New King James Version
Proverbs 24:21
21My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;
Proverbs 24:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:
- New International Version (NIV)Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials,
- English Standard Version (ESV)My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise,
- New Living Translation (NLT)My child, fear the Lord and the king. Don’t associate with rebels,
Context of Proverbs 24:21
19Do not fret because of evildoers, Nor be envious of the wicked; 20For there will be no prospect for the evil man; The lamp of the wicked will be put out. My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change; 22For their calamity will rise suddenly, And who knows the ruin those two can bring? 23These things also belong to the wise: It is not good to show partiality in judgment.
Read all of Proverbs 24Proverbs 24:21 word by word
יְרָֽא־אֶת־יְהוָ֣ה בְּנִ֣י וָמֶ֑לֶךְ עִם־שׁ֝וֹנִ֗ים אַל־תִּתְעָרָֽב׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 24:21
- Exodus 14:31Thus Israel saw the great work which the Lord had done in Egypt; so the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord and His servant Moses.
- 1 Samuel 24:6And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.”
- Ecclesiastes 8:2I say, “Keep the king’s commandment for the sake of your oath to God.
- Matthew 22:21They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
- Romans 13:1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
- 1 Peter 2:13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
- Numbers 16:1Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men;
- 1 Samuel 8:5and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
- 1 Samuel 12:12And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king.
- 2 Samuel 15:13Now a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”
- 1 Kings 12:16Now when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying: “What share have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now, see to your own house, O David!” So Israel departed to their tents.
Commentaries on Proverbs 24:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21My son, fear thou the Lord and the king - Pay to each the homage due: to the Lord, Divine honor and adoration; to the king, civil respect, civil honor, and political obedience. Meddle not with them that are given to change - תתערב אל שונים עם im shonim al titharab : "And with the changelings mingle not thyself." The innovators; those who are always for making experiments on modes of government, forms of religion, etc. The most dangerous spirit that can…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Them that are given to change - Those that seek to set aside the worship of the true God, or the authority of the true king, who represents Him.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-22Verses 21-22 The godly in the land, will be quiet in the land. There may be cause to change for the better, but have nothing to do with them that are given change.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-22Saying 30: The king is linked to the Lord, showing his power and rule on earth (see 1 Samuel 12; Psalm 2).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2221-22. A warning against impiety and resistance to lawful rule (Ro 13:1-7; 1Pe 2:17). meddle ... change--(Compare Margin), literally, "mingle not yourself," avoid the society of restless persons.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 24:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 24
- 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
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries