Revised Webster's Bible
Proverbs 23:4
4Labour not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.
Proverbs 23:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.
- New International Version (NIV)Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Do not overwork to be rich; Because of your own understanding, cease!
Context of Proverbs 23:4
2And put a knife to thy throat, if thou art a man given to appetite. 3Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful food. Labour not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom. 5Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. 6Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his delicacies:
Read all of Proverbs 23Proverbs 23:4 word by word
אַל־תִּיגַ֥ע לְֽהַעֲשִׁ֑יר מִֽבִּינָתְךָ֥ חֲדָֽל׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Proverbs 23:4
- Proverbs 28:20A faithful man shall abound with blessings: but he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.
- John 6:27Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give to you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
- 1 Timothy 6:8And having food and raiment with these let us be content.
- Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all thy heart; and lean not to thy own understanding.
- Proverbs 26:12Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
- Isaiah 5:21Woe to them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
- Romans 11:25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part hath happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles shall be come in.
- Romans 12:16Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Commentaries on Proverbs 23:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Labour not to be rich - Let not this be thy object. Labour to provide things honest in the sight of God and all men; and if thou get wealth, do not forget the poor, else God's curse will be a canker even in thy gold. Cease from thine own wisdom - בינתך binathecha, thy own understanding or prudence. The world says, "Get rich if thou canst, and how thou canst." Rem, si possis, recte; si non, quocunque modo rem; "Get a fortune honestly if thou canst; but if…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Cease from thine own wisdom - i. e., “Cease from the use of what is in itself most excellent, if it only serves to seek after wealth, and so ministers to evil.” There is no special contrast between “thine own wisdom” and that given from above, though it is of course implied that in ceasing from his own prudence the man is on the way to attain a higher wisdom.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-5Verses 4-5 Be not of those that will be rich. The things of this world are not happiness and a portion for a soul; those that hold them ever so fast, cannot hold them always, cannot hold them long.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5Saying 7: Wealth can be a blessing from God (Proverbs 3:9–10, 15–16; 10:22), but some things in life matter more.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. (Compare 1Ti 6:9, 10). thine own wisdom--which regards riches intrinsically as a blessing.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 23:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 23
- 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
Revised Webster's Bible — 1833 — Public Domain
Commentaries