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The Righteous One Is Capturing Souls

Proverbs 11:30 Updated American Standard Version (UASV)
³⁰The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
and whoever captures souls is wise.

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life: The righteous person, by speech, conduct, and example, that is, fruit or fruitage (פְּרִי peri), captures or wins souls, namely, by the person (soul) listening to the righteous one, he gets spiritual food, and he is then led to serve God, and he may receive the life that God makes possible. The righteous (צַדִּיק tsaddiq) refers to one who is in a righteous standing before God, who is characterized by righteous actions and morals in accordance with God’s moral standards.

and whoever captures souls is wise: The whoever here could very easily be the righteous one from line one, who captures (לָקַח laqach) or wins souls (נֶפֶשׁ nephesh) because of his wisdom that he acquired and now obeys in his speech, conduct, and example. The righteous person’s speech and behavior bring spiritual food to those who listen to him. They are encouraged to serve God and may ultimately receive the life God has made possible.

We have all been drawn to a person of wisdom. The wise man draws the souls of men to himself because humanity is intrinsically attracted to wisdom. Even if we consider a street gang or a biker gang, it isn’t the most formidable person that leads hundreds of persons; it is the wisest of the group. Similarly, the righteous person’s speech and conduct is the fruit or fruitage (פְּרִי peri), which is a tree of life and captures or wins souls. By speech and conduct, the righteous person secures souls by others listening to him. Persons get spiritual sustenance as they are led to being servants of God and receive the life God grants them.