Pro 13:12 | NETfull | STEP | Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

12 Hope ^{▼▼ The word “hope” (תּוֹחֶלֶת [tokhelet] from יָחַל [yakhal]) also has the implication of a tense if not anxious wait.} deferred ^{▼▼ The verb is the Pual participle from מָשַׁךְ (mashakh,“to draw; to drag”).} makes the heart sick, ^{▼▼ Failure in realizing one’s hopes can be depressing or discouraging. People can bear frustration only so long (W. G. Plaut, Proverbs, 153).}
but a longing fulfilled ^{▼▼ Heb “a desire that comes”; cf. CEV “a wish that comes true.”} is like ^{▼▼ The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.} a tree of life.