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Friday, July 18th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Proverbs 24:17

Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Enemy;   Forgiveness;   Love;   Malice;   Young Men;   Thompson Chain Reference - Duty;   Enemies;   Joy-Sorrow;   Love;   Rejoicing;   Social Duties;   Social Life;   The Topic Concordance - Enemies;   Rejoice;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Enemies;   Revenge;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Enemy;   Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hating, Hatred;   Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fall;   Wisdom;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - AḥiḴar;   Forgiveness;   Samuel Ha-Ḳaá¹­on;   Wisdom;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for July 28;   Every Day Light - Devotion for December 22;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t gloat when your enemy falls,and don’t let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
Hebrew Names Version
Don't rejoice when your enemy falls. Don't let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;
King James Version
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
English Standard Version
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,
New American Standard Bible
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
New Century Version
Don't be happy when your enemy is defeated; don't be glad when he is overwhelmed.
Amplified Bible
Do not rejoice and gloat when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad [in self-righteousness] when he stumbles,
World English Bible
Don't rejoice when your enemy falls. Don't let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Bee thou not glad when thine enemie falleth, and let not thine heart reioyce when hee stumbleth,
Legacy Standard Bible
When your enemy falls, do not be glad,And when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice;
Berean Standard Bible
Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles,
Contemporary English Version

-28-

Don't be happy to see your enemies trip and fall down.
Complete Jewish Bible
Don't rejoice when your enemy falls; don't let your heart be glad when he stumbles.
Darby Translation
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
Easy-to-Read Version
Don't be happy when your enemy has troubles. Don't be glad when they fall.
George Lamsa Translation
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he is overthrown,
Good News Translation

-28-

Don't be glad when your enemies meet disaster, and don't rejoice when they stumble.
Lexham English Bible
While your enemies are falling, do not rejoice; when he trips himself, may your heart not be glad
Literal Translation
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Reioyce not thou at ye fall of thine enemie, and let not thine herte be glad whan he stombleth.
American Standard Version
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, And let not thy heart be glad when he is overthrown;
Bible in Basic English
Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;
King James Version (1611)
Reioyce not when thine enemie falleth: and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Reioyce not thou at the fall of thyne enemie, and let not thyne heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If thine enemy should fall, rejoice not over him, neither be elated at his overthrow.
English Revised Version
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he is overthrown:
Update Bible Version
Don't rejoice when your enemy falls, And don't let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;
Webster's Bible Translation
Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth:
New English Translation
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and when he stumbles do not let your heart rejoice,
New King James Version
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
New Living Translation
Don't rejoice when your enemies fall; don't be happy when they stumble.
New Life Bible
Do not be full of joy when the one who hates you falls. Do not let your heart be glad when he trips.
New Revised Standard
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When thine enemy falleth, do not thou rejoice, and, when he stumbleth, let not thy heart exult:
Douay-Rheims Bible
When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad, and in his ruin let not thy heart rejoice:
Revised Standard Version
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles;
Young's Literal Translation
In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,
THE MESSAGE
28 Don't laugh when your enemy falls; don't crow over his collapse. God might see, and become very provoked, and then take pity on his plight.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;

Contextual Overview

17 Whanne thin enemye fallith, haue thou not ioye; and thin herte haue not ful out ioiyng in his fal; 18 lest perauenture the Lord se, and it displese hym, and he take awei his ire fro hym.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Proverbs 17:5, Judges 16:25, 2 Samuel 16:5-14, Job 31:29, Psalms 35:15, Psalms 35:19, Psalms 42:10, Obadiah 1:12, 1 Corinthians 13:6, 1 Corinthians 13:7

Reciprocal: Exodus 23:4 - General Judges 16:23 - to rejoice 2 Samuel 1:12 - General 2 Samuel 3:32 - lifted Psalms 70:3 - aha Proverbs 25:21 - General Isaiah 14:29 - Rejoice Jeremiah 48:27 - was not Ezekiel 25:3 - thou saidst Ezekiel 25:6 - rejoiced Ezekiel 36:5 - with the Micah 7:8 - Rejoice Luke 6:27 - Love Luke 10:34 - went Romans 12:19 - avenge 1 Thessalonians 5:15 - none Revelation 11:10 - rejoice

