Proverbs 11:29

Proverbs 11:29 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
• New International Version (NIV)Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind, And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Context of Proverbs 11:29

27He who diligently seeks good seeks favor and grace, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him. 28He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf. He who troubles (mismanages) his own house will inherit the wind (nothing), And the foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted. 30The fruit of the [consistently] righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise captures and wins souls [for God—he gathers them for eternity]. 31If the righteous will be rewarded on the earth [with godly blessings], How much more [will] the wicked and the sinner [be repaid with punishment]!

Proverbs 11:29 word by word

עוֹכֵ֣ר בֵּ֭יתוֹ יִנְחַל־ר֑וּחַ וְעֶ֥בֶד אֱ֝וִ֗יל לַחֲכַם־לֵֽב׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He that troublethעָכַר‛âkar · to troubleH5916
• his own houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• shall inheritנָחַלnâchal · to inheritH5157
• the windרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• and the foolאֱוִיל'ĕvîyl · fool(ish)H191
• servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• to the wiseחָכָםchâkâm · wiseH2450
• of heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820

Cross-references for Proverbs 11:29

• Genesis 34:30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me, making me a stench to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites! My men are few in number, and the men of the land will band together against me and attack me; I shall be destroyed, I and my household.”
• Joshua 7:24Then Joshua and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the [royal] robe, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything that he had; and they brought them up to the Valley of Achor (Disaster).
• 1 Samuel 25:3(now the man’s name was Nabal and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings; he was a Calebite).
• Habakkuk 2:9“Woe (judgment is coming) to him who obtains wicked gain for his house [and thinks by so doing] To set his nest on high, That he may be rescued from the hand of evil.
• Ecclesiastes 5:16This also is a grievous evil—exactly as he was born, so he shall die. So what advantage has he who labors for the wind?
• Hosea 8:7For they sow the wind [in evil] And they reap the whirlwind [in disaster]. The standing grain has no growth; It yields no grain. If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it up.

Commentaries on Proverbs 11:29

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 29Shalt inherit the wind - He who dissipates his property by riotous living, shall be as unsatisfied as he who attempts to feed upon air.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 29He that troubleth … - The temper, nigardly and worrying, which leads a man to make those about him miserable, and proves but bad economy in the end.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29Verse 29 He that brings trouble upon himself and his family, by carelessness, or by wickedness, shall be unable to keep and enjoy what he gets, as a man is unable to hold the wind, or to satisfy himself with it.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 24-3124-31. The scope of the whole is a comment on Pr 11:23. Thus liberality, by God's blessing, secures increase, while penuriousness, instead of expected gain, procures poverty.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 11:29

• Heart
• Prudence
• Sin

In the dictionaries

• Poetry
• Profit
• Pursue
• Scatter
• Secret
• Smart
• Suretiship
• Surety
• Void
• Achan

Commentaries on Proverbs 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings