English Standard Version
Proverbs 3:27
27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Proverbs 3:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
- New International Version (NIV)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.
Context of Proverbs 3:27
25Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, 26for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. 28Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you. 29Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you.
Read all of Proverbs 3Proverbs 3:27 word by word
אַל־תִּמְנַע־ט֥וֹב מִבְּעָלָ֑יו בִּהְי֨וֹת לְאֵ֖ל יָדְךָ֣ לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 3:27
- Romans 13:7Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
- Galatians 6:10So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
- James 2:15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
- James 5:4Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
- Genesis 31:29It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.'
- Micah 2:1Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Commentaries on Proverbs 3:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due - מבעליו mibbealaiv, from the lords of it. But who are they? The poor. And what art thou, O rich man? Why, thou art a steward, to whom God has given substance that thou mayest divide with the poor. They are the right owners of every farthing thou hast to spare from thy own support, and that of thy family; and God has given the surplus for their sakes. Dost thou, by hoarding up this treasure, deprive the right…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27-35Verses 27-35 A marked change in style. The continuous exhortation is replaced by a series of maxims. From them to whom it is due - literally, as in the margin. The precept expresses the great Scriptural thought that the so-called possession of wealth is but a stewardship; that the true owners of what we call our own are those to whom, with it, we may do good. Not to relieve them is a breach of trust. Proverbs 3:28 Procrastination is especially fatal to…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-35Verses 27-35 Our business is to observe the precepts of Christ, and to copy his example; to do justice, to love mercy, and to beware of covetousness; to be ready for every good work, avoiding needless strife, and bearing evils, if possible, rather than seeking redress by law. It will be found there is little got by striving. Let us not envy prosperous oppressors; far be it from the disciples of Christ to choose any of their ways. These truths may be…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-28A wise person is a kind and helpful neighbor. Proverbs strongly emphasizes helping those in financial need (Proverbs 11:24; 28:27; 29:7, 14).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-2827-28. Promptly fulfil all obligations both of justice and charity (compare Jas 2:15, 16).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 3:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 3
- 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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries