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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Wycliffe Bible

Proverbs 23:17

Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Envy;   Fear of God;   Young Men;   Thompson Chain Reference - Envy;   Social Duties;   Temperance;   Temperance-Intemperance;   The Topic Concordance - Envy;   Fear;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fear, Godly;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joy;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Envy;   Heart;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Future Hope;   Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fear;  

Devotionals:

- Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for May 6;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t let your heart envy sinners;instead, always fear the Lord.
Hebrew Names Version
Don't let your heart envy sinners; But rather fear the LORD all the day long.
King James Version
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
English Standard Version
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day.
New American Standard Bible
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.
New Century Version
Don't envy sinners, but always respect the Lord .
Amplified Bible
Do not let your heart envy sinners [who live godless lives and have no hope of salvation], But [continue to] live in the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LORD day by day.
World English Bible
Don't let your heart envy sinners; But rather fear Yahweh all the day long.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Let not thine heart bee enuious against sinners: but let it bee in the feare of the Lorde continually.
Legacy Standard Bible
Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners,But be zealous in the fear of Yahweh always.
Berean Standard Bible
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
Contemporary English Version

-14-

Don't be jealous of sinners, but always honor the Lord .
Complete Jewish Bible
Don't envy sinners, but follow the example of those who always fear God;
Darby Translation
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;
Easy-to-Read Version
Never envy evil people, but always respect the Lord .
George Lamsa Translation
Let not your heart envy sinners; but revere the LORD all the day long.
Good News Translation

-14-

Don't be envious of sinful people; let reverence for the Lord be the concern of your life.
Lexham English Bible
May your heart not envy the sinners, but live in fear of Yahweh all day.
Literal Translation
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but only be in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let not thine herte be gelous to folowe synners, but kepe ye still in the feare of the LORDE all the daye loge:
American Standard Version
Let not thy heart envy sinners; But be thou in the fear of Jehovah all the day long:
Bible in Basic English
Have no envy of sinners in your heart, but keep in the fear of the Lord all through the day;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;
King James Version (1611)
Let not thine heart enuy sinners, but be thou in the feare of the Lord all the day long.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let not thyne heart be ielous to folowe sinners, but kepe thee styll in the feare of the Lorde all the day long:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day.
English Revised Version
Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long:
Update Bible Version
Don't let your heart envy sinners; But [be] in the fear of Yahweh all the day long:
Webster's Bible Translation
Let not thy heart envy sinners: but [be thou] in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
New English Translation
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but rather be zealous in fearing the Lord all the time.
New King James Version
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the LORD all the day;
New Living Translation
Don't envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord .
New Life Bible
Do not let your heart be jealous of sinners, but live in the fear of the Lord always.
New Revised Standard
Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the Lord .
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let not thy heart be envious of sinners, only of the reverence of Yahweh, all day long;
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long:
Revised Standard Version
Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the LORD all the day.
Young's Literal Translation
Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But -- in the fear of Jehovah all the day.
THE MESSAGE
14 Don't for a minute envy careless rebels; soak yourself in the Fear-of- God — That's where your future lies. Then you won't be left with an armload of nothing.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not let your heart envy sinners, But live in the fear of the LORD always.

Contextual Overview

17 Thin herte sue not synneris; but be thou in the drede of the Lord al dai. 18 For thou schalt haue hope at the laste, and thin abidyng schal not be don awei.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

not: Proverbs 3:31, Proverbs 24:1, Psalms 37:1-3, Psalms 73:3-7

be thou: Proverbs 15:16, Proverbs 28:14, Psalms 111:10, Psalms 112:1, Ecclesiastes 5:7, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Ecclesiastes 12:14, Acts 9:31, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Peter 1:17

Reciprocal: Psalms 25:5 - on thee Proverbs 3:6 - In Proverbs 24:19 - neither Jeremiah 32:39 - they may Daniel 6:20 - servest Romans 3:18 - General 1 Peter 2:17 - Fear

Cross-References

Genesis 23:7
And Abraham roos, and worschipide the puple of the lond, that is, the sones of Heth.
Genesis 23:10
Forsothe Efron dwellide in the myddis of the sones of Heth. And Efron answerde to Abraham, while alle men herden that entriden bi the yate of that citee,
Genesis 23:14
And Efron answerde, My lord,
Genesis 23:20
And the feeld, and the denne that was therynne, was confermyd of the sones of Heth to Abraham, in to possessioun of sepulcre.
Genesis 25:9
And Ysaac and Ismael, his sones, birieden him in the double denne, which is set in the feeld of Efron, sone of Seor Ethei,
Genesis 50:13
and thei baren hym in to the lond of Canaan, and thei birieden hym in the double denne, which denne with the feeld Abraham hadde bouyt of Effron Ethei, ayens the face of Mambre, into possessioun of sepulcre.
Psalms 112:5
The man is merye, that doith merci, and leeneth; he disposith hise wordis in dom;
Matthew 10:16
Lo! Y sende you as scheep in the myddil of wolues; therfor be ye sliy as serpentis, and symple as dowues.
Acts 7:16
and thei weren translatid in to Sichen, and weren leid in the sepulcre, that Abraham bouyte bi prijs of siluer of the sones of Emor, the sone of Sichen.
Ephesians 5:15
Therfor, britheren, se ye, hou warli ye schulen go;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let not thine heart envy sinners,.... Their present prosperity and happiness, the pleasure, profit, and honour, they seem to enjoy; all which is but a shadow, fading had temporary; and yet good men are apt to envy it in their hearts, if they do not express it with their lips; and are ready to murmur and think it hard that they should be in straitened circumstances while the wicked are in flourishing ones; and inwardly fret and are uneasy at it, which they should not,

Psalms 37:1; or do not "emulate" or "imitate" z them, or do as they do, thinking thereby to enjoy the same prosperity and happiness; choose not their ways, nor desire to be with them, to have their company, or be ranked among them, Proverbs 3:31;

but [be thou] in the fear of the Lord all the day long; let the fear of God be always before thine eyes and in thine heart; be continually in the exercise of fear, which is attended with faith and trust in the Lord; with love and affection to him, and joy and delight in him; be constantly employed in the duties of religion, private and public, which the fear of God includes; and this will be a preservative from envying, murmuring, and fretting at the outward happiness of wicked men; and from joining with them in their evil ways. Aben Ezra, and who is followed by some others, render it, "but [emulate or imitate] the men that fear the Lord all the day long" a; be followers of them, and do as they do; let their constant piety and devotion stir up a holy emulation in thee to copy after them and exceed them; but the former sense is best.

z אל יקנא "ne aemuletur", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Junius et Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. a "Aemulare virum timentem, Jehovam", Vatablus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Another continuous exhortation rather than a collection of maxims.

Proverbs 23:16

The teacher rejoices when the disciple’s heart Proverbs 23:15 receives wisdom, and yet more when his lips can utter it.

Reins - See Job 19:27 note.

Proverbs 23:17

Envy sinners - Compare in Psalms 37:1; Psalms 73:3; the feeling which looks half-longingly at the prosperity of evil doers. Some connect the verb “envy” with the second clause, “envy not sinners, but envy, emulate, the fear of the Lord.”

Proverbs 23:18

Or, For if there is an end (hereafter), thine expectations shall not be cut off. There is an implied confidence in immortality.

Proverbs 23:20

Riotous eaters of flesh - The word is the same as “glutton” in Proverbs 23:21 and Deuteronomy 21:20.

Proverbs 23:21

The three forms of evil that destroy reputation and tempt to waste are brought together.

Drowsiness - Specially the drunken sleep, heavy and confused.

Proverbs 23:26

Observe - Another reading gives, “let thine eyes delight in my ways.”

Proverbs 23:28

As for a prey - Better as in the margin.

The transgressors - Better, the treacherous,” those that attack men treacherously.

Proverbs 23:29

Woe ... sorrow - The words in the original are interjections, probably expressing distress. The sharp touch of the satirist reproduces the actual inarticulate utterances of drunkenness.

Proverbs 23:30

Mixed wine - Wine flavored with aromatic spices, that increase its stimulating properties Isaiah 5:22. There is a touch of sarcasm in “go to seek.” The word, elsewhere used of diligent search after knowledge Proverbs 25:2; Job 11:7; Psalms 139:1, is used here of the investigations of connoisseurs in wine meeting to test its qualities.

Proverbs 23:31

His color - literally, “its eye,” the clear brightness, or the beaded bubbles on which the wine drinker looks with complacency.

It moveth itself aright - The Hebrew word describes the pellucid stream flowing pleasantly from the wineskin or jug into the goblet or the throat (compare Song of Solomon 7:9), rather than a sparkling wine.

Proverbs 23:32

Adder - Said to be the Cerastes, or horned snake.

Proverbs 23:34

The passage is interesting, as showing the increased familiarity of Israelites with the experiences of sea life (compare Psalms 104:25-26; Psalms 107:23-30).

In the midst of the sea - i. e., When the ship is in the trough of the sea and the man is on the deck. The second clause varies the form of danger, the man is in the “cradle” at the top of the mast, and sleeps there, regardless of the danger.

Proverbs 23:35

The picture ends with the words of the drunkard on waking from his sleep. Unconscious of the excesses of the night, his first thought is to return to his old habit.

When shall I awake ... - Better, when I shall awake I will seek it yet again.


 
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