ESV Reformation Study Bible – Pr 11:30
Resources chevron-right ESV Reformation Study Bible chevron-right Proverbs chevron-right Pr 11:30
Pr 11:30

11:30 fruit . . . tree of life. The metaphor is curiously mixed. The result of righteousness is life. See 3:18 and note, 13:12; 15:4.

captures souls. Lit. “takes souls” or “takes lives.” The usual meaning of the phrase is to kill, or take away life. To accommodate this, the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) renders the clause, “But the souls of the lawless are taken away before their time.” The translation is uncertain.