The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,
but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.
Proverbs 11:5 ESV
This verse provides a contrast between the righteous and the wicked, but not simply as a comparison of outcomes. Here, the writer goes to something more foundational, the heart. It is not the actions of the blameless that keep his way straight; it is righteousness. For the wicked, it is not the snares of the world that cause him to fall; it is the desires of his heart that cause him to become entangled in the snares of the world.
Proverbs 27:19 touches on this same idea. “As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person.”
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