit. 2. That he does well for his family: His children are blessed after him, and fare the better for his sake. God has mercy in store for the seed of the faithful.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain The just man walketh in his integrity,.... This is…
The just man walketh in his integrity,.... This is the faithful and upright man, who is made righteous by the obedience of Christ; and walks by faith in him, and according to the truth of the Gospel;
his children are blessed after him; with temporal blessings; and, walking in the same integrity as he does, they are blessed with spiritual blessings here, and eternal blessedness hereafter; see Psa 37:26. It is an observation of an Heathen poet (c), that good things befall the children of the godly, but not the children of the ungodly.
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(c) Theoerit. Idyll. 27. v. 32.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Charles Bridges 1846 · Public Domain The faithful man is here fully drawn, rich in…
The faithful man is here fully drawn, rich in the blessing of his God. Take the history of the father of the faithful. Abraham was the just man, accepted with God, and "walking before him" in his integrity. And did not the covenant of his God engage an everlasting blessing for his children after him? (Gen 17:1-2, Gen 17:7 .) And thus does every child of Abraham, walking in the same integrity, secure "an inheritance for his children’s children."†1 It is ’not however for the merits of the parent, that they deserve it: but such is the mercy of God to the root and the branches; that, because the fathers are loved, their children also are embraced.’†2 But we must shew our integrity, as did our father Abraham, in the practical habit of faith; not only "taking hold of the covenant" on our children’s behalf, but bringing them under the yoke of the covenant.†3
Christian parents! — let integrity, as before God, be the broad stamp of our family religion. Walk not according to the maxims of the world yourselves, nor allow them in your children. Let us make God’s word — his whole word — our universal rule; his ways, however despised, our daily portion. "Let us seek first," for our children as for ourselves, "the kingdom of God and his righteousness."†4 Thus walking in our integrity, we may look for the honored blessing of being the parents of a godly race. Our children are blessed after us; perhaps "after we, having served our own generation by the will of God, shall have fallen asleep." (Act 13:36 .) But well may we be content to wait the coming of that great disclosing day, when "the thoughts of many hearts shall be revealed." For then surely will the children’s blessing be found in the secret records of Heaven, linked with the prayerful, practical exercises of the parents’ faith and love.
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Footnotes:
†1 Pro 13:22. Compare Exo 20:5-6 . Psa 25:12-13 ; Psa 37:26 ; Psa 112:2 .
†2 Muffet in loco. ’The branches fare better for the sap of grace in the root.’ — Swinnock’s Christian Man’s Calling, p. 383. ’When God saith — He will be a God to the godly man and to his children, I believe he intended more in that promise for the comfort of godly parents than most of them think of. Act 2:39 . Gen 17:7 . The children of believers are heirs apparent to the covenant of grace in their parents’ right.’ — Ib. The True Christian, p. 193.
†3 Pro 22:6, with Gen 18:19 .
†4 Mat 6:33. This was Mr. Scott’s grand rule of education; and the manifest honor, which his Master vouchsafed to his singleness and integrity in acting it out, is well known. 1Sa 2:30 . See Life, pp. 611-614.
Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain The conduct of good men proclaims their sound principles.…
The conduct of good men proclaims their sound principles. God's covenant and their good example secure blessing to their children (Pro 4:26; Psa 112:1-2).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 7. The just man — An upright man. The…
7. The just man — An upright man. The critics transpose: He that walks in his integrity, a righteous man, (or is a righteous man,) happy are his children after him. Comp. Pro_14:26; Gen_24:67; Job_21:21.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 7. walketh] Rather, that walketh, R.V.
7. walketh] Rather, that walketh, R.V.
ὄς ἀναστρέφεται ἄμωμος ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, μακαρίους τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καταλείψει, LXX.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (7) The just man.—Comp. Pro_10:2.
(7) The just man.—Comp. Pro_10:2.
His children are blessed after him.—Comp. 1Ki_15:4, Jer_33:20-21.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The just man walketh in his integrity. It is…
The just man walketh in his integrity. It is better to connect the two clauses together, and not to take the first as a separate sentence, thus: "He who as a just man walketh in his integrity Blessed are his children after him. (comp. Pro_14:26) So the Septuagint and Vulgate. The man of pure life, who religiously performs his duty towards God and man, shall bring a blessing on his children who follow his good example, both during his life and after his death. The temporal promise is seen in Exo_20:6 Deu_4:40 Psa_112:2, etc. Some see here an instance of utilitarianism; but it cannot be supposed that the writer inculcates virtue for the sake of the worldly advantages connected with it; rather he speaks from experience, and from a faithful dependence on Providence, of the happy results of a holy life.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain His children are blessed after him.
Pro_20:7
His children are blessed after him.
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The just mans legacy
1. Anxiety about our family is natural, but we shall be wise if we turn it into care about our own character. If we walk before the Lord in integrity, we shall do more to bless our descendants than if we bequeathed them large estates. A fathers holy life is a rich legacy for his sons.
(1). The upright man leaves his heirs his example, and this in itself will be a mine of true wealth. How many men may trace their success in life to the example of their parents!
(2) He leaves them also his repute. Men think all the better of us as the sons of a man who could be trusted, the successors of a tradesman of excellent repute. Oh, that all young men were anxious to keep up the family name!
(3) Above all, he leaves his children his prayers and the blessing of a prayer-hearing God, and these make an offspring to be favoured among the sons of men. God will save them even after we are dead. Oh, that they might be saved at once!
2. Our integrity may be Gods means of saving our sons and daughters. If they see the truth of our religion proved by our lives, it may be that they will believe in Jesus for themselves. Lord, fulfil this word to my household! (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain v. 7. The just man walketh in his integrity,…
v. 7. The just man walketh in his integrity, he who in his innocence conducts himself uprightly, righteously, his children are blessed after him, if they follow him in his righteousness, the Lord’s blessing rests upon them to a thousand generations, Exo 20:6; Deu 7:9.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 walks in his integrity
walks in his integrity
Here walking refers to living. See how you translated this phrase in Proverbs 19:1. AT: "lives by his integrity" or "lives an honest life" (See: Idiom)
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his sons who follow after him
This simply means that they "follow after him" since they are younger than he and his children. If this phrase is awkward in your language it may be left to be implied. AT: "his sons after him" or "his sons" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
is winnowing with his eyes all the evil that is before him
This speaks of the king judging between various types of evil as if he were separating them as a person winnows grain. AT: "sees and sorts the different kinds of evils that are brought before him" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
walk
integrity
king
throne
judge, judges
winnow
evil
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.