Proverbs 24:15

15 1Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;

Proverbs 24:15 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 24:15

Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the
righteous
The church of God, which is the righteous man's dwelling place, and where he desires and delights to dwell; or his own dwelling house; it may be rendered, "at the dwelling of the righteous" {p}; lay not wait at his door to observe who goes in and out, and what is done there; and to watch for his halting, and take notice of his infirmities, slips, and falls, and improve them to his disadvantage; and so the Vulgate Latin version, "and lay not wait and seek ungodliness in the house of the righteous"; or lay not wait there for him, as Saul set men to watch the house of David to kill him, ( 1 Samuel 19:11 ) ; or to take an opportunity and get into it and plunder it, as follows; spoil not his resting place:
by pulling it down, or stripping it of its furniture; by robbing him of the substance in it, and thus disturbing his rest, and destroying the place of it; or the place where he lies down as a sheep in its fold, or as the shepherd in his cottage, of which the words in the text are used; and so denote that as the righteous man is like a sheep, harmless and innocent, those that lay in wait for him and spoil him are no other than wolves.


FOOTNOTES:

F16 (hwnl) "habitaculo", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus; "habitationi", Michaelis; "mansioni", Cocceius, Schultens.

Proverbs 24:15 In-Context

13 My son, eat honey, for it is good, and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
14 Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
15 Lie not in wait as a wicked man against the dwelling of the righteous; do no violence to his home;
16 for the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles,

Cross References 1

  • 1. Psalms 10:9, 10
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.