Proverbs 11:29

29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.

Proverbs 11:29 in Other Translations

KJV
29 He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool shall be servant to the wise of heart.
ESV
29 Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
NLT
29 Those who bring trouble on their families inherit the wind. The fool will be a servant to the wise.
MSG
29 Exploit or abuse your family, and end up with a fistful of air; common sense tells you it's a stupid way to live.
CSB
29 The one who brings ruin on his household will inherit the wind, and a fool will be a slave to someone whose heart is wise.

Proverbs 11:29 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 11:29

He that troubleth his own house
His family, his wife, and children, and servants; by being bitter to the one, and by provoking the others to wrath, and continually giving out menacing words to the rest; or through idleness, not providing for his family; or through an over worldly spirit, pushing on business, and hurrying it on beyond measure; or through a niggardly and avaricious temper, withholding meat and drink, and clothes convenient for them; see ( Proverbs 15:27 ) ; or through profuseness and prodigality. Such an one shall inherit the wind;
nothing but vanity and emptiness; he shall come to nothing, and get nothing; and what he does, be shall not keep, and on which he cannot live; and the fool [shall be] servant to the wise of heart;
he who has both got and lost his substance in a foolish way shall be so reduced as to become a servant to him who has pursued wise measures, both in getting and keeping what he has; and to whom perhaps the fool formerly stood in the relation of a master. Such a change will be with respect to antichrist and the saints, ( Daniel 7:25-27 ) .

Proverbs 11:29 In-Context

27 Whoever seeks good finds favor, but evil comes to one who searches for it.
28 Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
29 Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives.
31 If the righteous receive their due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the sinner!

Cross References 1

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