Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 13:12 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life. "
Proverbs 13:12
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
10 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is with people who take advice.
11 Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away, but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.
13 Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded.
14 The teaching of the wise is a spring of life, to turn from the snares of death.
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Nothing is more painful than having a strong hope delayed. Even if the thing is not refused, the delay itself can make the heart sick. A long wait can leave a person worn down, restless, and irritable. If the hope is completely crushed, the hurt is even deeper, and the greater the hope, the sharper the disappointment.
So it is wise not to expect too much from this world or from created things. We should not build ourselves up on empty hopes, because that only stores up trouble for us. If we do hope for something, we should also be ready for disappointment, so that we can bear it more calmly if it comes. We should not be too quick or impatient in our expectations.
On the other hand, few things are sweeter than finally getting what we have long wanted and waited for. When desire is fulfilled, it feels like a small paradise, a garden of delight, because it is like a tree of life. This will make the misery of the wicked even greater, because their hopes will end in failure. It will also make heaven more welcome to God’s people, because it is the very thing they have longed for and hoped for as the crown of all their expectations.
From This Chapter
Proverbs 13:1
"A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke."
Proverbs 13:2
"By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things, but the unfaithful crave violence."
Proverbs 13:3
"He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin."
Proverbs 13:4
"The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied."
Proverbs 13:5
"A righteous man hates lies, but a wicked man brings shame and disgrace."
Proverbs 13:6
"Righteousness guards the way of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner."
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