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Proverbs 13:12

13:11 Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. by labour: Heb. with the hand
Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

KJV

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Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when longing is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.

Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded. shall be rewarded: or, shall be in peace

What does Proverbs 13:12 mean?

Proverbs 13:12 is a verse in the book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include תּוֹחֶלֶת (tôwcheleth), מָשַׁךְ (mâshak), לֵב (lêb). It connects to 13 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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Hopeתּוֹחֶלֶתtôwcheleth/to-kheh'-leth/H8431expectation
deferredמָשַׁךְmâshak/maw-shak'/H4900to draw, used in a great variety of applications (including to sow, to sound, to prolong, to develop, to march, to remove, to delay, to be tall, etc.)
maketh
the
heartלֵבlêb/labe/H3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
sick:חָלָהchâlâh/khaw-law'/H2470properly, to be rubbed or worn; hence (figuratively) to be weak, sick, afflicted; or (causatively) to grieve, make sick; also to stroke (in flattering), entreat
but
when
the
desireתַּאֲוָהtaʼăvâh/tah-av-aw'/H8378a longing; by implication, a delight (subjectively, satisfaction, objectively, a charm)
cometh,בּוֹאbôwʼ/bo/H935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
it
is
a
treeעֵץʻêts/ates/H6086a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)
of
life.חַיchay/khah'-ee/H2416alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively

Commentary on Proverbs 13:12

HENRY_FULL · Proverbs 13:12
e desire cometh, it is a tree of life. Note, 1. Nothing is more grievous than the disappointment of a raised expectation, though not in the thing itself by a denial, yet in the time of it by a delay: Hope deferred makes the heart sick and languishing, fretful and peevish; but hope quite dashed kills the heart, and the more high the expectation was raised the more cutting is the frustration of it. It is therefore our wisdom not to promise ourselves any great matters from the creature, not to feed ourselves with any vain hopes from this world, lest we lay up matter for our own vexation; and what we do hope for let us prepare to be disappointed in, that, if it should prove so, it may prove the easier; and let us not be hasty. 2. Nothing is more grateful than to enjoy that, at last, which we have long wished and waited for: When the desire does come it puts men into a sort of paradise, a garden of pleasure, for it is a tree of life. It will aggravate the eternal misery of the wicked that their hopes will be frustrated; and it will make the happiness of heaven the more welcome to the saints that it is what they have earnestly longed for as the crown of their hopes. 13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the co

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

1 Samuel 2:8

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

1 Kings 6:2

And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.

1 Kings 9:8

And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house?

1 Chronicles 29:1

Furthermore David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the LORD God.

1 Chronicles 29:19

And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.

2 Chronicles 2:9

Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great. wonderful: Heb. great and wonderful

2 Chronicles 3:4

And the porch that was in the front of the house, the length of it was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the height was an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure gold.

Job 26:7

He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

Isaiah 48:13

Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. my: or, the palm of my right hand hath spread out

Isaiah 51:6

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Colossians 1:16

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Colossians 1:17

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Revelation 20:11

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Proverbs 13:12.

1 Kings 22:34

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. at a: Heb. in his simplicity joints: Heb. joints and the breastplate wounded: Heb. made sick

2 Chronicles 18:33

And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. at a venture: Heb. in his simplicity between: Heb. between the joints and between the breastplate wounded: Heb. made sick

Genesis 2:19

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. Adam: or, the man

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Yea: Heb. Yea, because, etc.

Genesis 3:17

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Genesis 3:22

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Genesis 3:24

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Frequently asked questions

What does Proverbs 13:12 say?

Proverbs 13:12 (King James Version) reads: "Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life."

Is Proverbs 13:12 in the Old or New Testament?

Proverbs 13:12 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Proverbs.

Reflect

As you read Proverbs 13:12, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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