Proverbs 14:19

Those who are evil will bow ¹  before those who are good, and the wicked will bow ²  at the gates ³  of the righteous.

Ge 42:6; Ge 43:28; Ex 8:8; Ex 9:27,28; Ex 11:8; 2Ki 3:12; Es 7:7,8; Ps 49:14; Isa 60:14; Mic 7:9,10,16,17; Mal 4:3; Ac 16:39; Re 3:9

¹ tn Many versions nuance the perfect tense verb שָׁחַח (shakhakh) as a characteristic perfect. But the proverb suggests that the reality lies in the future. So the verb is best classified as a prophetic perfect (cf. NASB, NIV, CEV, NLT): Ultimately the wicked will acknowledge and serve the righteous – a point the prophets make.

² tn The phrase “will bow” does not appear in this line but is implied by the parallelism; it is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

³ sn J. H. Greenstone suggests that this means that they are begging for favors (Proverbs, 154).