Tag: Proverbs 12:3

Root of the Righteous

Commonplace –

“A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved” (Proverbs 12:3).

In Proverbs 12:3, Solomon declares that a wicked man does not have a firm foundation; he is constantly shifting in response to current trends. The righteous, however, have solid roots, which are firm and immovable.

We can compare the righteous to math facts, like 1 + 1 = 2. That is an unchanging fact. It’s the same truth all over the world. Yet, the wicked will play games with facts. A wicked person would ask, “Does 3/3 + 3/3 = 2?” Most people do not like fractions and will become confused. The wicked person has manipulated the fact and caused the victim to doubt themselves. 3/3 + 3/3 = 2 is the same as 1 + 1 =2.

More commonly, the wicked manipulate language. For instance, a common street hustle goes like this: A hustler will walk up to an unsuspecting victim and say, “I bet you $20 I can tell you where you got your shoes.” The victim thinks this is an easy bet, because there is no way the hustler will know where he bought the shoes, so the victim takes the bet. The hustler then says, “You got them on your feet.” The victim assumed he understood the hustler was asking where he bought the shoes, when the hustler was asking where the shoes currently were located. The hustler manipulated language to hoodwink the victim.

The scams of the wicked are usually revealed or become known, causing them to have to constantly pivot to learn new tricks. They are continually at risk of having their wickedness discovered. In contrast, the righteous live with a clear conscience and a life rooted in Christ. As Matthew Henry notes, “Those that by faith are rooted in Christ are firmly fixed; in him their comfort and happiness are so rooted as never to be rooted up” (702).

Works Cited

Henry, Matthew. “Proverbs 12:3.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Volume 3 and Volume 6, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

© 2026 Angela Hormberg