Bible/Proverbs/24

Proverbs 24:29

24:28 Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips.
Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

KJV

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Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

Say not, I will do so to him as he has done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.

24:30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

What does Proverbs 24:29 mean?

Proverbs 24:29 is a verse in the book of Proverbs, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אָמַר (ʼâmar), עָשָׂה (ʻâsâh), שׁוּב (shûwb). It connects to 14 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

Full chapter interlinear →
Sayאָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/H559to say (used with great latitude)
not,
I
will
doעָשָׂהʻâsâh/aw-saw'/H6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
so
to
him
as
he
hath
doneעָשָׂהʻâsâh/aw-saw'/H6213to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
to
me:
I
will
renderשׁוּבshûwb/shoob/H7725to turn back (hence, away) transitively or intransitively, literally or figuratively (not necessarily with the idea of return to the starting point); generally to retreat; often adverbial, again
to
the
manאִישׁʼîysh/eesh/H376a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)
according
to
his
work.פֹּעַלpôʻal/po'-al/H6467an act or work (concretely)

Commentary on Proverbs 24:29

HENRY_FULL · Proverbs 24:28–29
We are here forbidden to be in any thing injurious to our neighbour, particularly in and by the forms of law, either, 1. As a witness: "Never bear a testimony against any man without cause, unless what thou sayest thou knowest to be punctually true and thou hast a clear call to testify it. Never bear a false testimony against any one;" for it follows, " Deceive not with thy lips; deceive not the judge and jury, deceive not those whom thou conversest with, into an ill opinion of thy neighbour. When thou speakest of thy neighbour do not only speak that which is true, but take heed lest, in the manner of thy speaking, thou insinuate any thing that is otherwise and so shouldst deceive by innuendos or hyperboles." Or, 2. As a plaintiff or prosecutor. If there be occasion to bring an action or information against thy neighbour, let it not be from a spirit of revenge. " Say not, I am resolved I will be even with him: I will do so to him as he had done to me. " Even a righteous cause becomes unrighteous when it is thus prosecuted with malice. Say not, I will render to the man according to his work, and make him pay dearly for it; for it is God's prerogative to do so, and we must leave it to him, and not step into his throne, or take his work out of his hands. If we will needs be our own carvers, and judges in our own cause, we forfeit the benefit of an appeal to God's tribunal; therefore we must not avenge ourselves, because he has said, Vengeance is mine. The Vineyard of the Slothful. 30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Proverbs 15:4

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. A wholesome: Heb. The healing of the tongue

Proverbs 28:28

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves: but when they perish, the righteous increase.

Proverbs 29:2

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. in: or, increased

Matthew 24:45

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Luke 12:43

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

Luke 12:44

Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

John 12:26

If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

John 14:3

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 17:24

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Romans 13:1

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God. ordained: or, ordered

Philippians 3:12

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:21

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Revelation 21:3

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Topics

RetaliationRevengeYoung Men

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Proverbs 24:29.

Genesis 1:11

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. grass: Heb. tender grass

Genesis 1:26

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. meet: Heb. as before him

Genesis 2:23

And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Woman: Heb. Isha Man: Heb. Ish

Genesis 20:7

Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine.

Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Yea: Heb. Yea, because, etc.

Genesis 3:13

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Genesis 3:14

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Frequently asked questions

What does Proverbs 24:29 say?

Proverbs 24:29 (King James Version) reads: "Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work."

Is Proverbs 24:29 in the Old or New Testament?

Proverbs 24:29 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Proverbs.

Reflect

As you read Proverbs 24:29, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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