Proverbs 12:12 (NKJV) — 12 The wicked covet the catch of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.

A net or a root. A net is something by which people catch their prey. Wicked people admire the way other evil people attain wealth and pleasure, and they determine to do the same thing. A root is something through which life comes. Righteous persons produce lasting fruit as a natural product of their high principles. A net may or may not catch prey. Even if it does, it must be used again. The net itself cannot produce. Its catch will soon be used up; it produces nothing lasting. But a root continues to produce satisfying fruit season after season. The net, in the context, represents wicked methods. It captures what belongs to another. By contrast, the root represents honorable and honest gain.

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