Proverbs 29:10
ESV
Bloodthirsty men hate one who is blameless and seek the life of the upright.
NIV
The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity and seek to kill the upright.
NASB
People of bloodshed hate the blameless person, But the upright are concerned for his life.
CSB
Bloodthirsty men hate an honest person, but the upright care about him.
NLT
The bloodthirsty hate blameless people, but the upright seek to help them.
KJV
The bloodthirsty hate the upright: but the just seek his soul.
NKJV
The bloodthirsty hate the blameless, But the upright seek his well-being.
What does Proverbs 29:10 mean?
Several proverbs in this section suggest courts and official judgment (Proverbs 29:4, 7, 12, 14). It's possible this proverb specifically refers to evil people who arrange for witnesses to be killed before they can testify. More generally, it speaks to the way wickedness hates being exposed (Proverbs 26:26; John 3:20). Doing right can lead to eternal benefits (Matthew 5:12), but it often means being persecuted by a fallen, sinful world (Genesis 3:15; 4:9–10; John 16:33). A separate interpretation of the Hebrew implies that while evil people hate a "blameless" man, an "upright" person will seek out the blameless one's counsel.The violence evil pours out on goodness is seen in many biblical examples. Righteous prophets were threatened and murdered by Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 18:4, 13). King Herod gave the command to kill innocent Jewish infants in his effort to target an infant Jesus Christ (Matthew 2:16). A different Herod killed the apostle James (Acts 12:1–2). History records the persecution of Christians throughout the world. The most obvious example of "bloodthirstiness of the wicked" is the crucifixion of the blameless Savior (John 18:38; 19:12–16; 1 Peter 3:18).