Cross-References

Genesis 24:1
Forsothe Abraham was eld, and of many daies, and the Lord hadde blessid hym in alle thingis.
Genesis 24:6
Abraham seide, Be war, lest ony tyme thou lede ayen thidur my sone;
Genesis 24:7
the Lord of heuene that took me fro the hows of my fadir, and fro the lond of my birthe, which spak to me, and swoor, and seide, Y schal yyue this lond to thi seed, he schal sende his aungel bifore thee, and thou schalt take fro thennus a wijf to my sone; forsothe if the womman nyle sue thee,
Genesis 24:17
And the seruaunt mette hir, and seide, Yyue thou to me a litil of the watir of thi pot to drynke.
Genesis 24:18
Which answerde, Drynke thou, my lord. And anoon sche dide doun the watir pot on hir schuldre, and yaf drynk to hym.
Genesis 24:35
and the Lord hath blessid my lord greetli, and he is maad greet; and God yaf to hym scheep, and oxun, siluer, and gold, seruauntis, and handmaides, camels, and assis.
1 Kings 17:10
He roos, and yede in to Sarepta of Sidoneis; and whanne he hadde come to the yate of the citee, a womman widewe gaderynge stickis apperide to hym; and he clepide hir, and seide to hir, Yyue thou to me a litil of water in a vessel, that Y drynke.
Isaiah 21:14
Ye that dwellen in the lond of the south, renne, and bere watir to the thristi; and renne ye with looues to hym that fleeth.
Isaiah 30:25
And strondis of rennynge watris schulen be on ech hiy munteyn, and on ech litil hil reisid, in the dai of sleyng of many men, whanne touris fallen doun.
Isaiah 49:10
Thei schulen not hungre, and thei schulen no more thirste, and heete, and the sunne schal not smyte hem; for the merciful doere of hem schal gouerne hem, and schal yyue drynk to hem at the wellis of watris.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,.... These words are spoken not to the wicked man, Proverbs 24:15; but to the just man, or Solomon's son, or the children of Wisdom; for by the "enemy" is meant such who are at enmity with the people of God, as the seed of the serpent, and those after the flesh, are: and when these "fall", saints should not "rejoice"; as when they fall into sin; for so to do would be to act as wicked "charity [which] rejoiceth not in iniquity",

1 Corinthians 13:6: or rather when they fill into calamity and distress; for this is also the part which wicked men act towards the people of God, and should not be imitated in; see Obadiah 1:12. Joy may be expressed at the fall of the public enemies of God and his people, as was by the Israelites at the destruction of Pharaoh and his host, Exodus 15:1; and as will be by the church at the destruction of antichrist, and which they are called upon to do, Revelation 18:20; partly on account of their own deliverance and safety, and chiefly because of the glory of God, and of his justice displayed therein; see

Psalms 58:10; but as private revenge is not to be sought, nor acted, so joy at the calamity and ruin of a private enemy, or a man's own enemy, should not be expressed; but rather he is to be pitied and helped; see

Proverbs 25:21; for to love an enemy, and show regard to him, is the doctrine both of the Old and of the New Testament;

and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth; even secret joy should not be indulged, gladness in the heart, though it does not appear in the countenance, and is not expressed in words; no, not at the least appearance of mischief, when he only stumbles and is ready to fall; and much less should there be exultation and rejoicings made in an open manner at the utter ruin of him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 24:17. Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, (into this mischief,) and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth — When he meets with any thing that injures him; for God will not have thee to avenge thyself, or feel any disposition contrary to love; for if thou do, the Lord will be angry, and may turn away his wrath from him, and pour it out on thee.

This I believe to be the true sense of these verses: but we must return to the sixteenth, as that has been most sinfully misrepresented.

For a just man falleth seven times. - That is, say many, "the most righteous man in the world sins seven times a day on an average." Solomon does not say so: -

1. There is not a word about sin in the text.

2. The word day is not in the Hebrew text, nor in any of the versions.

3. The word יפול yippol, from נפל naphal, to fall, is never applied to sin.

4. When set in opposition to the words riseth up, it merely applies to affliction or calamity. See Micah 7:8; Amos 8:4; Jeremiah 25:27; and Psalms 34:19; Psalms 34:20. "The righteous falls into trouble." See above.

Mr. Holden has a very judicious note on this passage: "Injure not a righteous man; for, though he frequently falls into distress, yet, by the superintending care of Providence, 'he riseth up again,' is delivered from his distress, while the wicked are overwhelmed with their misfortunes. That this is the meaning is plain from the preceding and following verses: yet some expound it by the just man often relapsing into sin, and recovering from it; nay, it has even been adduced to prove the doctrine of the final perseverance of the elect. But נפל is never used for falling into sin, but into distress and affliction - as Proverbs 11:5; Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 13:17; Proverbs 17:20; Proverbs 26:27; Proverbs 28:10; Proverbs 28:14; Proverbs 28:18."


 
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