Proverbs 3:25 (YLT)

Passage

Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 3:23 Then thou goest thy way confidently, And thy foot doth not stumble.

Proverbs 3:24 If thou liest down, thou art not afraid, Yea, thou hast lain down, And sweet hath been thy sleep.

Proverbs 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear, And of the desolation of the wicked when it cometh.

Proverbs 3:26 For Jehovah is at thy side, And He hath kept thy foot from capture.

Proverbs 3:27 Withhold not good from its owners, When thy hand <FI>is<Fi> toward God to do <FI>it<Fi> .

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "afraid", "sudden", "fear", "desolation", "wicked", and "cometh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "afraid" and "sudden", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "If thou liest down thou art not..." into verse 26's "For Jehovah is at thy side And...", so "afraid" and "sudden" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "afraid" and "sudden" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.