Proverbs 6:15 teaches that a person who lives in deliberate wickedness will face disaster that arrives quickly and cannot be undone. The verse describes a collapse that comes all at once, with no way to repair the damage afterward. It is a father’s warning to his son in the opening chapters of Proverbs, spoken to a young man who might be tempted to join in harmful schemes.
Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.
Proverbs 6:15 (WEB)
What Proverbs 6:15 Means
The verse begins with “Therefore,” which ties it to the description just before it. The person in view has a twisted mouth, a scheming heart, and a habit of stirring up conflict. Because of this pattern of life, the writer says, “his calamity will come suddenly.” The word “calamity” points to a sharp disaster, a crash that arrives without a long warning period.
The second sentence repeats the thought with a different picture. The person “will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.” Being broken here means being shattered beyond ordinary repair. The phrase “without remedy” says there will be no quick fix or rescue once the break has happened. The consequences of a wicked way of life are described as both swift and severe.
The verse is a general observation about how destructive behavior tends to unfold, not a promise that every wrongdoer will be struck down on a specific day. It speaks of a pattern that Proverbs expects its readers to recognize, and it encourages the young reader to turn away before the pattern takes hold.
The Context of Proverbs 6:15
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings traditionally attributed to Solomon, with several sections added by other contributors. Its main audience is a young man being trained in the fear of the LORD, and its form is a set of instructions, comparisons, and warnings. Verse 15 sits inside a short portrait of a “worthless person” in verses 12 through 14, a figure marked by a deceitful mouth, a secret signaling of trouble, and a heart that constantly plans evil.
Right after the verse, the chapter lists seven things the LORD detests, including haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. Read in that setting, the sudden ruin of verse 15 is not random bad luck. It is the outcome of a character that God opposes. This helps the reader see the verse as moral clarity about sin and its results, rather than as a threat meant to produce fear alone.
Key Phrases in Proverbs 6:15
Galatians 6:7
Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
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Paul’s principle that people reap what they sow matches the pattern in Proverbs 6:15. Both passages teach that the course of a life tends to bring its own harvest, which may come suddenly when the patterns of sin finally show their fruit.
Proverbs 28:13
He who conceals his sins doesn’t prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
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This proverb offers the other side of the story. Where verse 15 warns of sudden ruin, this one shows that concealing sin brings trouble while confessing and turning away brings mercy. Together they call the reader toward honesty and repentance.
A Short Prayer From Proverbs 6:15
Lord, you see the hidden places of my heart, including the schemes and habits I would rather keep out of view. Please show me where I am drifting toward harm, and give me the courage to turn from it while there is still time to repair what can be repaired. Keep me from the false comfort of thinking I can control the consequences of sin. Teach me to walk in honesty and humility, trusting your wisdom more than my own cleverness. Amen.
