New Living Translation
Proverbs 3:28
28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
Proverbs 3:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
- New International Version (NIV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”— when you already have it with you.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it"—when you have it with you.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it,” When you have it with you.
Context of Proverbs 3:28
26for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. 27Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” 29Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you. 30Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.
Read all of Proverbs 3Proverbs 3:28 word by word
אַל־תֹּ֘אמַ֤ר לְרֵֽעֲךָ֨ לֵ֣ךְ וָ֭שׁוּב וּמָחָ֥ר אֶתֵּ֗ן וְיֵ֣שׁ אִתָּֽךְ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 3:28
- Proverbs 27:1Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.
- Leviticus 19:13“Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. “Do not make your hired workers wait until the next day to receive their pay.
- Deuteronomy 24:12If your neighbor is poor and gives you his cloak as security for a loan, do not keep the cloak overnight.
- Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
- Ecclesiastes 11:6Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
- 2 Corinthians 8:11Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.
- 2 Corinthians 9:3But I am sending these brothers to be sure you really are ready, as I have been telling them, and that your money is all collected. I don’t want to be wrong in my boasting about you.
- 1 Timothy 6:18Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others.
Commentaries on Proverbs 3:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28Say not unto thy neighbor - Do not refuse a kindness when it is in thy power to perform it. If thou have the means by thee, and thy neighbor's necessities be pressing, do not put him off till the morrow. Death may take either him or thee before that time.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 3:28
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
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