Proverbs 23:17

17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;

Proverbs 23:17 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 23:17

Let not thine heart envy sinners
Their present prosperity and happiness, the pleasure, profit, and honour, they seem to enjoy; all which is but a shadow, fading had temporary; and yet good men are apt to envy it in their hearts, if they do not express it with their lips; and are ready to murmur and think it hard that they should be in straitened circumstances while the wicked are in flourishing ones; and inwardly fret and are uneasy at it, which they should not, ( Psalms 37:1 Psalms 37:7 ) ( 73:2 ) ; or do not "emulate" or "imitate" ^F26 them, or do as they do, thinking thereby to enjoy the same prosperity and happiness; choose not their ways, nor desire to be with them, to have their company, or be ranked among them, ( Proverbs 3:31 ) ( 24:1 ) ; but [be thou] in the fear of the Lord all the day long;
let the fear of God be always before thine eyes and in thine heart; be continually in the exercise of fear, which is attended with faith and trust in the Lord; with love and affection to him, and joy and delight in him; be constantly employed in the duties of religion, private and public, which the fear of God includes; and this will be a preservative from envying, murmuring, and fretting at the outward happiness of wicked men; and from joining with them in their evil ways. Aben Ezra, and who is followed by some others, render it, "but [emulate or imitate] the men that fear the Lord all the day long" ^F1; be followers of them, and do as they do; let their constant piety and devotion stir up a holy emulation in thee to copy after them and exceed them; but the former sense is best.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 (anqy la) "ne aemuletur", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Junius et Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
F1 "Aemulare virum timentem, Jehovam", Vatablus.

Proverbs 23:17 In-Context

15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine;

16 and my reins shall exult, when thy lips speak right things.

17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but [be thou] in the fear of Jehovah all the day;

18 for surely there is a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

19 Thou, my son, hear and be wise, and direct thy heart in the way

Footnotes

• [a] Or 'but [let it covet] the fear.'