Proverbs 24:16
for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
Interpretation
Wisdom shapes a righteous falls that is embodied in relationships and commitments. Proverbs 24:16: trace "righteous" and "man". Let righteous falls in what we refuse to say—turn hope into steady work. Through faith & justification, Explores how trust in God—rather than works—positions people in right relationship (Gen 15:6; Rom 3–4; Gal 2–3).
Context
Proverbs (Poetry/Wisdom) contrasts steady righteousness with brittle wickedness (Proverbs 24:16). The saying reads failure as training; rising marks the just.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
In the Masoretic tradition the Hebrew text is preserved, standardized between the 6th–10th centuries CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1947-1956 discoveries) provide manuscripts 1000+ years older than medieval texts, generally confirming the Masoretic Text's reliability with only minor variations. The Septuagint (Greek translation, 3rd-2nd century BCE) offers an independent textual witness. Variations between manuscripts are typically minor: spelling differences, word order, or clarifications that do not change the overall sense. Modern translations compare all available manuscripts to reconstruct the best reflects the earliest recoverable text text.
Sources & witness notes
MT